(Taken from Pinterest)

Lately I've been feeling very over whelmed and depressed, I find that any little thing that annoys me of or triggers something in me I either get very angry, stressed, anxious or upset. Because stress was my primary cause of a 10kg weight gain over my uni period to keep a stress free environment is a challenge. I get stressed I eat bad food, I get depressed cause I ate food and then I get angry at my self then that leads on to more stress it one big viscous cycle. 

I want to let you guys in a few tips on how to keep a positive environment stay happy and release the stress and anger from your life.

Disclaimer: these are thing that work for me it may not work for you. I am also not a doctor so don't take this to seriously some people do suffer from extreme depression and should be seen by a doctor.

1. Take a deep breath.  The simple act of pushing the pause button to focus on slow and steady breathing has saved us. I feel like this just helps to relax and re group and think more positively about my next move. There is not point moving forward stressed and anxious.

2. Give yourself a break. I'm a perfectionist, which I've come to realize is completely exhausting. I used to beat myself up over the littlest things (like not getting the perfect looking macrons in the weekend), but I am learning to give myself a break. Having all those stressful moments at up to a very stressful life. I've come to the conclusion that if its not perfect and It not significant in a year its not worth stressing about of just forget it don't do it and take yourself out of the situation.

3. Get up and walk away. If you’re in a place where you can physically leave a particularly upsetting discussion, or environment, then by all means do. The key here is to calmly remove yourself rather than making a scene or storming out. 

4. Schedule. I find that I am happier when I have a routine, we are creatures of habit and having a schedule provides a sense of control and security. I like to stay on top of things, and the way I do this is by planning out what I have to do each week. Having my daily and weekly routines helps to keep me relaxed and keeps me sane.

5. Stay away from poisonous people. We all have that one friend that is not the best, they don't support you, they make you feel bad about yourself or they simply don't care. These kinds of people are a waste of your time, try to surround yourself with people that love and respect you. These are the people that will laugh with you through the good times and stand by you in the bad. 

6. Diet. I know the first thing is when you get stressed or depressed you reach for the first quick thing you see, its usually junk food or something easy is not always the healthiest options and if you like me you crave chocolate, the problem is I don't stop at just one piece I tend to eat the whole bar. These foods will not help you in the long run they only help for that moment, its not good for your waist line or your head. I try to cut all bad food out of my diet. This worked for a while, until it became clear that all I ever thought about were sweets. I don't believe in deprivation, but rather eating everything in moderation, if I crave something, I have it. I find that when I take out the notion of something being off limits, I don't crave it as badly.

7.Remember that some situations are out of your control. Sometimes things turn out good, sometimes bad and some time everything goes wrong all at once. A great deal of these situations are out of our control, your heel breaks, you accidentally step in a puddle or your phone battery dies right when you need it most. Lets face it, shitty things happen, sometimes we are lucky and have someone to pull us out of the pit, but we need to learn to rely on ourselves. Optimism and positivity are your friends and even when it starts raining as you are walking home from the hair salon, you have to be brave. 

8. Relax. Some of the simplest pleasures in life are the most relaxing, I love to take long baths and treat myself with things like bath bombs and fancy soaps. Going for a long walk really helps me, it releases endorphins which helps to reduce stress. Do something that you really enjoy, that doesn't require much effort on your behalf.

9. Meditation: I use the Calm App (http://calm.com) which plays relaxing ambient sounds, music and a calm narration of instructions to relax. i.e. "relax all the muscles in your body, starting from your head, moving down to your shoulders...". Yoga is one of the most practiced forms of meditation and for good reason too, a mixture of both exercise and careful concentration helps to clear the mind.

10. Positive Thinking. Trying to stay positive in an upsetting situation is one of the most difficult things. When I find myself in this circumstance I try to make myself feel better by smiling. It is harder than anything, I find it easier to think of yourself in the third person. You are putting on a brave face for your friend that is not doing so well, the only thing is that your friend is you. Staying positive is hard, pretending is a step in the right direction.

I am still learning these things myself and wish it was easier. I hope some of these helped you with whatever you are going through. Just know that there is nothing wrong with asking for help,when you can't do it on your own there is no sense in struggling when you have people that love you.