Stress is an inevitable part of life. Everyone experiences it, often daily, and it isn’t always bad. Short-term stress is a survival mechanism that triggers the natural fight-or-flight response. Stress is also helpful as a motivator to achieve goals.
Unfortunately, modern times have made it all too easy to experience more chronic, damaging stress. Chronic stress contributes to and causes headaches, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, a weaker immune system, digestive issues, among a number of other health problems.
You don’t have to let stress take over and ruin your health and quality of life. Try these simple strategies to stop stress in its tracks.
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1. Breath
One of the quickest ways to nip stress in the bud is to focus on breathing. When your thoughts are racing, and you can’t stop worrying, concentrating on your breath helps you calm down and silence those thoughts.
Find somewhere you can be comfortable for a few minutes. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Inhale deeply through your nose and feel your belly rise. Slowly breathe out through your nose, noting how your belly lowers again.
Breathing deeply and with focus activates the parasympathetic nervous system and helps you relax.
2. Stop Certain Thoughts
Most people are guilty of indulging in negative thoughts, especially when under great stress. An important strategy for combating stress is becoming aware of and changing them.
For instance, if you’re feeling anxious and stressed because you have a presentation to give at work, you might start thinking about all the ways you could fail. Notice those thoughts but shift them to something more positive. Focus on how much you’ve prepared and that the presentation is more likely to go well than to fail.
3. Take a Minute
When a situation becomes overwhelming, it might become necessary to step away from it. Leave the room, go outside, or just step back from the situation and take a few minutes to breathe and calm your mind and body. It often takes just a minute or two for the stress response to stop so that you can think clearly again and reenter the situation.
4. Downgrade Ideas
Stress does funny things to perspective. Something that ordinarily wouldn’t seem like a big deal becomes a looming disaster of the utmost importance. When stress feels overwhelming, take a minute to be critical of how you perceive it. Is it really as big a deal as you’re making it? Or have you exaggerated it in your mind?
Even if the situation is important, forcing a shift in perspective can reduce your stress and prepare you to better deal with it. Treat that work presentation as just another task in your day, for example. Maybe it is important, but don’t think of it that way, or you’ll only increase your stress.
5. Dress Comfortably
Physical comfort goes a long way toward improving mental comfort. If you have a stressful day, wear an outfit you feel comfortable and confident in. This is not a time to experiment with a new look. Try progressive glasses to avoid the need to switch between regular and reading glasses. Wear clothing and accessories appropriate to the situation, so you don’t feel as if you stand out or that people are judging you harshly.
6. Talk to Someone
Vocalizing your worries is a powerful way to manage and downgrade them. When you’re agitated, reach out to someone you trust. They might not have a solution or useful advice, but that’s ok. All you really need is someone who will listen. Describe what’s bothering you and the emotions it’s stirring up, and you’ll instantly feel at least a little better.
7. Tackle One Thing First
Often, stress is at its worst when you have a lot to do. It seems like you’ll never get it all done. In these moments, tackle your to-do list one item at a time. If it’s a big project causing you stress, break it down into more manageable pieces.
Cross off each task as you complete it. This gives you a reassuring sense of accomplishment and the feeling that the project or list isn’t controlling you. You have control over your tasks and the stress it causes.
Stress Doesn’t Have to Take Over
Chronic stress is an inevitable and overwhelming aspect of modern life for most people. For this reason, it’s so important to be proactive and to have a toolkit ready for managing it. Know how to handle stress in the moment, and you won’t feel so overwhelmed or at its mercy.
