Stressed Much? Tips To Handle the stresses of life
STRESS! I don’t know about you but I’ve been there big time in the past. Felling constant stress coming at me from a variety of places and not knowing where it’s going to hit next. One thing that’s for certain is there will be stress in this life. Let me reframe that. There will be obstacles that come into our life but we don’t have to let them control our peace. We aren’t always gonna be able to get around the feelings of stress but we can take steps to minimize the negative impacts it can have in our life.
Below are some no brainer ideas of things you can do to help calm your bodies stress response but I also want to put out the first thing I like to do and recommend others doing. I ask myself this simple questions. What do I have control over? Oftentimes stress ramps up because we focus on what we can’t control. When we focus on what’s out of our control overwhelm tends to take over magnifying the stressor. So, take a step back and start attacking the things you DO have control over no matter how small those things may seem. Ok now for some ideas to dial down the stress in your life.
FAITH: I’m going to kick off this list with faith in and a relationship with Jesus (don’t tune out if you don’t share the same faith as I do. The rest of this list doesn’t necessarily speak or refer to faith and religion.) For me it’s critical in remaining at peace, offering a perspective that takes me outside of myself to see a larger world and to ultimately know that all things will be worked out in time. James 1 2 - 4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Also, “An we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:2
OTHERS: When we focus our attention on serving others we take our focus off of ourselves and our perceived problems. Focus on making someone else’s day just a little better. This doesn’t have to be elaborate. It can be a simple text or email. Opening a door for someone. You get the idea.
WALKING: Walking is an amazing activity. It has been show that walking can improve the area in your brain that’s responsible for memory, learning and cognitive function which can make you a better problem solver. It can also help the release of hormones that aid in creating new neurons and neurotransmitters…the feel good stuff like serotonin, dopamine and endorphins that can elevate mood and minimize anxiety. All good things for when you’re stressed out. Due to the impact walking has on the brain I’ve found that I often enter into a meditative like state during a walk. Aside from the brain it may have immediate positive impact on blood pressure. I’m not a doctor but I’ve seen that after a walk my blood pressure can be somewhere between 5-10 points lower in both the systolic and diastolic numbers. So if you’re not big into meditation try to go for a good 30-45 minute walk to calm the body and improve your physical health at the same time! Side note: walking is one of the best muscle sparing and fat burning forms of cardio you can do. BONUS!
WRITING: Write out what you’re stressing about: Here’s an Eckhart Tolle quote for you - “Anything unconscious dissolves when you shine the light of consciousness on it.” Writing out your thoughts when overwhelmed and stressed can do a couple of things. It helps organize you thoughts and puts things into perspective. Just this excessive alone can give you a more accurate perspective of whatever’s stressing you out and often helps minimize the issue. When we let our stress just roll around in our head it has a tendency to grow and cause more stress or anxiety. Writing things out can also give you access to your subconscious. Things that were not on your radar (not in you consciousness) might seem to just “pop” to mind, seemingly out of nowhere. Once these unconscious thoughts rise to the surface our conscious mind can then deal with them. This is great because in some case our unconscious mind can cause a great deal of stress that we feel but don’t know exactly where it’s coming from. So, Write things out, gain perspective and handle any unconscious thoughts that come up. And, at the minimum, at least you’ve got a starting point for things that are under your control and can be worked through.
NATURE: Ground yourself physically and visually. what do you see, smell and feel? This act of noticing what’s around you helps get you out of the loop of stress and anxiety that’s playing in your head and brings you into the present moment. If you’re feeling anxious, this techniques works very well because it’s difficult if not impossible to be anxious and present at the same time. For another grounding technique simply find a patch of earth, take your shoes/socks off and stand on the bare ground. Seems so simple but you’d be amazed at how quick you start feeling the stress leave your body. I might do a separate blog about grounding, or earthing, to dive a little deeper into how it works.
CLEAN ENVIRONMENT: Our environments actually have a pretty big impact on our mental health and how we function. For the general masses, a clean environment where things are in place and clutter is kept to the minimum will set the stage for a peaceful day. And, when those daily stressors hit, that nice environment will help process and handle life challenges. It also creates a great space to retreat and recharge at the end of the day…which leads into the next tip.
SLEEP: Get a good nights sleep. Sleep is crucial. While we sleep our body goes through its natural processes and releases hormones that heal our bodies, repair muscles and put us back into a balanced state. Often times a good nights sleep is all we need to feel the stress melt away or break out of a “funk”.
HOBBIES: Take a “hobby break.” What do you enjoy doing? What things do you do that put you into that flow state where time seems to disappear. Allow yourself time to engage in these activities. Have some fun.
This definitely isn’t an exhaustive list but are things that I’ve noticed have helped me and others manage the stresses that come at us in life. Give them a try or just start with trying one that you think would help the most! Have fun with it and start building your toolbox to handle stress and keep your mental state in optimal shape.