What to Do Today When Stressed

Stress makes everything feel urgent and impossible. These grounding actions help you step back, breathe, and handle one thing at a time.

• Do box breathing for 3 minutes — Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4. Repeat. This calms your nervous system immediately.
• Write everything down — Brain dump every worry, task, and thought onto paper. Getting it out of your head creates space.
• Take a 10-minute walk outside — Movement + fresh air + change of scenery = instant stress relief.
• Do one small task you've been avoiding — The mental weight of avoidance often feels worse than the task itself.
• Say no to one thing today — Protect your energy. You don't have to do everything right now.
• Talk to someone you trust — Sharing stress makes it lighter. You don't need solutions—just someone who listens.

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