Let's face it, we all experience stress, some more than others, but we all have it. Some amount of stress can be good for you; it clues you into areas of your life that may need changing. Too much stress can be very harmful to you, both mentally and physically.
If you are experiencing stress, here are 5 ways to help relieve it:
1. Pinpoint what is stressing you
Sometimes it is hard to know just what it is that is causing us to freak out. But take some time to think about your day:
What do you enjoy doing?
What worries you?
What makes you want to stay in bed under the covers all day?
These can be clues as to what is bothering you.
Are you scared to go to the grocery store because you don't know if you can afford it or not? Then your finances are actually what is stressing you out.
Do you hate waking up in the morning because it means you have to go to work? Then there is probably something at your job, or your job itself, that has you worried.
Only when you know what is causing you stress, can you begin to fix it.
2. Express your feelings
It is important to express your feelings about what you are experiencing. This can be done through talking to a friend or loved one, a counselor, or even just writing about it in your personal journal.
Whatever your preferred form of expression, do it. It helps to get it out there. Having it bottled up inside of you only makes it grow bigger.
Take the time to explore the emotions you are feeling, to really identify just what is bothering you. Sometimes just talking about something helps you to feel better. It is a great technique to help you de-stress.
3. Be healthy
Living a healthy lifestyle can help you deal with stress more easily.
Eating healthy and exercising regularly builds a firm foundation for your body. When stress comes along, it can easily handle it. Stress can be hard on your body physically. By being healthy already, it can have less of an impact on your heart health. Stress also harms the body mentally. When you are regularly exercising, you are already participating in a natural mood booster. Keep it up especially while you are experiencing stress, because you will recover more quickly.
4. Take time for yourself
Most of us have several roles: mother, sister, wife, friend, co-worker, and the list goes one. It can be hard justifying spending time on yourself when there are so many other people that need you. But it is vital to overcoming stress.
When we take the time to focus on ourselves, reflect on our lives, think about our future, and just relax a bit, it can help us overcome those feelings that are causing us anxiety. Go for a walk alone, take a bubble bath, do yoga in your living room during nap time, whatever it is, find a way to spend some time just on you.
5. Take action
The most important step in overcoming stress is to take action. If you are always worried about money, make a budget and stick to it. There is nothing more empowering than knowing how much money you have to spend and when you need to stop.
If your kids are stressing you out, find new parenting techniques to try with them. Join a playgroup or enroll them in a sport to help them focus their energy on something besides driving you crazy.
If you can't stand your job, find ways to be positive about it. Even if you cannot think of one good thing about your job, start telling yourself you enjoy it. Even if it is not true, if you say it enough, you may start to believe it.
If you cannot find a solution for what is stressing you, turn to others for advice. Read a blog about it, get advice from a friend, or research your situation further. There are always ways to overcoming what is ailing you.
All of these steps can help you overcome your stress. Sometimes just talking about it helps, while other times you need to take action.
Whatever your problem, don't let it continue to grow and evolve until it is completely controlling your life. Try to solve it now, so you can move on and be happy.
