Our mentors and page authors are not necessarily psychologists or therapists. Even when they are, this page is not medical or psychological advice and they are not creating a doctor/therapist-client relationship. You should consult a professional if possible and they can tell you whether this advice applies to your situation. If this is an emergency, you should call your national emergency number, like 911, or a mental health hotline, like 1-800-950-6264.
Stress is something we all face at some point in time. Chronic and acute stress can be, well, stressful at best and permanently damaging at worst. We do not recommend stress-related medications. Rather, use this three-step process to get control of your stress responses and live a happier, more relaxed life.
1. Create a mood diary/record of your stress.
Notice when you feel stressed every day and write it down. If you can, keep an hour-by-hour track of your life for a week or at least block out big activities you do each day. Then track your mood a few times during the day, at least once at the end of the day. Notice what activities caused stress and rank how happy you are from 1 to 10.
At the end of the week, observe the days you were least stressed and more happy. What types of activities did you do? Why was it a good day?
Observe the days where you were more stressed and unhappy. What made you more stressed? What made you unhappy? Can you do less of these activities?
Note that if you have anxiety surrounding certain events like talking to people on the phone, work, interviews, sick relatives, etc., you are probably combating anxiety and anxiety-related issues. Please see our page on anxiety as well: [coming soon].
2. Learn stress management and meditation techniques to combat acute and immediate stress.
There are two things I recommend in particular: mindfulness and progressive relaxation.
First, become more mindful. The key is to learn to be in your body and present in the moment, noticing everything that is happening around you. Stress is greatly reduced when you’re not focus on what might happen in the future or awful stuff that has happened in the past. Mindfulness also helps you focus on what you can control (your own actions) and not the results of what you do that you cannot control.
Download the app Smiling Mind. (We are not affiliated with them–or anyone else; we don’t do sponsorships.) They are the best free meditation app we have found. There is no spirituality or long lectures. It’s just active techniques to learn how to focus your mind.
Start with the basics, like breath focus and body scans. Move on through their 40-part introduction to meditation and build your way to longer and longer periods of mindfulness.
Smiling Mind has a specific meditation for when you are in emergency stress situations. Try it. The key is to focus on taking deep breaths from your belly and knowing you are okay.
Second, learn progressive relaxation. You basically tense a group of muscles while you breathe in and relax when you breathe out.
For each muscle group, breathe in, tense (not too hard to be painful) and hold for 10 seconds. Then breathe out and relax the entire group all at once. Relax for 10 to 20 seconds before the next group and focus on your how body feels before and after (this is where mindfulness comes in handy!). After you’re done with all your muscles, focus on your surroundings for 10 to 20 seconds to bring yourself back into the present and your body.
Here is a list of the muscle groups in order and what to do. Lie down when you’re doing this exercise if possible. It’s okay to only do some muscle groups if you’re not feeling up to everything. (Source: https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/uz2225.)
Muscle group | What to do |
Hands | Clench them. |
Wrists and forearms | Extend them, and bend your hands back at the wrist. |
Biceps and upper arms | Clench your hands into fists, bend your arms at the elbows, and flex your biceps. |
Shoulders | Shrug them (raise toward your ears). |
Forehead | Wrinkle it into a deep frown. |
Around the eyes and bridge of the nose | Close your eyes as tightly as you can. (Remove contact lenses before you start the exercise.) |
Cheeks and jaws | Smile as widely as you can. |
Around the mouth | Press your lips together tightly. (Check your face for tension. You just want to use your lips.) |
Back of the neck | Press the back of your head against the floor or chair. |
Front of the neck | Touch your chin to your chest. (Try not to create tension in your neck and head.) |
Chest | Take a deep breath, and hold it for 4 to 10 seconds. |
Back | Arch your back up and away from the floor or chair. |
Stomach | Suck it into a tight knot. (Check your chest and stomach for tension.) |
Hips and buttocks | Press your buttocks together tightly. |
Thighs | Clench them hard. |
Lower legs | Point your toes toward your face. Then point your toes away, and curl them downward at the same time. (Check the area from your waist down for tension.) |
Here are some other suggestions. Find what works for you and what makes you less stressed and happier in the moment. If you’re really stressed, go do some of these things until you’re capable of moving on.
