STRESS & STRESS-RELIEVERS
All of us endure stress in our lives, especially lately, and it is important for all of us to alleviate our everyday stress. It can cause a whole plethora of problems, physically, emotionally, and psychologically.
Here are just a few:
- Insomnia
- Headache
- Muscle tension or pain
- Chest pain
- Fatigue
- Stomach upset
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Lack of motivation or focus
- Irritability or anger
- Sadness or depression
- Overeating or under-eating
- Angry outbursts
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Tobacco use
- & Social withdrawal
Because of this, I have researched and also implemented some of my own stress-relievers. I recommend you use these techniques or apply similar ones to alleviate your own stress.
First and foremost are the negative influences.
UNNECESSARY DRAMA: You may be surrounded by unnecessary drama, and what I mean by that is drama that is not already part of your own personal life. It’s not about being apathetic about others; it’s about not bringing it upon yourself. You already have areas of your life that need more of your attention such as family, work, friends, your community, and so forth. You can care for humankind, but everything is not for you to solve. Basically, if you’re overwhelmed, you’ve put on too much. On the other hand, if you feel passionate about a certain cause, go with it! Helping others is and can be a good stress reliever. For those situations that you cannot solve and put upon yourself, that’s where you can decide to pray or meditate-whatever your religion or belief system.
MEDIA: Oh how we know the news media can get to us! It’s as simple as this, turn it off! Half of the news that we receive anyway is biased and the information they give leans toward their own personal opinions. If you feel strongly about something and want to state your opinion, make a blog, write an article, note it in your journal or diary, etc.
BAD ATTITUDES: This is the most difficult, because when you are surrounded by bad attitudes or just others who are not in the best mood, it is difficult not to start feeling the same way. Personally, I do one of two things. Number one, I close my eyes, take a deep breath and tell myself that their mood doesn’t affect mine. Number two, I walk away from the situation.
Second, there are everyday stressors.
TRAFFIC: Eww! Who doesn’t like traffic! Road Rage is becoming more and more common, but if you notice, it doesn’t solve a thing. Driving closely behind someone driving too slow; honking the horn obnoxiously; giving obscene gestures; and such just makes things worse and doesn’t help you at all. First of all, pay attention while you’re driving, texting and cell phone calls can wait or you may end up in an accident that could have been avoided. Pull over if you must. Secondly, if another driver is upsetting you, ignore it, keep your distance, or stay away. Yelling and cussing at strangers is not going to solve the problem. If you can’t avoid these drivers, just focus on your own driving and use your defensive driving skills, not your offensive driving habits. Lastly, don’t drive under the influence.
YOUR JOB: There are many challenges in the work force, especially lately. “Layoffs” and “budget cuts” have become more and more common in the workplace, which has caused increased fear, uncertainty, and higher levels of stress. First of all, as mentioned previously, stay calm or walk away from needless drama. Second, set your priorities and focus on one thing at a time. Determine what needs attended too most immediately and then organize the rest of your work responsibilities accordingly. Third, take care of yourself with good rest and healthy, nutritious meals. Also, don’t skip lunch. Take that break. You need it! Fourth, keep work at work. When you leave, mentally wipe the dust off of your feet and live your personal life! Even if many of you must take some work home with you to finish, assign yourself a certain amount time to do this, and when the time is up, STOP and live your life.
Third, there’s your personal life.
YOUR FAMILY: Take time for your family. Sit with your child/children in his/her room and bring up conversation. Don’t just say “how are you?” All you’ll get is “Fine.” (I should know; I do that too.) Talk about what relates to your child. Leave the scolding and teaching for later on. Take a moment to listen. Eat dinner with your family. Even on a busy, schedule, make time to eat together. Hugs and kisses are also important, even if there’s an argument. Try not to go to bed angry! Nothing is more important than your family!
YOUR EXTENDED FAMILY (THOSE NOT LIVING WITH YOU): Ok this is a tough one, because we don’t always get along with all of our family members. Spend time with those that are most supportive (I’m not talking about money either), and those that aren’t, love them anyway, but you don’t have to “hang out” with them. Moreover, keep in touch. Life is short. Your family is your roots, remember that. HOWEVER, to those of you that have endured abuse, DITCH those abusers from your life-period! The same applies to “friends”.
