I bet we all know of those few people in or lives who always seem to be upbeat and happy irrespective of what goes on in their lives or how stressed they are! This is a puzzle for us and we wish we knew what they do to be that way all the time!!
Today is the time to let those secrets out!
Lots of research into stress and its management over the years has revealed so many things that every one of us should be doing to lead a stress-free life.
But before I get into more details, there’s one thing I’d like you all to know. Most of the things that I’m going to mention further are the easiest, simple, and doable things that they might sound clichéd or boring.
The point we need to understand here is that sometimes we take the most obvious and easiest things for granted or become oblivious to them thinking that they are too simple to solve our problems. Therefore we just don’t pay enough attention to them.
However, the fact remains that practicing them regularly can bring more peace and positivity into our lives than our expectations.
So give these tips another chance and start afresh!
We all know managing stress is not a magical process. Yet we sometimes struggle to even get through the day because of how stressed we feel.
Stress management is about mastering new behaviors to sort out issues with the old ones. It is about finding new ways to look at yourself and your world.
Here are 7 ways to manage your stress effectively!
- Knowing how to relax: One needs to know how to let go of tension, relax our body, and quiet the mind. Relaxing does not necessarily have to be about practicing yoga or meditation. It could also be about doing your most favorite things and enjoying them. Relaxation means different things for different people. Reading a good book, dancing to your heart’s content, or watching your favorite movie for the 67th time are all things that can give you the relaxation you need. If not all this, even a good sleep could be relaxing beyond our imagination! So find that one thing that can help you relax and use it the next time your head throbs because of a long stressful day!
- Eating and exercising: What goes into the body also affects our mind and that’s why we should be more vigilant about what we eat regularly. Food has the power to relieve stress and to make it worse too! The problem is that we usually crave unhealthy food which is sugary, fatty and salty. We should try and find out healthier options for those. Sometimes, even if we manage to eat healthily, chances are, if we’re stressed we might overeat or under-eat. Eating a balanced diet is the best way to manage and keep stress at bay. Giving your body the right nutrients and adequate reserves of vitamins and minerals increase our ability to cope with stressors physically or mentally. Also, keeping our body hydrated is equally important for a healthy body and mind. Apart from our eating habits, there’s another thing that can help a lot in managing stress effectively and that is exercise. Engaging in any form of physical activity at least twice a week has proven to have a positive impact on the mental health of people. You need not enroll in gyms and lift heavyweights. I understand it’s not everyone’s thing. Start with simple things such as walking whenever you can and slowly make it a part of your daily routine. And you’ll see for yourself how better it will make you feel!
- Sleep Sleep Sleep: Getting enough sleep is a key element in managing stress. Very little sleep can leave you tired and drained of energy. An average of 7-8 hours of sleep is sufficient for an adult but individual needs vary. If you wake up fresh and get through the day without feeling tired indicate you got a good night’s sleep. Experiment with your sleep patterns during vacations to find out what works best for you. But beware of oversleeping as well as oversleeping is not good for anyone. Sleep at a consistent time, try to relax before going to bed, and avoid stimulations like exercise and large meals before bed. These are some tips that can contribute to having a good sleep.
- Anger Management: Anger is one emotion that adds up to our stress exponentially. We can largely function without getting angry often and that is good for us. Usually, we don’t realize, but we get very angry at the smallest of things around us and it ruins our mood for hours together. Our peace of mind is not worth destroying for petty things and that’s why we need to resort to methods that work for us in controlling anger. Indulging in activities that increase our patience and trying to sort out issues as soon as possible are somethings that can help us stay away from a lot of unnecessary stress.
- Being Organized: Cluttered and shabby surroundings are some instant triggers to stress. One needs to be aware and have control over their environment to be able to manage it. Organizing your stuff systematically where you spend most of the time is very advisable as it allows our mind to function smoothly and gives a sense of satisfaction. More often than not, we feel a lot better after clearing the clutter around in our homes or workplaces because being organized also gives a visual appeal. So get into action and declutter your surroundings now!
- Efficient Time Management: This point is in continuation of the previous one. We need to be organized not only with our surroundings but also with how we use our time! Keeping an eye on where most of our time goes can give us a better understanding of our time management and facilitates better usage of time. Sometimes, poor usage of time can be very overwhelming and put us into a never-ending cycle of feeling stressed! To-do lists and maintaining time journals are a few important time management tools one can use to make the best use of time.
- Laugh it off: Here and there we get so consumed in our routines and hectic work schedules that we forget to enjoy a hearty laugh! We become stressed over even the smallest of things such as losing a pen. Laughing off the little things that irritate could save us from so much unwanted stress. Make it a habit to laugh at the small hassles and annoyances or even at yourself for how silly you get at times because laughing is good for health!!
Well, most of us could already be doing all these things in our life to keep stress away, but everything needs to be revised and looked over to be modified once in a while and I think this article could as well serve that purpose.
Yet, if you have been looking for ways to tackle the stressful situations in your life, trust me on these tips and do at least a few if not all religiously for a while and it will show a difference!
Like I said earlier, these might seem too easy to solve our stress issues, still, they have the power to do the trick. I have been doing these for a while and I see the difference and so will you!
So when are you starting? Tell us in the comments below!!
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