- Drink green tea.
- Eat chocolate or honey.
- Put your head below your heart.
- Say ABC’s backward or count up in sevens.
- Take a nap. Sometimes your mind needs to heal after stressful events the way you need to sleep to recover after you’re physically hurt.
- Massage yourself.
- Use a stress ball.
- Massage your scalp with the pads of your fingers. (This also does wonders for healthy hair growth.)
- Clean your room or your computer.
- Do some vigorous exercise.
- Listen to a song you love.
- Cuddle with a pet.
- Watch comedy.
3. Schedule relaxing activities into your week to combat chronic stress.
To be less stressed and combat stress in the long term, it’s very important to sleep well, stay healthy, and schedule relaxing activities into your week every week. Treat it like your job. Don’t skip it.
Especially plan relaxing activities for days that are usually stressful for you (and after keeping a stress/mood diary, you should know when that is)! For example, plan an hour of playing the piano or drawing after you call your in-laws. Schedule a massage for Wednesday evenings half-way through your work week.
Here are a list of some suggestions that might help you relax. Remember that when you are relaxing, you should focus on what you’re doing in the moment and not let your mind wander. Learning mindfulness helps you do that.
- Meditate for an hour. Focus on your breath and the sounds around you.
- Drive somewhere/walk/bike/hike with beautiful scenery and watch nature/oceans or leaves/rivers or mountains/people.
- Have a nice tub bath.
- Read a good book.
- Make a fancy meal.
- Call a loved one.
- Write a letter to yourself.
- Write a poem.
- Write a diary entry.
- Do some slow exercise or progressive muscle relaxation.
- Have a warm drink.
- Have something sweet to eat.
- Listen to music.
- Watch home videos from a time when you were happy.
- Pet an animal.
- Adopt an animal.
- Play with your children.
- Play a board game.
- Play a musical instrument.
- Sew or knit.
- Do math puzzles or crosswords.
- Watch a foreign movie or a movie in a genre you usually don’t see.
- Draw a picture or color one.
- Paint.
- Schedule a massage or acupuncture.
- Listen to a podcast.
- Volunteer to help people, animals, or the planet.
- Write a song.
Mentors
- Fulfillment Associate, Amazon.
- Intern, Cool Tech Car AC.
- MSc in Mechanical Engineering, Coventry University.
- Bachelors of Technology in Mechanical Engineering, SRM University.
- Certified in Programming Foundations: Fundamentals, LinkedIn.
I am a motivated Management Assistant with a problem-solving attitude. I love to crack open difficult tasks and I love a challenge. My goal is to help as many people to solve their challenges as I know it can all get overwhelming. My goal in life is to start a life coaching business and I am always motivated to learn more about people and to help them reach their best lives in work life as well as in personal life.
- Management Assistant, Holda Energy Solutions Oy.
- Bachelor’s degree in Management Assistant, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences.
If you’d like to contact me, please send me a message through our Contact page.
Languages: English, Finnish, French, Russian, Swedish
As it progresses, the immense need of human touch in these organization to fain their employees as well as their clients has become imperative. Understanding these core needs of an industry and with my essential knowledge in the field I would be a substantial candidate. I am actively looking to intern/work in HR or as a Consultant.
- Facilities and Site Management-Graduate Student Assistant, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
- Sports Psychologist-Intern, JSW Bengaluru Football Club Private Limited.
- Interned in Human Resources, MicroGenesis Learning Pvt. Ltd.
- Football Player, Deccan XI.
- Intern, Mactronics Business Tech.
- Master’s in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
- Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Psychology, Jain University, Bangalore.
- Bachelor’s in Psychology, Modern Education Society’s College of Arts Commerce and Science, Pune.
