Worried that sometimes you feel like pulling out your hair out of anxiety or stress? Relax! It happens to almost everyone. Stress is a normal occurrence we experience at one point or the other in our everyday lives. Pressure at work, family troubles, financial circumstances, health matters, relationships, personal convictions are more than enough reasons to get stressed out. But sometimes, not all stress related issues are negative. There’re several times we get unnecessarily anxious even in positive situations like getting married, attending a job interview, pregnancy etc. However, your ability to stay in charge no matter how challenging the situation might seem is very essential. That’s stress management!
Sometimes, the ongoing experience in your life may not be so challenging, but how you view and respond to it counts. This is one major cause of undue stress.
Often called the “silent killer”, stress has extreme effects on the mind and body if not kept at a minimal level. Do you know that when you’re strained, your body releases brain-shrinking hormones? Not only is your body weighed down, and of course blood pressure increased (heart attack risk), your ability to learn, think right and remember is greatly affected during stress periods. Your body also becomes more susceptible to illnesses. Your overall well-being is definitely affected. Quite awful, right?
Wouldn’t you rather take charge of your life and keep tension at a comfort zone? You really should. Here are some techniques:
How often do you dwell on negative events?
Do you replay stressful episodes in your mind? You shouldn’t. Each time you do, you bring back the situation alive, and your body is in a constant state of danger management. This means your body automatically activates stress-response repeatedly. Stress response is when your body releases stress hormones to combat danger or emergency situations. This is quite good but can be very detrimental to your health if too regular.
Having issues with your time?
Well, that’s very normal in today’s frightening fast-paced world. But do you know that you can prioritize your goals and tasks? The use of time management skills will also put your mind at ease and save you unnecessary stress. You should also learn to say NO when you sense you can’t take on more.
Is your glass half-empty or half-full?
How you answer this age-old question reflects your attitude toward yourself, your outlook on life and definitely, how you handle challenging situations. Do you know that positive thinking (optimism) is a key part of stress management? When you’ve a general disposition to always expect the best, you’re able to deal better with challenges in a more positive and productive approach.
Do you take time out daily to relax?
Many don’t think it’s necessary but you should consider it. Constant relaxation helps recharge your batteries. The relaxing effects of making time to do fun things with friends and families can’t be quantified. Do things that bring you joy and make you laugh often and you’ll be amazed at how less stressed you’ll be!
Making healthy lifestyle choices
This is another sure-fire way to increase your resistance to being stressed. Healthy eating, taking little or no alcohol, sleeping adequately and engaging in regular enjoyable exercises are ways that have proved significantly to relieve stress.
Feeling tensed or stressed?
Repeatedly take a deep breath and exhale. Breathing in a controlled manner helps to relax your nervous system. This keeps your body and mind calm, and eases stress drastically. There’re quite a number of breathing techniques in Yoga that can also keep you relaxed, try them often.
Put these tips into work and consistently enjoy increased feelings of calm and wellbeing.