Stress

“Stress” – this is not a new word for everyone. Everyone has their own stress from the job, life, relationship and etc. It can comes from everywhere. The important thing is how do you reduce or release your stress. If we do not know how to reduce or release, it might cause some problem for your life.

Sometime, due to stress, it could cause our personality change – emotion, attitude, habits… Please never stress yourself. It may seem that there’s nothing you can do about your stress level. The bills aren’t going to stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day for all your errands, and your career or family responsibilities will always be demanding. But you have a lot more control than you might think. In fact, the simple realization that you’re in control of your life is the foundation of stress management.

First of all, we need to identify where is our stress come from. Ask yourself below question:

• What caused your stress.
• How you felt, both physically and emotionally.
• How you acted in response.
• What you did to make yourself feel better.

To identify your true sources of stress, look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses:

• Do you explain away stress as temporary even though you can’t remember the last time you took a breather?
• Do you define stress as an integral part of your work or home life or as a part of your personality
• Do you blame your stress on other people or outside events, or view it as entirely normal and unexceptional?

Managing stress is not easy. It is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun – plus the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on.

Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Your true sources of stress aren’t always obvious, and it’s all too easy to overlook your own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Sure, you may know that you’re constantly worried about work deadlines. But maybe it’s your procrastination, rather than the actual job demands, that leads to deadline stress.

Once the stress has bee identified, we need to find a healthy way to reduce/release it. Never try the unhealthy way, such as smoke, get drunk, using pills or drugs to relax, Taking out your stress on others (like physical violence, angry outbursts). Learn the way how to manage it

• Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them no matter in your personal or professional life. Refuse to accept added responsibilities when you’re close to reaching them.
• Avoid people who stress you out – if someone consistently causes stress in your life and you can’t turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship.
• Take control of your environment – turn off the TV if the evening news make you anxious. If traffic’s got you tense, then avoid go to anywhere at that time. Escape a while from the environment which make you stress
• Express your feelings instead of bottling them up – voice out your feelings.
• Be willing to compromise – if you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same for yourself.
• Manage your time better – Plan ahead and make sure you don’t overextend yourself.
• Reframe problems – Try to view stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to pause and regroup, listen to your favorite radio station or enjoy some alone time
• Adjust your standards – Perfectionism is major source of avoidable stress. Stop setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection. Set reasonable standards for yourself and others and learn to be ok with ‘good enough’
• Focus on the positive – take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life including your own positive qualities and gifts.
• Learn to forgive – Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world and that people make mistakes. Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on
• Share your feelings – Talk to your trusted friend or make an appointment with a therapist.
• Don’t try to control the uncontrollable – Many things in our life are beyond our control. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control.
• Set aside relaxation time – Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Or by quarterly take a trip with family outside of town. This is your time for you to recharge your energy.
• Do something you enjoy everyday – Like playing piano, hiking, dancing
• Keep your sense of humor – The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways.

Below is some of the healthy way to reference how to release the stress.

• Go for a walk/travel
• Spend time in nature
• Call a good friend
• Take a long bath
• Play with a pet
• Take a long breath
• Listen to music
• Savor a warm cup of coffee or tea

Enjoy your life, love yourself. Make your life healthy.