If you’d like to contact me, please send me a message through our Contact page.
Languages: Englisj
My name is Bisharah Saeed. I am a student pursuing my Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) and am set to graduate in 2020. I am a mentor at Shiksha.com and I write articles related to educational topics and motivational stories. I try my level best to help people with their personal and career problems too. I hope I can make the best of this opportunity on Dweebs by helping as well as learning from people on this platform.
- Social Media Coordinator, Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies.
- I’ve also worked in Recruitment and have studied Electric Vehicles, Supply Chain Management, and Operations Analytics.
- P.G.D.M. in Operations Management, Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies. I participated in an exchange program to Germany.
If you’d like to contact me, please send me a message through our Contact page.
Languages: English, Malayalam | Some Hindi & German
I am currently located in Utah close to the Air Force base. I am a military child. I grew up traveling the states due to my father being relocated. I found my space in the world with law and sports.
- I’ve previously worked as a paralegal, legal secretary, and a restaurant hostess.
- B.S. in Legal Assistant/Paralegal, Broadview University.
If you’d like to contact me, please send me a message through our Contact page.
Languages: English | Some Spanish
Growing up in Surat, India, I was always exposed to the large structures governing the skyline of the city. I am interested in bridges and buildings, both by the design and the overall scale of the structures. Structural engineering is a passion of mine because it combines both science and a sense of creativity in order to achieve solutions.
- Engineer Intern, T.Y. Lin International.
- Graduate Student Assistant, Texas A&M University.
- Structural Engineering Trainee, Sai Consultants.
- Interned in Building Construction, Avkash Designs.
- Master’s in Structural Engineering, Texas A&M University
- Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering, Uka Tarsadia University
If you’d like to contact me, please send me a message through our Contact page.
Language: English | Some Hindi, Gujarati
Hi! I am one of the founders of this website. I graduated from U.C. Berkeley and Georgetown Law. Here is some of my background:
Legal
- Attorney Advisor at the National Commission on Service (constitutional law, reports, ethics, policy, a ton of legislative drafting).
- Privacy/Cybersecurity Litigation Associate at a big law firm in D.C.
- Litigation work, experience in national security/cybersecurity/data privacy with the Department of Defense, the FCC, the Department of State, and Ingenico.
Scientific
- Taught programming (Python) to law students with Prof. Paul Ohm.
- Supernova cosmology research with Nobel Laureate Saul Perlmutter at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.
- Supersymmetry research with the CMS experiments at CERN.
- Particle and astrophysics research at the U.S. Dept. of Energy, Fermilab.
Writing
- This website 🙂 and our Medium blog and our novels.
- Short stories & poetry, was a freelance columnist for The Boston Globe and The Washington Times, author of The Eyes of Mikra, a spy/war novella.
Other stuff
- Love music and have played the piano for 20 years. Classically trained in Western Honors Chorus & Hindustani/Carnatic.
- Speak English, German, French, Spanish, Kannada, Hindi.
- Love art.
I am always happy to help people, especially with general career planning and mental health advice. As a young woman of color, I am always particularly glad to meet Gen Z’ers and minorities of all stripes (race, gender, sexuality, etc.).
If you’d like to contact me, please send me a message through our Contact page.
Languages: English | Some German, Spanish, Hindi, & French
Hi there! I’m one of the founders of this website. Here are some fun facts about me:
- Enjoy writing, researching, website design, photography, and learning languages.
- Graduated UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Political Science with Highest Honors. (You can ask me questions about courses, college, standardized testing like the SAT and GRE, etc.)
