How to Relieve Stress
Stress is defined as the body’s response to changes and challenges that require adjustment or response.
Stress may feel negative, but it is a response that is developed to keep people alert and help us avoid danger in risky situations.
The human body was made to deal with short doses of stress. Today mild stress helps people push through daunting presentations, athletic events, and other big challenges. By keeping the level of stress low and its influence short it can be a positive experience.
However, in today’s society stress has become a more constant factor in people’s lives. Instead of being a short experience, it is often a daily presence and in extended periods of exposure, stress is harmful.
The results of chronic stress can be emotional waves of fear, sadness, and frustration mixed in with the anxiety that directly results from being overwhelmed with stress. All of these emotions can cause people to under or overreact to situations. It can also trigger physical complications such as headaches, intestinal discomfort, and sleep disorders.
The symptoms of long-term stress vary depending on the individual. Regardless of the amount or intensity of these emotional and physical symptoms, it is best to practice relieving stress.
By learning to relieve stress more control is gained over one’s emotions, making for more efficient working habits and enjoyable life. There are plenty of tips and tricks to deal with long-term stress. Let’s explore a few to help you find your best fit.
Identify Your Stress
The first step to fixing a problem is always recognizing the problem, and the same goes for stress. It is important to understand the root causes and outcomes associated with your personal experience of stress. Once these core elements of stress are understood it becomes easier to personalize ways to cope with and maybe even control these events.
-Speak to a Therapist
We have to normalize that speaking to someone is okay. The idea that something has to be wrong to speak to a therapist is an old-school way of thinking and it just isn’t so any longer. If you have the financial ability to do so, speaking to a therapist can be a major step in learning to relieve your stress. Due to its representation in media or inaccurate stereotypes, going to see a therapist can feel taboo, but there is nothing wrong with seeing a professional.
Licensed therapists are trained to assess experiences like stress and provide proven ways to cope. Talking out loud about your experience with stress to someone who will listen and prompt you with important questions may also be the fastest way to understanding your stress.
Tip: No sense of stress is too small to talk to a professional about if it is impacting your life, and it is a judgment-free experience. If you are interested in therapy get started by researching licensed practitioners in your area to find a good fit.
– Record Your Experiences With Stress
If you are unable or are not ready to speak with a therapist consider recording your own experience. Writing out thoughts, feelings, and other specifics of high-stress situations can help you evaluate places where positive change can be enacted.
Just as companies record data to assess sales and maximize profit you are recording your data to assess stress and maximize relief.
This is a personal record so fill it out however you see fit but try to answer a few specific questions.
– When did my stress start today?
– When did my stress peak today?
– How long did I feel stressed?
– What emotions did I feel during this time?
– Did I have any physical symptoms of stress?
– Did the stress impact my ability to complete tasks and how so?
– Were there any occasions during this period of stress where I felt relief?
These questions will help you realize stress triggers, identify stress as it is building up, and single out experiences that give you relief.
Tip: During a stressful experience it may feel overwhelming to sit down and focus on writing about everything that is happening. If this is the case, consider recording the event after your stress levels begin to decrease.
Relieve Your Stress
After gaining a better idea of why you are experiencing stress and how it is impacting your life it is easier to execute options to relieve stress.
–Physical Relief
Exercise is a natural and effective way to decrease stress.
Studies have shown that regular exercise results in improved cognitive function, focus, and increased energy. These effects directly counter the scattered thoughts, distraction, and fatigue that are normally associated with stress.
The mind and the body are deeply connected so keeping your body healthy through exercise directly benefits your mind as well.
When you exercise endorphins are released in the brain where they act as natural painkillers. For people who engage in higher intensity physical activity, an emotional high from these endorphins is experienced. For lower intensity exercise the mind still benefits from the improved ability to sleep which is another key factor to combat stress.
Eating healthy is also a physical factor that can naturally reduce stress. Eating the right foods can energize you while the wrong food can slow you down. Sweets and treats are allowed in moderation as long as nutritional needs are fulfilled first. This will ensure that your brain and body can function fully while facing stressful challenges.
Tip: Any exercise is good exercise when it comes to relieving stress. Choose a form of exercise you enjoy or try something new. Most importantly, find a way to make exercise a regular part of your schedule to continuously benefit from it.
– Restful Relief
Sleep is key for the overall well-being of people.
A full night’s sleep is between seven to nine hours for adults. During this time, the body repairs itself physically as the mind consolidates information that was gathered during the day.
A lack of sleep wears down both the mind and body, which can be a direct contributor to or a result of stress. On the other hand, an appropriate amount of sleep can decrease stress as it makes you more capable to take on challenges throughout the day.
If stress is inhibiting your sleep patterns exercise and meditation are great ways to naturally improve your ability to sleep soundly.
Tip: Coffee is not the same thing as a full night’s sleep. Using coffee as a supplement for being well-rested can increase stress, so enjoy coffee as a treat instead of a supplement.
– Relationship Relief
The people you surround yourself with have a serious impact on how you feel and respond to different situations.
If you focus on relationships that are mutually supportive and stable you will find that they help to reduce your stress. Positive relationships offer opportunities to discuss stress and provide a sense of support that makes overwhelming situations feel more manageable.
It is important to build these supportive relationships both at work and in your personal life. Even one or two peers who offer a sense of understanding and assistance are impactful. When you start to experience stress, their support can greatly reduce how much stress you experience and how long you experience it.
– Personal Relief
Today multitasking and being overbooked with responsibilities is often considered to be a sign of success. This norm is easy to self-enforce and leads to individuals becoming their own stressor.
If you are setting deadlines that are too tight or taking on more responsibilities than you can complete it is time to reevaluate your personal goals. Chances are you do not mean to drown yourself in work, you simply want to be accomplished. However, accomplishments are best achieved without excessive stress.
Consider your goals and start setting reasonable milestones that will challenge you without feeling overwhelming. If your goal and plans are well adjusted to your personal needs, you will feel your sense of stress start to reduce.
It is also important to embrace personal pleasures when relieving stress. Everyone has a few hobbies or activities that bring them joy. Embracing these pleasures will give you something positive to look forward to during stressful events and help you relax quickly after stressful events.
If these practices for stress reduction do not fit your personal needs or you work in a space where stress is part of company culture, consider executive consulting. Everyone deserves relief from their stress and the right mentor can show you how to achieve it for yourself and others.
Citations:
- Stress: Signs, Symptoms, Management & Prevention. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11874-stress
- Stress. (2020, February 20). Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/stress
- Physical Activity Reduces Stress. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/other-related-conditions/stress/physical-activity-reduces-st
- Stress and Sleep. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/sleep