No matter how many sermons you give about handling stress, it catches you off guard, always!
Mental health is one of the most overlooked aspects of life. And why wouldn’t it be when you can down a drink or light smoke to get your mind off of it?
We get our first real glimpse of stress and anxiety when we step out of school. Yeah, it used to be fun pointing out how people talked about school with nostalgia, but not anymore. However, the impacts of stress on your life and wellbeing can be severe.
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The best definition I’ve found for stress is a moment of vulnerability. It is amazing how many different directions this short definition takes.
You get stressed out at work because you’ve got more on your plate than you can handle. At home, your relationships are getting out of hand due to financial or emotional constraints, and so on. But when these moments of stress are ignored, they grow into ongoing anxiety and depression. And those are some dark roads for one to go down on!
So, to save you the trouble of finding out the hard way, here are some tips on how you can manage stress.
Have A Positive Attitude
I know it sounds like a long leap to begin with. But since it eventually comes down to keeping a positive attitude, why not kick off with it?
Keeping a positive attitude comes from being thankful and delayed gratification. You have to understand that sometimes, some things happen outside our control. And that it’s okay for them to be “wrong.”
Trusting the process is a key aspect of many religions worldwide to achieve peace. But what does it mean, really?
Trusting the process is just another name for keeping a positive attitude. Acknowledging that whatever happened has some good tied to it in the form of a lesson. And believing that it will help you grow into a better and stronger person, which is true.
So, if you feel detached from life because of overwhelming work or a demanding relationship, bear with it. Not necessarily, you have to draw the line somewhere before it gets too much. But if the struggle seems to be worth the endings, then ends justify the means!
Talk To A Therapist
Not the answer you were hoping to look for online, but that’s that. Nothing beats the experience of opening up to a professional and being guided specifically for your problems. Otherwise, what’s the point of incorporating exercises and healthy diet plans if it doesn’t cover the basics? You have to let the stress out and not let it build up.
A therapist will have you undergo a series of behavioral counseling sessions that remake your neural pathways. More often than not, we get too used to our primary response systems that we start believing in them when it shouldn’t be the case.
There is this “taboo” vibe that comes out when talking about seeing a therapist. But that again is one of the misconceptions created by society.
You can look for a professional psychologist near you that excels in stress management, or even attend sessions online. Either way, you’ll start noticing the benefits and effects it has on your life sooner than you think.
Go Green!
A lot of our stress and anxiety take root from what we eat. Not always, but the diet you carry reflects on your mood in the shape of stress or energy.
Having a healthy diet that meets all your nutritional and caloric requirements can be a game-changer in managing stress. It keeps your metabolism fast and your body energized. It only makes sense that hard-to-digest foods like fats and sugar will take up more energy in breaking down.
But your diet is not just limited to food items as meals and snacks. There’s a ton of other supplements that you can take to meet your dietary needs. Or, even some herbal supplements to ease up the burden of stress. For example, White Horn Kratom and chamomile tea help you relax.
Get In Shape
The first victim of stress build-up is either the liver or the stomach. You either start drinking recklessly or munch on any food item you lay your eyes on. And as a result, your body gets out of control, and now you have a new thing to stress about!
Keeping up a routine exercise helps keep your stress levels in check. It is normal to feel exhausted and question how activity can fight tiredness. However, working out ensures that all your muscles get their due supply of oxygen.
With all your body oxidized, it is much easier to digest food and perform daily tasks as the energy is readily available. More than that, working out also helps you build up confidence in yourself. You stick to a routine and have power over that part of your day. And eventually, it spreads out to even the smallest chores.
There have been enough studies to back up how exercise helps fight stress and anxiety. It does so by keeping your metabolic rate healthy; heartbeat regulated, cholesterol in check, higher testosterone levels, and more endorphins secreted.
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