- Interned/worked with several U.S. government organizations and think tanks like:
- U.S. State Department (nonproliferation policy)
- Sandia National Labs (new-age nuclear technology and escalation)
- Center for Strategic and International Studies (high-tech and strategic stability)
- Stimson Center (content editing South Asian policy articles)
- Federation of American Scientists (naval nuclear safeguards)
- Smithsonian Institution (reports on volcanoes and maps collections)
- Library of Congress (young readers center)
- U.S. Congress (domestic policy)
- National Commission on Service (public relations for domestic policy)
- Passionate about youth rights and career development. I’ve volunteered to tutor immigrant youth, ship text books to disadvantaged children, and am a recipient of the U.S. President’s Volunteer Service Award.
- Can (kind of) speak Hindi, French, Spanish, and a little Arabic.
- Cool Fact: Served as representative to the United Nations Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty PrepCom!
If you’d like to contact me, please send me a message through our Contact page.
Languages: English | Some Hindi, French, & Spanish
I am a final year undergraduate student pursuing Bachelor of Technology in the field of Information Technology. I have volunteered to raise funds under Project Sristipath, which is an initiative to help uplift the backward areas in parts of Madhya Pradesh and in some other parts of India. Currently, I am working as a Digital Marketing intern for Join My Trip. Speaking of my hobbies and interests, I love photography, listening to music, playing board games and some outdoor games like badminton and cricket. I also love committing myself to influencing and helping others in any way possible. By helping others, it not only uplifts people but also gives me a certain sense of satisfaction.
- Digital Marketing Intern at Join My Trip.
- BTech IT in Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu, India
If you’d like to contact me, please send me a message through our Contact page.
Languages: English, Tamil
I am a student pursuing BE in Information Science, set to graduate in 2021. I have been helping people with problems related to academics, personal problems, career, and also stress related issues.
- Bachelor’s in Information Technology, Gogte Institute of Technology
If you’d like to contact me, please send me a message through our Contact page.
Languages: English, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Urdu
I’ve been a developer, a product strategist, a UI designer, a leader, and even a writer for that matter. I’ve dedicated my professional career to master every role to which I’ve been assigned. I’m very eager to learn but more so to implement.
- Senior Application Developer, Oracle.
- Interned in UI Development, Oracle.
- Intern, H.M.T Bearings Ltd.
- Content Writer, 8fx, Silicon Gigs.
- Bachelor’s in Electronics and Instrumentation, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS).
- Certified in Analytics for Beginners, Google.
If you’d like to contact me, please send me a message through our Contact page.
Languages: English
- SDE 1, Plivo.
- Full Stack Developer, MiQ.
- Interned in Developing UI Templates, MiQ.
- B.E. in Electronics, Birla Institute of Technology, Piliani.
If you’d like to contact me, please send me a message through our Contact page.
Language: English, Hindi
I began working as a CAD Tech at Expert Engineering Sciences, Inc. right out of high school. I graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in September 2015 with an Associate of Arts degree in Interior Design. I then transferred to Woodbury University as a second-year Architecture student. My next step is finishing my Bachelor of Architecture while developing Artistic Solutions by EES. Here’s my portfolio: https://rebekahdunlap.myportfolio.com/projects
- Interior Designer & Marketing Coordinator, Expert Engineering Sciences.
- I’ve also worked as an interior designer for Builder Boy, Closet Factory, Gabrielle Santiago Design, and Ruth Chafin.
- A.A. in Interior Design, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.
- B.Arch. in Architecture, Woodbury University.
Languages: English
- Senior Executive – Sales and Marketing, Gujarat Fluorochemicals Limited.
- Business Leadership Trainee, Gujarat Fluorochemicals Limited.
- Intern, L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering Limited.
- Bachelor’s of Technology in Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, Nirma University.
If you’d like to contact me, please send me a message through our Contact page.
Languages: English
I am a computer engineer with a strong background in freelancing for services such as machine learning and content writing. Being a vegan and highly compassionate individual, I have been involved in animal activism. In my free time, I study clinical psychology, quantum physics and social psychology.
- Freelancer, Fiverr Freelance.
- Bachelor of Engineering, Marwadi University.
- Volunteer, PETA.
If you’d like to contact me, please send me a message through our Contact page.
Languages: English, Gujarati, Hindi
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