Before we start talking about the ways in which you can handle stress, let’s debunk one myth as reported by the Stress Management Society, that
“Stress is not necessarily a ‘bad’ thing. Without this brilliant ability to feel stress, humankind wouldn’t have survived.”
Although I agree with them, maybe there could’ve been a better substitute for the word ‘brilliant’ because sometimes, stress can turn you into a walking, talking train wreck.
Stress is a combination of things, psychological pressures mixed with your body’s physical response to it and too much of it can have a very unhealthy effect on your body and your mental state.
Here are 5 ways in which you can handle stress like a superstar!
1. Identify the Source
There could be many different reasons for why people get stressed out and it’s usually situational. Sometimes, stress can be temporary but other times, it can be something that’s been going on for a long time. You need to watch out for major stressors because they can have a huge negative impact on your health overtime. It helps a lot to be conscious of why certain things make you feel the way they do – and more than half the power to change that is in the awareness itself. Think about if it’s your boss, your workplace or maybe toxic relationships that are holding you back.
Once you have identified what is causing you to become stressed, you can then go in with the intention of fixing it. Knowledge truly is power and then you can decide what you want to do to tackle it and change it around.
2. Take Control!
Sometimes you have to live by Nike’s famous words, “Just Do It”.
Seriously, there’s no better way to deal with stress than to try and actively fix or at least help the situation at hand. If it’s really bothering you and stressing you out, it’s definitely worth exploring your options on what you can do to take care of the situation and how you can make it better. I’m not going to tell you to be reckless here, though. If you do decide to go through with trying to find out how the problem can be better tackled, be level-headed, objective and more focused on the logical side of things. For example, if you had a fallout with a friend, instead of going around being passive aggressive, try sitting them down and making sure that they understand your side of the story and also hear them out.
Identifying the problem and facing it head strong is sometimes one of the best things you could do.
3. Healthy Lifestyle
Having a healthy lifestyle helps a ton for when it comes to dealing with stress.
This includes eating properly throughout the day, laying off the junk food and actually taking time out to exercise! The way you treat your body, your body treats you. This is because the food you have can cause your body to react in ways that wouldn’t be ideal. For example, if you drink tons of caffeine every morning, you’re more likely to heighten your anxiety. Refined sugars, high sodium foods also tend to have the same effect. If you’re someone that comfort eats, reconsider this as an option for stress reduction.
Be nice to it, and take care of yourself. In the long run, it’ll be worth it and you’re going to thank yourself.
4. Take a Break
Try to take a break from everything.
Learn that balance is important in life. Some people take the edge of by working a lot but there’s a fair share of people who aren’t built this way. If you’re not a workaholic and working too much just adds on to your stress, take time out to do the things that really help you de-stress. Personally, one of the best ways for me to tackle stress is through traveling. I love traveling and I find that getting away from the constant hustle and bustle of daily life every once in a while can truly change a lot around because it puts everything into perspective.
If you don’t really have the option to travel, try to take time off for your family and relationships. Do things that you genuinely enjoy doing – recreation-wise. Everyone is different in terms of what makes them unwind. Some people get a massage, others take a couple of days off and some even need something as small as listening to music to change their mood around!
5. Acceptance for What Can’t Be Changed
Sometimes, certain things cannot necessarily be changed in life—and that’s okay. One of the indicators of someone being a strong person is the ability to adapt to their environment and show resilience. Life can be a lot of things, and difficult at times is definitely one of them. Ultimately, no one’s perfect but it’s important to keep in mind that a good attitude and positive mind state can take you a long way, even for those times when you can’t necessarily control your situation. Letting go of something that cannot be controlled is you started to accept the situation for what it is. Essentially, this takes the power out from the situation and puts it back in your hands.
To Wrap it Up,
Handling stress is not something that’s easy and although there are many benefits to stress as a natural response in our bodies, too much can cause a lot of damage. Throughout life, we all come across situations that really push our stress buttons and the pressure seems like it’s on! Through these steps, you can start to learn the best way to manage your stress because at the end of the day, everyone handles stress differently.
Once you practice this enough, you’ll come to realize that it’s not as bad as what it might seem in our heads and that there is always a solution and a bigger picture.