Are you feeling overwhelmed by the stress that life continually throws at you? If so, you’re not alone – it’s a feeling shared by many people around the world. Managing stress can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be – with the right coping techniques, it is possible to find a healthier balance and gain control of your mental wellbeing. So, let’s take a look at managing stress and some of the best techniques for creating a healthier mind.
1. Understanding Stress: Knowing Your Enemy
Stress is a normal part of our lives, and understanding it can go a long way towards helping us better cope with it. It is important to understand that stress usually comes from a combination of internal and external factors. Internal factors, like our thoughts, moods, and how we react to our environment, can all contribute to how we experience stress. External factors include things that are outside of our control, like workload, traffic, and deadlines.
Practice Stress Awareness
Knowing how to recognize and respond to stress can help us stay more productive and healthy. To become more aware of stress levels, focus on increasing your awareness of the following:
- Pay attention to your emotions. How do you think or feel when you’re feeling stressed out?
- Identify where the stress is coming from. Are the stressors coming from your job, home life, relationships, or something else?
- Watch your body. Does physical tension, lightheadedness, or a tight chest come from feeling overwhelmed?
- Acknowledge your warning signs. What are some behaviors, such as drinking more than usual, that you resort to for stress relief?
The Hazards of Stress
Although it is normal to experience stress, too much of it can be hazardous to our health. Here are some of the physical and psychological symptoms that come with prolonged stress:
- Stomach aches
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Anxiety and depression
- Decreased concentration and focus
- Pain in joints and muscles
Engage in Stress Management Techniques
Self-care and stress-management strategies are important if we want to stay healthy and productive. Identify activities that counter your stress levels and do them regularly. This can include relaxation techniques, physical exercise, or talking to a professional.
2. Beat Stress With Healthy Habits
We all know how important it is to stay healthy in order to better cope with stress. But many people don’t know where to start – luckily, a few simple yet effective habits can help alleviate stress:
- Exercise: Aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day, such as running or doing jump rope. Doing exercise will not only get your heart pumping, but it’ll also help release endorphins that can give you a boost and help relax your mind.
- Relaxation techniques: Finding the right technique to relax your mind and body can be immensely beneficial. Start by exploring deep breathing, yoga, or tai chi for a few minutes every day. Then, when you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, practice a few sessions to help yourself relax.
- Meditation: Regular meditation can have mental and physical benefits. Research has shown that meditation can reduce stress levels, improve focus and concentration, and provide a sense of calm and relaxation.
- Get enough sleep: Quality sleep is absolutely essential for coping with stress. Try and get 7-8 hours of sleep each night and incorporate a healthy sleep hygiene routine, such as avoiding screens at least 2 hours before bed.
- Eat a healthy diet: Nutrition plays an important role in managing stress. Eating healthy foods rich in vitamins and minerals will help nourish your body and help you manage stress more effectively.
These habits may seem small, but if done regularly, they can make a big difference in helping you beat stress. Committing to one or two of these habits can have positive effects on both your physical and mental health, and better equip you to deal with stress.
Stress management is challenging, but with healthy habits and a few simple changes to lifestyle, it is possible to not only reduce stress but gain improved wellbeing and happiness.
3. Finding Calm In Trying Times
Recognizing feelings
- First step towards a more balanced life in trying times is recognizing force of emotions running through us.
- Cultivate awareness of our felt experience; be present to allow ourselves to acknowledge and make peace with our feelings.
- Once this is achieved, look for places of joy from within even in midst of chaos and pain.
- Invoke small, daily moments of . pleasure to serve as foundation for our emotional resilience in difficult times.
Creating space
- Avoiding chaos of trying times requires creating physical and emotional boundaries for self-calm and relaxation.
- Make room for stillness, allowing our heart and mind to wander, calmness to surface and equanimity to remain present.
- Engage in mindfulness practice, such as meditation or visualizations of positive thought-worlds.
- Find gratification through activities that bring joy and solace, whether it is reading, listening to music, exercising or gardening.
Connecting with nature
- Go outdoors and be surrounded by elements of nature to help bring balance to life.
- Draw attention to beauty of sun, moon, sky, clouds and trees and connect with energy of nature.
- Allow distracting stress to dissolve and enjoy feeling of being in the moment.
- Immerse ourselves in outside world to experience clear shift in frame of mind.
Drawing awareness within
- Each of us has ability to self-regulate and find inner peace.
- One of best methods to tap into this ability is to engage in regular practice of self-reflection and journaling.
- Tune into our emotions and how we really feel, and find which words best describe our current experiences.
- Focusing on the small moments of triumph and joy helps to nourish our energy.
4. Charting Your Path To Mental Wellness
Many of us have chosen our career paths with determination, whether it’s in a field we already have education in or if we need to go back to school and get a degree. But what about charting a path to mental wellness? How do you become mentally stronger and increase your resilience?
Make Self-Care a Priority
Self-care should always come first.
- Dedicate time to do things you enjoy and that bring you joy.
- Set clear boundaries and say no when you need to.
- Eat healthy and exercise regularly.
- Disconnect from technology during off time.
- Get plenty of sleep.
Take Challenges on Reframe Your Thinking
When it comes to facing challenges, the way in which we think and approach these situations can make a difference in our mental health.
- Change your focus away from the situation and focus on positive outcomes.
- Practice positive self-talk to motivate yourself to take action and create solutions.
- Look for new ideas or ways of looking at the situation.
- Write out the steps to solving the challenge.
Help Seek Assistance or Support from Friends and Family
It’s important to reach out and accept assistance from those we trust, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. It could be talking to a friend or family member or seeking professional help.
- Seek advise from a trusted source.
- Lean on friends and family for emotional support.
- Get professional mental health assistance if needed.
- Keep an open and positive attitude.
Organise and Structure Your Life
Introducing structure into your life can help give you greater control and increase productivity.
- Create a schedule and stick to it.
- Write down your goals and create plans of action.
- Learn to control your emotions and embrace change.
- Develop hobbies and interests.
Charting a path to mental wellness requires self-reflection, dedication and establishing a clear plan that can bring an overall state of wellbeing. With the right mindset and support, it’s possible create an optimum path to mental wellness for yourself.
When it comes to managing stress, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. By understanding what makes you feel unhealthy in challenging circumstances and engaging in activities that promote health and wellbeing, you can reduce stress and lead a healthier lifestyle. As Winston Churchill put it, “When you’re going through hell, keep going.” When life becomes too difficult, keep going and find the tools and coping techniques that will help you along the way.
