Stress will always remain a part of our lives because we live in a world that is full of stressful events. Starting with the environment we live in, the uncontrollable circumstances around us, friction in relationships, to even happy life-changing events like winning a contract or getting a promotion, the number of factors that can cause stress to humanity are unlimited. So it is wise you find better ways to deal with stress so you don’t get frustrated in your attempt to deal with it.
Stress is the feeling of physical or emotional tension experienced when we are going through pressure or a challenge. When stressed, we get angry, anxious, or frustrated, and to deal with it, we resort to engaging in negative self-talk, drinking alcohol, smoking, over-dosing on medications or recreational drugs, becoming violent, and avoiding friends and family. In the long run, if not dealt with, stress can become overwhelming and lead to a mental break-down. How you manage stress is as important as your well-being and you have the ability to control stress than you think.
Here are 5 healthy tips on how to deal with stress:
1. Keep a Positive Attitude
Your first reaction to a stressful situation will be to become irritable. This will only get you to drown in self-hating, fault finding, and negativity which isn’t helpful. Positive thinking is an emotional attitude of having a positive view as well as expecting good results over a situation. It is not denying the circumstance, but rather, it means you chose to approach stress in a positive light. A positive attitude relaxes your brain and puts you in a better state to consider better solutions and opportunities from a broad number of choices.
In dealing with stress, it is important to remember that you control your reality by what you chose to see. People with a negative outlook on stress will see negative patterns to stress and get stuck while people with positive outlooks tend to see positive patterns and will find a way out. The first step to positive thinking is understanding your way of dealing with stress. Do you see stress in a positive or negative light? If you are always positive about stress, well done but if you are negative you need to make a conscious effort to see things in a better light by relating with positive thinking people, making positive affirmations, and having positive visualizations – after some time, you will start seeing positive results.
2. Seek Out Social Support
Having a good support system when going through stress is your first aid to mental wellness. Good social support consists of a healthy group of people such as friends, family, colleagues, or professional psychologist that can assist you with your issues. Someone within your support network may have gone through a similar situation and their previous coping mechanism can be helpful. It is cool to have people who can help you see things from a better perspective. You can build a good support system by setting up fun meetings with your friends, taking out time to see your family, joining a gym, meeting co-workers, or using online resources. With a support system, you don’t have to feel alone because you have people to fall back on when things go south.
3. Eat Healthy Well-Balanced Meal
A balanced diet is one that contains the different classes of food in the right proportions. It consists of proteins, dairy, grains, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables. According to Matthew J. Kuchan, Ph. D., a senior research scientist at Abbott Laboratories, “Eating a healthy diet can reduce the negative side effects of stress on your body.” Stress weakens your body’s ability to fight diseases. A well-balanced meal can relieve stress by reducing the stress hormone, lowering your blood pressure, increasing immunity, and improving blood flow to the brain. This means that your brain will get a constant supply of important nutrients. To achieve a balanced diet, create a healthy meal plan, and stick to it. Your body will be glad you did. Also, remember to drink lots of water.
4. Exercise Regularly and Practice Relaxation Techniques
When the stress level is on the rise, exercising at regular intervals and engaging in relaxation techniques can help you de-stress and improve healthiness. Although exercise can be stressful, it increases the production of your feel-good hormones. It also increases your self-confidence and helps you sleep well. Simple exercises like walking, running, or skipping is a good way to start.
Relaxation techniques are activities that increase your calmness. Examples are meditation, yoga, deep breathing, music therapy, and massage. Relaxation techniques make you feel better by improving your mood and reducing stress hormones in the body.
5. Make Time For Hobbies
People who engage in activities they love to do are less likely to become stressed and depressed. Hobbies can range from engaging in sports, visiting an exciting destination, singing, baking, painting, or helping a charitable cause. When making out time for hobbies, the goal is to find what makes you happy and dedicate enough time to it. Doing fun activities that make you happy will reduce the impact of stress. Doing fun activities with your friends and loved ones is also a good way to reduce stress.
If you are diligent in dealing with stress in a healthy way using these activities, you will be able to put it under control in good time.