Benefits of habit “Give yourself a time-out”

✓ Reduces stress
✓ Helps coping with difficult situations
✓ Helps stay focused
✓ Reduces risk of lashing out

First step:

Take a time-out in a stressful situation

Progress:

1. Next time you have a stressful situation or you feel things are getting to you, take a 5-minute break from everything. More on how to do so read in Tips for Beginners.
2. Each time such situation arises, push yourself into a time-out.

Helpful tips to make it a habit:

✓ Trigger your mind. Stressful situation cannot be planned in advance that often and those that haven’t been planned usually hits us the most. Buy yourself a time-out stress ball and have it somewhere visible so it would remind you about the option of time-out you have. Oh and make the ball extra bright.
✓ Let the app help. While it can’t alert you when it’s time to take a break, try making notes in the app’s calendar of every day you took a break from the world due to stress or it getting to you. Observe how your ability to deal with it increases over time.
✓ Reward yourself. Once you feel that you gained some control over your emotions during trying times, celebrate by trying out boxing or other form of martial art. Relieve stress more actively and more directly.

Tips for beginners:

✓ Take a time-out. Walk around the block, lock yourself in the bathroom, take a quick drive with the windows down and the music blasting, or just play with the stress ball with your eyes closed. Choose what works best for you and do it without regret.
✓ Observe yourself. If you start keeping track of times you needed a time-out and noticed that is happens several times per week, you should think of looking for more reasons that just stressful situation. Perhaps you take things too hard or overthink them too much. Or perhaps your environment is more toxic than you originally thought. Perhaps it’s time for a change.