Life can be stressful, and sometimes it's important to know how to manage it in a positive way. Stress can have a variety of causes, and it's important to recognise them, take steps to deal with the root of the problem, and to tackle the symptoms. DON'T DEAL WITH STRESS ALONE - ASK FOR HELP IF YOU FEEL YOU NEED IT.
There are many ways to help relieve stress:
1 - Lifestyle Changes
- Exercise - It's a known fact that exercise can help relieve stress, and helps free your body of unwanted hormones and increases your endorphin levels. Endorphins are a set of hormones that affect receptors in the brain which help to reduce the sensation of stress and pain. Exercise will keep your body healthy and will be a natural outlet for stress. Walking for 20-30 minutes a day is enough if you can't afford to spend any more time on exercise.
- Sleep - Getting enough sleep is crucial to minimising stress. Sleep is a mechanism by which your body recuperates and stores its energy reserves. If you're not giving your body enough sleep, it'll use stress to keep you active and alert in the absence of stored energy. The typical needed amount for an adult is 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Try getting into a regular sleeping habit by going to sleep and waking up at the same time each night and morning. This should teach your body when it's supposed to be tired which will help with getting better sleep.
- Diet - Water has been proven to relieve stress. A dehydrated body creates cortisol, a stress hormone. An under-hydrated body creates stress to motivate you to to take proper care of your body. Decreasing caffeine and alcohol intake can also help to reduce stress. Eating healthy snacks during the day should also lessen stress.
- Relax - Relaxing your body is a great way to reduce stress, however it won't be relieved straight away - it takes time. Listen to calm, soft music or music that you enjoy . Music helps to get you relaxed and happy. Take a shower or bath and add salts and bath bombs that soothe the skin. Starting a diary or journal is a healthy way to vent, you don't have to write in it every day, but writing down what's bothering you will help to expel negative emotions.
- Balancing Work and Play - It's important to get a healthy balance between the amount of work you do (whether it be for school or a job) and how much time you take out to enjoy yourself and relax. Having the healthy balance will help to reduce stress as you won't feel that you're doing too much of one and neglecting the other.
2- Mental Activities
- Avoid Negative Thinking - Negative thinking can not only affect how stressed we become, but can also have a bad effect on our overall mental health. Thinking negatively will put you in the wrong frame of mind for the day and will naturally increase stress levels. Avoid focusing on the bad things that have happened during your day and consider the good things as well. If you find it hard to think positively, start small. Write down even the simplest things that make you happy or that you enjoyed doing during the day. Use positive self talk (see body confidence post) about yourself and the things you do.
- Identifying Things That Put You Under Stress - Make sure you understand why you become stressed so that you can try and avoid these situations/circumstance - self knowledge is an extremely powerful thing.
- Worrying - Stop worrying about things that you can't change. The sooner you realise that it's out of your power and there's nothing you can do to change it, the better. Some things aren't meant to be in our control, that's life.
- Make Your Life What You Want It To Be - Only you can control the path in which your life is going to go, so do everything in your power to make it what you want it to be. It's less stressful to make decisions and take action than to feel powerless and react to others' decisions. Take control of your life. Don't be too hard on yourself for failing, even if you tried your hardest. Failing is an inevitable part of life that we all have to face, and although it seems stressful at the time, in the long run it will be irrelevant so try not to stress about it too much. Love yourself, depend (mostly) on yourself and celebrate the things that you do well. Stop asking 'Am I good enough?' and replace it with 'I know I'm good enough.'
- Sense of Humour - Developing a sense of humour is one of the greatest ways to deal and cope with stress. Taking things too seriously can increase stress - laugh a lot, laugh at yourself, laugh at your friends (in a none nasty way of course), and laugh at the things you do.
- Positive Self Talk - Nothing intensifies stress more than negative thoughts. You know yourself better than anyone else, and you are the perfect person to give you the reminder that it will get better. Remind yourself of everything you have accomplished in life, no matter how big or small. Change the words you use - instead of saying you can't do something, remind yourself that you've been through this or s similar situation before and you will get through it this time too.
3 - Stand Up For Yourself
- If someone is threatening you and you suffer from stress and anxiety, stand up to them and tell them how you feel.
- Tell someone you trust about your stress and tell them everything that is bothering you.
- It's important to have a stress relief ball or some form of punching bag or something that you can yell into if you suffer with stress really severely, this helps you express your emotions and relax your body.
4 - General Tips
- It's been shown that the action of chewing gum can reduce stress.
- Be honest about your emotions. Don't deny them or repress them because this will make things 10 times worse. Don't be afraid to cry as this can help relieve any anxiety and let out bottled up emotions which will help you to cope better.
- Plan future events and look forward to it.
- Get enough sunlight.
- Maintain perspective.
- Practice yoga.
- Avoid self-medication through drugs and alcohol (prescription or otherwise)
- If you experience chronic stress, see a doctor about your symptoms. You may have an underlying illness such as anxiety disorder. (see post about anxiety)
(originally posted 6th June 2015 www.luna-llena.co.uk)
No comments