Does a heavy workload have you feeling strung out? Is your significant other getting on your last nerve? Do you just feel a little off? Vive shares our most productive ways to help you get through it all.

1. Take a Pause

Now we know this one is easier said than done – but all it takes is just a few minutes of a mental and physical pause to reconnect you with a calm emotional state and reduce the feeling of stress. Set a timer for five minutes, sit somewhere comfy, and focus on box breathing: breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breathe out for four seconds, and hold for four seconds. Repeat this until your timer ends.

2. Quarter Your Day

Visualize the day as being broken out into quarters to help you keep everything in proper perspective. Depending on your schedule, the typical person is awake for about 16 hours. If something not-so-great happens at 8am, that doesn’t mean that the next three quarters of your day are going to be just as rough. If you wake up at 6am, the quartered blocks of time would be separated out as: 6am-10am, 10am-2pm, 2pm-6pm, and 6pm-10pm. Applying this mental structure to your day is a super easy way to keep one bad situation from wreaking havoc on the remainder of your day.

3. Check Into Your Needs

Take a moment to turn inwards and touch base with yourself. So you’re having a rough day – but are you dehydrated? Hungry? Tired? These are simple fixes to jump on right away. Ask yourself “When was the last time I ate? Did I get restful sleep last night? Am I feeling tense? Am I stressed about something? What am I feeling right now in this moment?” Give yourself permission to take a break and check in on what might be happening inside your body. From there, address it directly if you can, and then try to take it easy the remainder of the day. Checking into your needs is, in essence, a mindfulness technique that teaches you the habit of listening to your mind and body.

4. Do Something You Love

One of the best ways to get yourself through a rough day is to do something that makes you feel good. Whether it means taking a hot shower or soaking in a bubble bath, going for a walk or listening to your favorite Podcast channel – let yourself live a little and spend some time doing the thing that you love most!

Looking for more lifestyle tips and tricks? Head over to our other blog posts today!