How to Control Your Emotions (Tips to Stay Calm)

Staying Calm?

Have you ever being in a situation where you are very irritated and angry about something that someone had said or done to you? Well, I certainly have!  A friend of mine and I get into an argument because we both have different views on a certain subject and no one was willing to see the other side's points. I was so angry that I grind my teeth, clench my fist and tense up my body, the next moment I said something hurtful and inappropriate leading to more conflicts and arguments. It was definitely not a good experience to have. Thinking back, I would have done better and I should have so I try to improve the control of my emotions. Over the years, I have gotten better in the management of my emotions and now almost nothing can make me lose my calmness because I constantly practice some tips and also remind myself never to let something like that to happen again.

7 tips to calm down quickly

Take a deep breath

I remember myself arguing to the point that I was out of breath and that I was gasping for air afterwards? Did that happen to you too? Well, we tend to forget to breathe when we are agitated. During heated moments, close your eyes and take a deep breath to temporary remove yourself from the situation. You will be amazed how the cooling air is able to calm you down immediately. If not, take more deep breaths and while doing so, think about something that makes you happy. I also use this opportunity to carefully think about the situation I am in and analyzing it makes me calmer.

Drink water

If taking more deep breaths does not help you much in calming down, then sip some water. In a similar fashion to deep breathing, drinking water helps 'cool' down your head and most importantly this prevents you from saying something unnecessary especially during an argument. Sipping a little water gives you more time to analyze the situation you are in and avoid falling into the worst situation by doing the wrong action. Drink more if you want more time to think.

Write down your thought

Writing down your thoughts on a paper or a notebook can be a good way to release your emotions peacefully. You can write down your feelings at the moment such as anger, anxiety or sadness on blank piece of paper. An additional benefit of writing down your emotions allows you to analyze your emotions to identify what caused you to be feeling in such ways, what are the other solutions that you can take or better yet, how to prevent that from happening again.

Listen to music

This will not always be available but this is a powerful way to calm down your nerves in heated times. No matter what you are feeling right now, there are numerous great music out there that you can listen to and achieve a calm state of mind. I have my personal favorite list of songs that I would rely on sometimes to release my tensions and you should do the same too!

Wash your face

If situation allows, you can take a short bathroom break to wash your face or hands to control your emotion. Similarly, this is to create an opportunity to remove yourself temporary from the situation and give yourself more time to think about your next move. You can go further by taking a shower, if you like.

Take a walk

Now going on a walk is a much better way of removing yourself temporary from the unwanted situation. You are not just able to relax your tensed body when you are walking but sometimes, inspirations may sprout so you may know what would be your upcoming action. The distance of the walk depends on your needs but I tend to walk around my home (from my bedroom to the living room and back) for a few times and it did the magic I required.

Intentionally tense up your body

You may ask what is the point of purposely tensing up your body, should not this make us less calm? Well, you never how effective this is to relax your body after you release your tension on your body. Put your focus on your body and tense up all if not majority of the muscles you are able to control, from your face to your arms to your abdomen to your legs. Contract the muscle groups one by one for a few seconds each and relax them. You will see how effective it is to fully relax your body and with that, you also attain a calmness of your mind.

Conclusion

The ability to be able to control our emotions in whatever situation we are in is very crucial to us as it provides the time to think things though calmly. The suggestions provided are useful in most normal daily life activities like when we are discussing (arguing) with someone, waiting in a traffic jam or experiencing a small, unfortunate event. You can intentionally train your mind to stay calm by doing repetitive and effective emotion management cycle that you developed and before long, you will be able to do it naturally even without thinking! With that, even in a panic situation, you are able to stay calm and make the most rational decision!

How to Earn Online (Extra Pocket Money in Malaysia)

Earn online?

Do you have some free time that you want to utilise to earn some pocket money but do not have the energy to take another part-time job ? Well, you can earn online FREE during your free time! You may be wondering on how do we as Malaysians can earn online? Stay tune as I share the list that I have been using for the past year to earn some extra cash from various ways.

Sharing internet 

Do you want to earn money passively? Do not think it is possible to do so? Well, Honeygain allowed you to earn passively just by sharing your unused bandwidth. To learn more information regarding Honeygain, you can read up on their official website. You will earn 3 credits for every 10 MB shared and 1000 credits equivalent to $1. It may be small buy remember it is PASSIVE and you just need to leave it on your PC or smartphone (yes, you can add multiple devices). You can also earn free credits  up to 10,000 every day by claiming the lucky pot and participate in their contests in their official social media. Payouts can be made through Paypal (USD) or cryptocurrency (JMPT). Do use my link and get a sign-up bonus of $5 straight away!