YOUR FRIENDS: Take time with your friends. Have coffee and a few laughs together. Also, keep in touch with your closest friends. If you have many friends, don’t overload yourself with too much; let them know you love them, but cannot attend every event. Learn how to say “No”. If they are a “true” friend, they SHOULD understand that. Also, technology today gives us many opportunities to keep in touch with the social media and emails.
STRESS-RELIEVERS
QUIET MOMENTS: With all the hustling and bustling these days, we are all in great need of a few quiet moments. Take time every day for some quiet. First, choose the more quiet moments in your life, whether it be in the morning when you first wake up or at night before you go to bed. Second, you can use that moment to listen to the birds outside; hear the rainfall on the windows; or just close your eyes and enjoy the total quietness for a few moments.
DO YOUR FAVORITE THING: What do you like to do the most (that’s good for you, of course)? Do you have a favorite game? What’s your favorite sport or activity? Is there a book you’ve been wanting to read? What’s your favorite music? If you have some extra cash and an extra 30 minutes or so, get a massage or go to a sauna. Even though there may not be time to do this every day, you can choose to take time to do your favorite thing-even just for a little while-on your day off.
LET OFF SOME STEAM: Find an outlet for vent-up frustrations. You can choose exercise as an outlet, like kick-boxing or maybe you like to dance. Play basketball, tennis, or baseball-just don’t go hurting anyone. Play your favorite video game-even if it’s aggressive, it’s still just a game. Personally, I like to use one of my favorite driving games to let off some steam. Sing out your favorite song; write down your frustrations in a private journal; or just let out some real deep breaths.
TAKE A MENTAL TIME OUT: This can be done almost any time of the day. Close your eyes and take deep breaths to empty your mind of the stress. (Of course, don’t close your eyes while driving; or if you are tending to young children at the moment; or if you are operating heavy machinery.)
LIVE HEALTHIER: We all know this. Get some more rest, even if it’s just an extra 30 minutes. Eat healthier than you are now. Take time to exercise if you aren’t already. Un-clutter your home and working space. Get rid of your bad habits or cut back.
BE PREPARED: This stress-reliever is not as common but very much needed. Sometimes, we get bogged down with so much stuff that we aren’t fully prepared for the next day to come. It only takes a few minutes to think of your “future self” as I call it-that part of you tomorrow that has to do everything that wasn’t done yesterday. Let me explain. Before you retire for the night, have your lunch ready (and your children’s too-if they are the school age). Pick out your clothes. Make sure anything that needs to go to work is ready to go. Did you fill-up your tank on the way home? Double-check your alarm clock and have a back-up alarm just in case, and set one of them for just an extra 15 minutes earlier to relieve the stress of rushing the next morning. Also, write a small list of the things you may need to remember for the next day and put it somewhere that you will see it. This way, you won’t be running around like crazy trying to get ready for everything as soon as tomorrow comes.
FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE THINGS: Read a daily devotion. Be grateful for your loved ones and what you do have. Know that things could always be worse. Make someone smile, it’s VERY contagious. Read some jokes or listen to an inspiring message or uplifting music.
DON’T TOLERATE WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO TOLERATE: This is not the subject of tolerance for different cultures and sexual preferences. All I’m going to say on that subject is that “all men are created equal”. The issue on tolerance as far as a stress reliever is to decide what in your life is causing you unneeded stress and decide what is “tolerable” to you. For instance, are you willing to tolerate the long drive to work? Are you willing to tolerate your dog’s doo-doo in the back yard? Probably yes. On the other hand, are you willing to tolerate verbal abuse from another person or being manipulated? Probably not. There’s no reason to tolerate any form of abuse, even if it’s subtle. Lashing out at that person may not be the answer, but you have to decide how to best handle the situation. Get good advice and choose the solution that works best for you.
ENJOY THE SMALL THINGS: Have you ever noticed the sunrise and how wonderful it is to see the smile on a loved one’s face?! Take a look around, you may be surprised how just those little things can ease life’s stresses. Listen to the soft breeze outside just for a second when you go to start the car. Take a look at your child/children for a moment before you wake them up. Watch your pet for just a minute or two and you may find yourself giggling. Take that extra few seconds to tell your LOVE that you love them. Also, there are other small things you can do for yourself too, such as taking your favorite snack with you; wearing your favorite jewelry, perfume, or cologne; writing yourself an inspirational note to read later in the day; play your favorite music; etc. Be creative!
I hope these stress-relievers help you as much as they’ve helped me. Adjust them to your liking, of course. (¯`♥´¯) AndiLynnKnope
