Healthy Stress Release Strategies

Venting Stress in a Healthy Way

Think about the stress you experience like a balloon… every time you experience stress it’s like you’re blowing another breath into the balloon. Eventually it will pop, leading you to an outburst or extreme reaction, either emotionally or physically. This is why you need to “vent” or let the pressure out.

• Vent to Yourself: write about how you feel or say it out loud to yourself, in front of a mirror. Acknowledge and affirm yourself that the way you feel makes sense and that it’s okay to let it out.
• Vent with Someone Else: talk about how you feel to someone you trust. Establish ahead of time that the goal of the discussion is to express emotions to release them, no to try to solve any problems or talk about the situation. This can be a two-way venting session if you want. Affirm and acknowledge each other for the rightness of how you feel and the willingness to express it.

IMPORTANT: Express how you FEEL rather than discussing “what is happening”. By expressing the emotions, you release them instead of bottling them up.

I highly recommend these other stress-reducing techniques:

• Gratitude journal
• Exercise
• Skilled relaxation/meditation