Day 18 – Call a Friend

[Greeting]

Welcome back to the Stress Management Challenge! Over these 21 days, you have 
been developing habits and techniques for relieving stress, from journaling and 
breathing exercises, to exercise and organizing your home.

Today for day 18 of the challenge, you will be doing something simple and fun – calling 
a friend! 

Why Connecting is So Helpful

Have you ever noticed that when you are going through something challenging, and you 
vent to someone about it, you feel better? There are many reasons for this. 

1.	You were able to release some of the negative thoughts and worries that were 
overwhelming your mind.
2.	You got unconditional support from a friend or loved one.
3.	Someone else gave you encouragement and possibly solutions to help. 
4.	You feel like someone cares about your struggles and you aren’t doing it alone.
5.	They helped distract you by making you laugh or getting you to talk about 
something else. 

It doesn’t matter why you benefit from it, but calling or texting a friend in moments of 
stress can be very therapeutic. Whether you just have a 10-minute phone conversation 
or you meet up for lunch, try to get outside your stress bubble and reach out to 
someone today.

Today in the Workbook: If you have been using the workbook along with this 
challenge, you will find some new journal prompts and a spreadsheet that lets you input 
your friend’s information and keep up with communication.

Learn More: See this blog post to learn about the emotional healing powers of 
friendships.

[Sign Off]