Survey apps 

Now there are many survey apps out there that you may be do not know where to get started so here are the top survey apps that I have tested personally.

• LootUp: It is survey app that offer many other ways to earn as well! Playing games, downloading apps, watching videos (through their partner) and spinning the lucky wheel daily are some of the ways to earn money in their website or app. You can explore LootUp learn more about the various earning methods they offer in their website. 1,000 points equivalent to $1. In Malaysia, you can get your payouts through cryptocurrencies or Paypal (USD). Get your $5 sign-up bonus when you have collected10,000 points in a month using my link. 
• Swagbucks: It is another survey app that I frequently use to earn online by collecting SB. 100SB equivalent to $1. Other methods to earn include downloading app and doing daily poll. It is similar to LootUp where you can do get payouts in Paypal (USD and EUR) but they also offer Amazon gift cards. Minimum to withdraw depends on your choice of payout but Paypal is 10$ (1000 SB). Obtain a 300 SB ($3) bonus when you sign up for Swagbucks using my link and earn 300 SB within your first 30 days.
• Rakuten Insight: It is a survey app that is focused in completing surveys so there are no other additional methods to earn. However, the main advantage of Rakuten Insight is that you can earn directly in RM instead of USD, and it can be claimed into your Touch 'n Go E-wallet if you prefer. If not, you can choose payouts like Grab vouchers, KFC vouchers, AEON vouchers and McDonald's gift certificates (minimum RM10 to withdraw). Sadly, compared to the previous survey apps I have mentioned, there is no sign-up bonus for this as of now but it pays really well in my opinion so you can sign up here, 

Microtask 

Next on the list if microtask website. Microtask as its name suggested are tasks that are easy and simple to perform like liking a page, following a social media account or writing a comment on a page. And hence, the earnings are minimal so it may not worth your time but I think that every little action counts. I have tried SproutGigs (previously known as Picoworkers) and had my earnings withdrawn (minimum 5$ to withdraw) completing various microtasks. If this interest you, do sign-up with my link to get 0.50$ welcoming bonus but do note that this bonus is only applicable for posting job and it cannot be withdraw.

Gigs

Onwards, I present to you gigs website such as Fiverr and Upwork. Everyone have a certain talent or skill that others do not possess and that includes you. If you are like me which do not have any particular skillset to show, you can still try Fiverr and Upwork by presenting other normal tasks that other people may need. Video editor, animator, translator, transcriptionist and voice actor are some of the gigs that you can create on Fiverr and Upwork, But if you look through the gig catalog, you may find a lot of unique yet interesting gigs that others may need this kind of service or product but you have never thought of. There is really no limits to the job that you can post so be creative!

Crypto faucets and apps

Lastly, crypto faucets and apps. I should warn you that this is NOT the most profitable way to earn free money online as it takes time but the initial reason I get into this is because I wanted a safe way to earn crypto to try and experience cryptocurrency trading and investing. This is really a free way to earn some, I mean little cryptocurrencies through the crypto faucets and apps that I have listed below. Crypto faucets are websites or apps that allowed you claim free crypto after a certain period of time by solving captcha. There are also other ways to earn more crypto by doing offers that some apps will provide that I will mention below. But free money is free money anyway, so you might as well try it and who knows, you may even like the idea of holding crypto!

• Cointiply. Ways to earn: faucets, surveys, offers, PTC (pay-to-click advertisement), bonus quests, loyalty bonus, interest bonus
• Faucetpay. Ways to earn: faucets, surveys, offers, PTC, loyalty bonus
• Earnbitmoon. Ways to earn: faucets, surveys, offers, PTC, loyalty bonus, short-links
• CoinPayU. Ways to earn: faucets, surveys, offers, PTC, advertised videos
• adBTC. Ways to earn: faucets, surveys, offers, PTC, advertised videos
• FreeSolana. Ways to earn: faucets, surveys, offers, PTC, loyalty bonus, short-links
• Final Autoclaim. Ways to earn: faucets, surveys, offers, PTC, loyalty bonus, short-links, watching video
• Faucetoshi. Ways to earn: faucets, surveys, offers, PTC
• Cryptowin. Ways to earn: faucets, surveys, offers, interest, gamble

Conclusion

All methods mentioned were tested personally except for Fiverr and Upwork where I have not get any clients yet but the rest I have withdraw all my earnings into my wallet so you can rest assured. But I want to remind you that these sites or apps will not make you rich so do use your time wisely. Although I can recommend that you can do some of these for example in your commuting time or while waiting in the restaurant for the food to come. Another thing that I want to remind you is that please do your due diligence on your part too! With that being said, happy earning!

