How To Cope With Stress And Tension
The fast-paced lives we live today emphasize instant communication and gratification. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and detached from oneself when it feels like everybody constantly wants something from you. Whether it is a friend wanting to hang out, your boss asking 200 questions about your project or simply your kids making a mess. If all these things happened at once, you could feel a wave of anxiety sweeping over you like a dark cloud. Today we will be discussing stress and the best ways to manage it in your daily life.
WHAT IS STRESS?
Stress, in its most basic form, is the sensation of mental or emotional strain due to adverse or very demanding circumstances. What causes stress is quite subjective, as you might feel stressed in a situation that someone else is indifferent to and vice versa. This is often based on previous experiences and memories, which cause stress to affect people at different times. What is for certain is that stress can be combated and managed to the point where the very same events that made you have a mini meltdown in the past now seem like the silliest reasons to be upset about.
WAYS OF DEALING WITH STRESS
TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF
When you are feeling stressed for prolonged periods of time, it is easy to forget about yourself. We spend so much time thinking about other people and the world that we don’t focus on what we want to do. If you’re feeling stressed, immerse yourself in a productive hobby for a predetermined period of the day. If you love drawing, for example, then you could schedule 30 minutes or an hour per day where you only focus on drawing. This will clear your mind of intrusive thoughts as well as make you feel proud of yourself for achieving something.
REMEMBER TO RELAX, REFLECT, MEDITATE
We simply need to wind down sometimes. If your day feels like it never ends and there is always something on the to-do list, then take some time to relax. (e.g. hot bath, reading a book, drinking a cup of tea, using heat wraps to make you feel warm and cozy). Besides relaxing, you can also deliberately reflect on your thoughts to recap what you have achieved and what there is left to do. It is easy to become stuck in the stress of thinking about all the things you need to do that you totally forget how quickly you could complete them if you focused for a short amount of time.
Another way of distressing is meditating. Sit down in an environment away from your home or place of work where your habitual thoughts don’t make as much of an impact. Pay attention to your breath, heartbeat or rising and falling chest and feel what is going on inside of you. Once you have cleared your mind, focus on the things you need to do and visualize how you would achieve them in detail.
THE NEED FOR TOUCH
Humans need touch from the day we are born. The need to feel loved and cared is essential for a healthy state of being and a lack of physical contact has been directly tied to stress and depression. It can lead to increases in blood pressure and muscle tension. If you feel that you’re not having enough physical contact throughout your day, a good alternative could be having a massage or playing with a pet. These interactions release oxytocin, the love hormone, the same way as being physically close with someone you love.
GET MOVING!
Physical activity is very important to our mental health and wellbeing. Even a quick 10 minute burst of exercise makes you feel more alert and in a more positive mood. Exercising regularly leads you to feel more content and calm throughout your day. Not to mention the feeling of pride when you finally do your 100th pushup! The best thing about it is that it has the greatest effect when you’re already in a low mood. So if you’re feeling stressed, head out on a run and shake those feelings off and make sure you are doing everything you can to help your muscles recover faster. (e.g. stretching, self massage, hot shower, using a massage gun, etc.)
CONCLUSION
Despite living in a society that promotes dedication to work and being on the move all the time we still need to remember to take care of ourselves, to remember our passions and to be close to others. The most important thing to remember is that we have to take the initiative and follow through on living a better balanced, more grounded life.
We hope this article helps you to manage your stress better, reduce tension and stay focused. Please keep in mind that no job or task is more important than your own health, ever! Always take care of your body.
Also, check out our recent posts: Why You Need A Massage Gun, How To Balance Diet & Exercise, Massage and Muscle Recovery, Benefits of Heat Therapy (e.g. Neck & Shoulder Wrap), Home Remedies for Headache, Remedial Massage Therapy, Yoga, Stretching and improving your Posture, which will have an additional impact on your health.
