Calming Tips to Prepare for a Stressful Day

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It’s Sunday night. On Monday, you’ve got that big presentation/test/dinner that you’ve been dreading. How do you stop feeling overwhelmed? It’s not always easy to prepare for a stressful day—or to restore your mental well-being after one. Here are tips for coping with stress and anxiety before, during and after your stressful day.

Stress Management the Day and Night Before

It’s normal to feel anxious or nervous the day before a big event. However, getting a poor night’s sleep is one sure way to feel awful during your stressful day. In fact, it can make your anxiety worse. Take the time in the afternoon and evening before your big day to calm your body and mind by trying the following:

Go for a long walk, run or workout. Exercise helps reduce stress hormones. It can also help you sleep more soundly.
Skip the caffeine and alcohol. Both substances can cause poor sleep and anxiety.
Listen to music. It can help calm, distract or motivate you.
Try a calming bedtime routine. Turn off screens, avoid the news cycle, take a long bath, sip chamomile tea—whatever will calm and center you before bed so you get a good night’s sleep.

Stay Calm in the Morning

Great, you got a restful night’s sleep! Now, how do you keep the butterflies down until the event starts?

Do a short meditation. You can find guided meditations on various apps or online with calming visual imagery, or ones that help you focus or get inspired.
Give yourself a pep talk. Counter any negative thoughts with positive affirmations or mantras. You can do this!
Practice mindfulness or relaxation exercises. Imagine you’re at the beach or on a mountain—whatever your favorite place to escape is. Incorporate music in the exercise. Picture yourself there until you’re calm.
Stretch. A quick downward dog or other deep stretch can relieve your tense muscles.
Try breathing exercises. Take a deep breath in, hold it, then slowly breathe out. Repeat until your heart rate slows. Imagine anxiety or worry leaving your body with each exhaled breath.

If you must travel to your event, give yourself plenty of time to get there so potential traffic snarls won’t stress you out.

What to Do When You’re Still Stressed Afterwards

Congratulations, you made it through the stressful day! But maybe it didn’t go as planned and you feel even worse. Or maybe it went so well that you now have residual stress thinking about what’s next. Here’s how to regain your calm:

Be thankful. Put things into perspective. A daily gratitude practice can help you focus on the positives in your life. Focus on all of your accomplishments.
Call friends or family members. Talking about your day with loved ones is a great way to let go of stress.
Engage your senses. Light a candle, play relaxing music and drink some herbal tea.
Practice acceptance. Remember that you can only control your own actions and reactions, not the outcome or how other people act or react.
Treat yourself. You worked hard, give yourself grace and even an extra reward like eating out or binge-watching your favorite television series.
Start a project or hobby. There are meaningful distractions in exploring your creative self (cooking, gardening, painting, woodworking, learning a language, etc).

You did your best, and that’s what matters. But if you find that stress and anxiety regularly interfere with your life and cause symptoms such as headaches or stomach aches, it might be time to ask for help. You are not alone. Talk to your primary care provider about your symptoms and ask about ways to manage stress and improve your mood.

Calming Tips to Prepare for a Stressful Day

Stress Management the Day and Night Before

Stay Calm in the Morning

What to Do When You’re Still Stressed Afterwards

More to Read

Do you need help managing stress or anxiety?

Visiting your University of Maryland Medical System primary care provider is a good first step.

Posted by Kimmi Patterson