*Disclaimer: most links here are my referral links that can help me a lot if you use them. Thank you in advance!

How to Manage Stress (How I Deal With It)

Feeling stressed?

Feeling overwhelmed by your work? Nervous about your upcoming exam? Living costs getting higher and it is getting difficult to get by each day? These are all stress and I personally also facing them myself. Everyone experience stress differently in terms of intensity but still we all experience stress and stress can drive us crazy, not just figuratively but also in terms of mental health. Being stressed constantly over a long of period of time also will weaken your body and caused you to be ill easily. Thus, knowing and applying the proper methods to managing and reducing stress is essential in leading a healthy, quality life. 

7 ways I deal with stress

Meditate 

Now, if you have read my previous posts, you will realize how I pressed on the importance of meditation as it helped me in many ways and managing my stress was definitely one of them. Contrary to what I believe initially that it is impossible to keep a cool head to meditate if I am feeling stressed, meditation can really release the tension we are feeling only if we know the proper way to meditate. Through meditation, not only that you are able to let go of the tension but also create a clear mind to see and think through your problem. With that, you are likely to solve the issue once and for all and rid of the stress that is haunting you. You can read on my page here to learn my way of meditation afterwards.

Listen to music

Now, there is always a music that can somehow connect with us emotionally that allowed us to immerse into the music and forget about the stressful situations that we are facing. Thus, you should find the music that can soothe your mind whenever you are feeling overwhelmed. For me, I have a wide taste for music and I listen to many music genres but Lo-Fi music is my favorite when it comes to dealing with stress. If you do not know them, you can try listen to them on YouTube for example and who knows, perhaps it will make you feel relaxed?

Dance

Yes, dancing is shown to release stress by releasing happy hormones like dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. You do not need to be a professional to dance, everyone can dance and nobody is judging! I dance in my room and I usually pair it with my music. If you have a partner, loved ones or friends, you can also dance with them which allowed you to release your stress and bond with them at the same time. Let the music carries your body and let the movement flows! Dance away your stress and be happy! 

Exercise

Similar to dancing, exercising or working out also release similar hormones as mentioned before so it can help in lowering your stress level. Doing some basic exercises like jumping and running is enough make you feel happier. I generally do weightless exercise like push-up, sit-up and squat whenever I have the chance to do so as I like the feeling of sweating and exerting efforts in pushing my body to my limit. You can run around the neighborhood and feeling the wind that is blowing on you and also making you forget about your stress. Vary your exercises and you may just find the right ones that provide you with the greatest effect.

Talk to someone

Talking to someone you trust is essential in releasing stress too! Know that you have someone to rely upon and talk to allowed you to temporarily pour out the stress accumulated in your mind. Your listening partner might also offer you some valuable advice that may solve your problems. Just do not forget to he or she also has their own problems to face so be understanding as well. You may exchange roles with them as communication should be two ways, not just one way. Sometimes, listening to people's problems remind you that you are not alone and will make feel better about a situation.

Watch videos

There are a lot of videos out there that are waiting to make you laugh and forget about your tension, at least for a moment. You can watch your favorite series to relax for a while or you can opt for short videos on social media to reduce your stress. There is nothing in releasing stress through this method but just remember that it should be done in moderation and never binge on it. Watching them with someone you loved may further reduce your stress so bring someone if you like!

Play games

This is my favorite way of releasing my stress and I would recommend it to you too! Playing any games especially some intense ones require us to be fully focused on them which will allowed us to put our stress behind just for the moment. Story-based games also allowed us to immerse ourselves while playing them so it would help in making us forget our tension. Of course, it should be done in moderation too and playing too much also can caused stress too. You would not want to be more stressed just because you cannot passed a level so be careful!

Conclusion

And that is how I deal with my stress daily and get by just fine. I am quite an optimistic person so no matter how hard the situation I am facing, I always think of a way to reduce my stress and keep a clear head to solve the issue I am facing. Regardless, stress is stress and it is important  that I acknowledged it before even thinking of methods to manage it. There is no escaping of stress that is why having the crucial skill to manage stress is valuable and everyone should at least learn one or more ways to manage stress. Once you can do that, life is not so bad after all!