These days it’s quite difficult not to get overwhelmed once in a while. From juggling work, family, and other commitments, one can become so stressed out and busy.
Regardless of all these numerous activities, you need to set time aside to unwind else your mental and physical health will suffer.
However, learning how to manage the stress one is faced with takes a lot of practice, here are 9 practical ways to make it much easier and less stressful.
Relax Your Muscles
When you discover you are stressed, your muscles certainly get tense. You can help loosen them up on your own and refresh your body by:
- Stretching
- Enjoying a massage
- Taking a hot bath or shower
- Getting a good sleep
Deep Breathing
Stopping and taking a few deep breaths can take any form of pressure off you right away. You will be surprised how much better and lighter you feel once you get good at it. To practice this, follow these 5 steps:
- Choose a serene environment to begin with
- Sit in a comfortable position with your hands in your lap and your feet on the floor. Or you can lie down in a comfortable position.
- Close your eyes and control you wandering thoughts.
- Imagine yourself in a relaxing place. It can be on the beach, in a beautiful field of grass, or anywhere that gives you a peaceful feeling.
- Now, slowly take deep breaths in with your nose and out with your mouth
- Do this for 5 to 10 minutes at a time. Voila! you are good!
Exercise
Engaging in daily working out is one of the best ways to relax your body and mind. Plus, exercise will help improve your mood. But you have to do it often for you to see the actual result.
How much should you exercise weekly?
It is advised to work out for 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise weekly like brisk walks or 75 minutes of more vigorous exercise like swimming laps, jogging, or other sports.
However, you should focus on setting a fitness goal you can meet so you don’t give up. Most of all remember that doing any exercise is better than none at all.
Taking a Break
yeah! You need to plan for some real downtime to relieve your mind from stress. If you are a person who doesn’t set goals for any activity, it may be hard for you at first. But sticking with it and you may end up with mind-blowing results. Restful things you can do include:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Tai chi
- Prayer
- Listening to your favorite music
- Spending time in nature eg; under the tree
Eat Healthy Meals
Eating a proper, well-balanced diet will help you feel better in general. It might also help control your emotions. Your meals should be full of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and lean protein for energy. Skipping meals and eating unhealthy meals is not good for you and can put you in a bad mood, which can actually increase your stress.
Go Easy
These days, modern life can be so busy, and oftentimes all we need is just need to slow down, unwind and chill out. Look at your schedules and find small ways you can do that. For example:
- Set your watch/timer 10 to 15 minutes ahead. That way you will get places a little early and avoid the stress of being late.
- When you are driving on the highway, switch to the slow lane so you can avoid road rage.
- Break down big jobs into smaller groups. For example, do not try to answer all 100 emails if all you need is to just answer a few of them for the day.
Make out Time for Hobbies
You definitely need to set aside time for the things you enjoy. Try to do something every day that makes you feel good, and it will help relieve your stress. It doesn’t have to be a ton of time even if it’s for just 15 to 20 minutes. Relaxing hobbies include things like:
- Reading
- Knitting
- Doing an art project
- Playing golf
- Watching a movie
- Doing puzzles
- Playing cards and board games
Talk about problems bothering You
If you observe there things bothering you, talking about them can help lower your stress. You can talk to family members, trusted friends, a trusted clergyman, your doctor, or a therapist.
Also, you can talk to yourself. It’s called self-talk and most people do it all the time. However, for self-talk to help reduce stress, you need to make sure it is a positive and not negative talk.
Therefore, listen closely to what you are thinking or saying when you are stressed out. If you are giving yourself a negative message, change it to a positive one. For example, don’t tell yourself “I can’t do this.” tell yourself instead: “I can do this,” or “I’m doing the best I can, or “I am the best at my _”, or ‘I’ve got this”
Eliminate Your Triggers
It is very important to eliminate any cause of stress that cannot be managed or coped with. Firstly, figure out the biggest causes of stress in your life. Is it your job, your commute, your schoolwork or even a friend? If you are able to successfully identify what they are, see if you are able to eliminate them totally from your life, or at least reduce them.
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