Life is busy. We're all becoming more and more time poor. So much to do and so little time! It's inevitable that our stress levels are building up. But not all stress is bad - and a little bit of stress is actually really helpful. Why? Well it drives us to action and helps keep us alert and active.
On the flip side, constant high levels of stress can cause us many problems. In fact, over 90% of disease is in some way caused by stress. Stress prevents the body from naturally repairing itself when infection or illness occurs and from protecting itself from those problems in the first place. This can lead to issues such as (but in no way limited to) constant sickness, disease, obesity, depression and insomnia.
That's why tackling stress is such an important topic. The ability to manage and prevent stress is absolutely vital for a happy and healthy life.
The bad news is that life inevitably brings stress. Life is stressful - plain and simple. Situations and factors that form our daily life are stressful. Catching the bus causes stress. Cooking dinner causes stress. Walking the dog causes stress. Not all of it creates health problems, but there is an element of stress in all of it. But the good news is that it is not the situations that are hard to deal with, it's actually just our approach in dealing with them that needs to be altered. In other words, how we react to stress is the root of the problem (if there is one!) So let's look at five tips to help us handle stress.
Tip 1 - List those things that create stress for you. When you feel stressed make a note of it. Why? When you actually note down those things and situations that make you feel stressed you will be better able to do something about it. Often we aren't exactly sure what is causing our stress (is it because I'm late, because I didn't get enough sleep or because I have a test today) and this means that we aren't aware how to make it go away. So start taking notes and figure out if there are any patterns that emerge (for example, do I feel more stressed at a particular time of day? Or when certain people are around me? Or when I haven't had my breakfast yet?)
Tip 2 - Step back and chill out. When you feel yourself getting stressed it's time for a time-out - from yourself! Remove yourself (or excuse yourself) from the situation and take a few minutes to breathe slowly and take yourself back to a calm state of mind. If you are tense find a way to release that tension (stretching or walking around can often be very helpful). The worst thing you can do it stay exactly as you are allow the stress to take full control of you.
Tip 3 - It will pass and it will be over before you know it. Remind yourself that the stressful event will end sooner or later so that you 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.
Tip 4 - Understand yourself. One of the challenges of stress is being unaware of what creates it - and why. When you take the time to try and understand what actually triggers the stress (is it being at school, is it after hours of study, is it being at work) then you may be able to change your environment and help avoid the stress altogether.
Tip 5 - Create a relaxation response. When you feel stress building it's important to tackle it with a repetitive response. This could be saying specific words (such as "I'm super peaceful right now"), stretching, walking or some other movement, but he most important thing is it brings you relief and you do it every time you feel stress. This will quickly become a habit that occurs in response to stress. So make sure you create a positive habit that helps you feel relaxed and calm.
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 after all you cannot be stressed and relaxed at the same time!
The more you focus on being stressed and experiencing stress the more stress you will create. Why? Well we create more whatever we give our energy to. So when you give all your energy to stress you just create more of it. Instead, focus on relaxation and always being calm in your response to stress. If you give your energy to relaxation you will inevitably become a relaxed person.
Ultimately, stress is a choice. You can 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 and no better time to start than now. Good luck!
On the flip side, constant high levels of stress can cause us many problems. In fact, over 90% of disease is in some way caused by stress. Stress prevents the body from naturally repairing itself when infection or illness occurs and from protecting itself from those problems in the first place. This can lead to issues such as (but in no way limited to) constant sickness, disease, obesity, depression and insomnia.
That's why tackling stress is such an important topic. The ability to manage and prevent stress is absolutely vital for a happy and healthy life.
The bad news is that life inevitably brings stress. Life is stressful - plain and simple. Situations and factors that form our daily life are stressful. Catching the bus causes stress. Cooking dinner causes stress. Walking the dog causes stress. Not all of it creates health problems, but there is an element of stress in all of it. But the good news is that it is not the situations that are hard to deal with, it's actually just our approach in dealing with them that needs to be altered. In other words, how we react to stress is the root of the problem (if there is one!) So let's look at five tips to help us handle stress.
Tip 1 - List those things that create stress for you. When you feel stressed make a note of it. Why? When you actually note down those things and situations that make you feel stressed you will be better able to do something about it. Often we aren't exactly sure what is causing our stress (is it because I'm late, because I didn't get enough sleep or because I have a test today) and this means that we aren't aware how to make it go away. So start taking notes and figure out if there are any patterns that emerge (for example, do I feel more stressed at a particular time of day? Or when certain people are around me? Or when I haven't had my breakfast yet?)
Tip 2 - Step back and chill out. When you feel yourself getting stressed it's time for a time-out - from yourself! Remove yourself (or excuse yourself) from the situation and take a few minutes to breathe slowly and take yourself back to a calm state of mind. If you are tense find a way to release that tension (stretching or walking around can often be very helpful). The worst thing you can do it stay exactly as you are allow the stress to take full control of you.
Tip 3 - It will pass and it will be over before you know it. Remind yourself that the stressful event will end sooner or later so that you 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.
Tip 4 - Understand yourself. One of the challenges of stress is being unaware of what creates it - and why. When you take the time to try and understand what actually triggers the stress (is it being at school, is it after hours of study, is it being at work) then you may be able to change your environment and help avoid the stress altogether.
Tip 5 - Create a relaxation response. When you feel stress building it's important to tackle it with a repetitive response. This could be saying specific words (such as "I'm super peaceful right now"), stretching, walking or some other movement, but he most important thing is it brings you relief and you do it every time you feel stress. This will quickly become a habit that occurs in response to stress. So make sure you create a positive habit that helps you feel relaxed and calm.
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 after all you cannot be stressed and relaxed at the same time!
The more you focus on being stressed and experiencing stress the more stress you will create. Why? Well we create more whatever we give our energy to. So when you give all your energy to stress you just create more of it. Instead, focus on relaxation and always being calm in your response to stress. If you give your energy to relaxation you will inevitably become a relaxed person.
Ultimately, stress is a choice. You can 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 and no better time to start than now. Good luck!
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