Pro Cheer Wellness: Ways to Quickly Calm Down When You Feel Overwhelmed

As pro cheerleaders, we can get stressed and anxious at times. Stress can result from many things, including our work commitments, a lack of sleep, unexpected life events, and situations we have little control over.

Feeling overwhelmed can affect your ability to focus and make decisions, and it can also change the way you interact or respond to others. No matter what’s causing your stress, you can prevent it from taking over and be able to carry on the rest of the day.

At PRO CHEER LIFE, we care about your wellness. Below are tips that will help you calm down and bounce back quickly.

Take deep belly breaths.

Belly breathing alone cannot address the root cause of your anxiety, but it can ease your emotions by stimulating the vagus nerve, which then activates the relaxation response. Here’s what to do: Take three slow and controlled deep belly breaths while placing one hand on your belly and the other hand on your chest. You can do this up to 15 times a day until it becomes a habit.

Use positive affirmations.

Reciting positive affirmations silently is a great way to interrupt negative thoughts that arise when you start to get stressed. Whether it’s feeling nervous before an interview (as part of the team audition process) or public performance, these affirmations allow you to be in control and even improve your behavior.

You can lean on one of these affirmations:

I will get through this challenging time.
I choose to feel calm.
I take things one step at a time.
I am present at this moment.
I appreciate the beauty around me.

Imagine yourself in a peaceful and safe environment.

Transferring yourself mentally to a place that makes you feel calm is a helpful visualization technique. As you imagine that certain place, try to engage your senses, such as your sight, hearing, touch, and smell. For some people, their safe place can be a beach they’ve been to before or a clean room. It can also be a fictional place you dream of visiting.

Exercise for 30 minutes.

Psychologists and other mental health professionals agree that moving your body (such as working out or exercising) can lower anxiety levels and improve your mood. Any type of exercise — steady-state cardio, lifting weights, yoga, or HIIT — can serve as an effective calm-down technique. One can think of exercise as “meditation in motion.”

Perhaps the most important thing is to pick an activity that you enjoy. Alternatively, you could engage in a hobby, such as playing a puzzle, painting, or volunteering.

Conclusion

Too much of something can feel overwhelming and it can often take a toll on your mental health. Remember to try at least one of these tips as part of your overall pro cheer self-care plan. With the right coping strategies, you can keep going, growing, and being your best self!

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