Stress has always been a part of our
lives. In this present hectic time in
which we are living, people lead an increasingly stressful life. Experts state that a little stress can be
good; it keeps you sharp and ready to move forward, and is sometimes vital for
achieving optimum performance. However,
medical research has determined that prolonged stress is very bad for the body,
and can block the body’s natural ability to repair, regenerate and protect
itself. Over 90% of disease is caused by
stress. Stress is both a physical and
psychological response. It can lead to
chronic disease, obesity, insomnia, deteriorating relationships, depression,
and more.
Stress is such a powerful and
harmful force that it is vital that you learn effective stress management
techniques in order to live a successful, happy, and healthy life. We must remember that we will always come
across inevitable factors that cause pressure and anxiety on us. What we do not know is that it is not really
the problems that are difficult to deal with, but our attitude towards them. So basically, the cause of stress is your
attitude toward these things. What,
then, is an effective way to deal with stressors?
Below I have listed 5 great tips to help you handle stress better.
1. Identify what makes you stressful and uneasy. Making a list of your stressful experiences is
useful. This will be a good starting
point for you. Immediately deal with the
issues that you can change, for instance waking up earlier for work in the
morning, not leaving things till the last minute, and delegating tasks in case
you are taking responsibility for everything. Then you can forget about the issues that you
cannot influence like being stuck in a traffic jam or not getting into the
elevator because there is no room for you.
Those, and others, that you really have NO personal control over.
2. Calm down. A few minutes break
would do you good. Wash your face,
breath slowly and deeply, and notice if there is tension in any part of your
body and release it. You can also listen
to relaxing music, or call a friend. Releasing your inner feelings to a friend is
healthy option. I’m not saying throw YOUR
burdens on your friend. I’m simply
saying that by sharing how you feel will greatly help you in relieving the
pressure upon yourself.
3. It will pass and it will be over before you know it. Remind yourself that the stressful event will
end sooner or later and this can make you see the positive sides of things. At the same time, calm down your emotions and
think of what is the best thing to do rather than take your energy away from
what needs to be done. I remember as a
young boy I had a cousin visit our family one summer. She had this great gyroscope toy that I was
simply fascinated with. However, she
refused to let me play with it. One
afternoon when she had gone shopping with my sisters, I found the toy and
started to play. The center piece flew
out of the toy and I need I was going “to get killed!” I had taken the toy, that I wasn’t supposed
to have, played with it, and BROKE it!
I hid the toy and walked around the town for hours stressing over what
was going to happen. Finally, I couldn’t
take the pressure any longer. I went
home, gave the toy to my cousin, and confessed my sin. My cousin looked at the toy and said: “It always
does that!” and popped the center piece back into place. I had been stressing all afternoon FOR
NOTHING!
4. Know yourself. Ask yourself:
What triggers your anxiety? If for
example it is your job, then maybe it’s time for you to reconsider whether it
would be best to find a less stressful job if you can. You can also make your job more tolerable by
allowing yourself to get that needed vacation or leave that you have earned. Learning to deal with pressure better will
also help you understand yourself and be able to deal with your personal
stresses.
5. Learn to use your relaxation response. Just as we all have within us the stress
response, we also have an opposite response, which is the relaxation response. A person should elicit that on a regular
basis. The relaxation response involves
two steps. First, repetition. The repetition can be a word, a sound, an
expression, or a repetitive movement. The second step is to ignore other thoughts
that come to your mind while you’re doing the repetition, and come back to the
repetition. The technique should be used
once or twice a day for about 15 minutes or perhaps more initially, if needed. Sit quietly and choose a suitable repetition,
like a prayer, the sound Om, or the word love, or calm. I’ve often enjoyed the sound of waves crashing
on the beach, very relaxing. Or you can
do a repetitive exercise, for instance yoga, jogging, Reiki. Additional repetitive activities are knitting
or handicraft. When you incorporate this
into your everyday life, you become calmer and better able to handle the
stressors. Practice makes perfect and
the more you practice relaxing your mind, the easier it gets.
The true causes of stress are not
the problems or negative experiences that you encounter in your life; but your
attitude toward them. So, the trick is
to change your attitude and to develop a relaxed state, because you
cannot be stressed and relaxed at the same time. It is important to understand that what we
focus on, we energize. The more you
continue to think about the factors that cause your stress, the more energy you
give it. So it is vital to let go and
focus on relaxation instead. Consequently,
you’re less likely to be upset by a stressor, and thus less likely to have its
harmful effect occur. Eventually, it is
your choice. You could either continue
to react in the same stressful way, or you could choose to improve your life by
changing your attitude and becoming relaxed. There’s no other way around it.
Just remember that your greatest enemy of
self-contentment and joy will be YOU!
And that is because we’re only human!
QUOTE TO CONSIDER
"Why worry about what
you can't control?"
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