Our lives in the modern world are filled with stressors. We can’t avoid them all. However, too much stress can affect our relationships, our working ability, and even our health. It’s in our best interest to reduce stress in our lives as much as possible. These tips can help with that process.
Prepare for tomorrow in any little way that you can today, and you will be surprised by the immediate reduction of stress when you wake up! All of the little chores and responsibilities that accrue over the course of a day can cause major stress. Take the trash out or pack tomorrow’s lunch tonight to save yourself time in the morning.
When you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed, visualize being calm. Close your eyes and focus on relaxing your muscles by picturing yourself in a hot bath and feel the stress float away. Try breathing deep and slow with your eyes closed, and imagine your happy place. Is it the beach?
Your stress levels will stay down if you stay up to date on repairs your items may need. The more things you need repaired, the more time and energy you will spend to fix them, creating even more stress. Therefore, it is essential that you take care of repairs to reduce stress.
Listen to some music if you’re feeling stressed. Music is known to have major effects on a person. There is evidence to suggest that the act of listening to music has a noticeable calming effect. There are countless musical styles to appeal to every taste. The fun is finding the type of music that will soothe and de-stress you.
Some seemingly harmless activities can cause or increase stress. Things that can distract you for hours upon hours at a time like video games can actually cause you stress because you become distracted from giving your body the proper food or sleep it needs. This can be a reason for missing out on much needed sleep, or time spent preparing and eating a healthy meal.
There are many factors that cause stress, so you first need to find what is causing these feelings. Once you identify the source, you can work at solving your problems, to relieve yourself of that particular piece that is bothering you. Your life will be transformed!
More often than not, engaging in a heartfelt conversation with a trusted friend or family member can go a long way in alleviating stress. This will give you an opportunity to let your anxieties and emotions out. Make a coffee date with a friend or relative, or just pick up the phone for a chat.
Playing games like Suikoden and Dragon Quest is usually a great way to get rid of stress, but if you get stuck and feel your frustration rising, you should quit for a while. After all, the objective is not to cause further stresses in your life; it is to allow you to find temporary, healthy refuge from your frustrations.
If you are currently in a relationship with someone, go out to a candlelit dinner and make a romantic night out of it. This date will give you an opportunity to focus on your relationship without focusing on things which stress you.
Notice the muscles or areas that tense up when you feel anxiety or stress. Common areas include the muscles in your lower back and your shoulders, hands and teeth. Take note of where your tension lies, and work to keep those areas relaxed during times of stress. This will help you lower your tension and relax.
Instead of worrying endlessly, prepare for the worst by making emergency plans. For example, keep a spare house key in a secure location, always have a spare ready meal in stock at work and arrange backup babysitting options in case your regular sitter is ill. Knowing how to handle your problems ahead of time will make them much easier to deal with.
Arts and crafts are a great way to get rid of stress. Free your mind of work deadlines and financial worry by immersing yourself in arts. Try your hand at painting, drawing, carving, writing, sculpting, or any other free-form creative endeavor.
Do not add to your stress by being less than truthful. Studies show that small lies can create a lot of guilt and make many people anxious about being caught.
When you find that you are constantly annoyed by the same things, look into self-hypnosis. Many people have reported that self-hypnosis helped them work through day-to-day irritations like an irritating co-worker or a bothersome noise.
Having foresight and being prepared can really help you to avoid some major stress in life. Don’t wait until your fridge is empty to go buy groceries; stock up ahead of time instead.
Limbic System
Perhaps one of the best ways to fight off stress is to make a concerted effort to smile. Smiling causes your facial muscles to activate the limbic system. The limbic system is your brain’s emotional center. Smiling will tilt your limbic system to a calmer state, which is a great way to lower your stress levels.
As has been stated, stress can be extremely problematic for many areas of life. It is necessary to do everything possible to help decrease the stress that one is experiencing. Now that you have red this advice, you can lower stress and take control of your life.