Stress - either you can eliminate it with a bubble bath, or you have to live with your stresses weighing on your mind with the weight of a cement truck, right? The truth is that stress management is not about eliminating stress; it is all about regulation-turning the dials of your emotions so you can best handle what life tosses at you. Stress–which is really a complex mix of emotional, physical and behavioral responses–doesn’t have to sideline you from life or send you straight to the ice cream tub. Here are some tricks to avoid letting your worries burden go away.
Identify the source of your stress
Though some sources are easy to identify, it can be difficult to really determine what is bothering you. Lashing at your kids be a reaction not to what your kids did but to an extra assignment piled on at work. The first step to managing your stress is pinpointing the culprit.
Every emotion has an “urge to act” that goes wit it. When you feel afraid or anxious, we avoid things. When we are depressed or sad, we withdraw. When we are angry, we want to lash out or yell. Unfortunately, each of these mood-inspired behaviors actually increases an emotion rather than decreasing it. However if you can act in an opposite way, you can decrease the emotion. Angry at someone? Do not lash out, but rather be empathetic. Similarly, if you are depressed, instead of shutting down yourself in, go out. Rather than letting your emotions determine what you do, take control and choose how you feel.
Focus on the moment
Though it can be hard, you will have better stress management by being mindful- that is, really paying attention to the present and trying to get out of the gears of the past and the future. That means especially noticing the things that you ignore, like your breath, body sensations, and emotions. One way to practice living in the moment: the body which will help you to relax:
1.Lie down
2.Close your eyes and notice your posture.
3.Think about the natural flow of your breath, focusing on air filling and leaving the lungs.
4.Notice your toes-any tension, tingling, or temperature change?
5.Move to thinking about your feet, heels and the ankles, all the way up through the knees, thighs and pelvis.
6.Continue with each body part, going through both the front and back of your body as you work your way up, finishing with the throat, jaw, tongue, face and brow.
7.Go through your health checklist. Stress is much more manageable when the other aspects of your life-from your general health, to your sleep patterns, to your eating habits-are in good order. When you do not get enough sleep, for instance, your body produces more stress hormones, making you more vulnerable to the damaging effects of stress. Evaluate what areas in your life your attention, and work on fixes.
Get Physical
Walk thirty minutes, stretch, do yoga, anything. Just get up and move. Exercise is one of life’s greatest stress relievers.
Focus on your muscles. By tensing and relaxing your muscles, you can help relieve some of your stored physical stress. While sitting of lying down, tense the muscles of your feet as much you can and then release the tension. Tense and relax different muscle groups of your body one at a time. Focus on your legs, stomach, back, neck, arms, face and head. When done, relax for a few minutes.
1 comment:
Thanks for the insightful post.
I find all your points to make good sense. You know what really caught my attention?
You said to identify your source. You see, many people skip this step. They know they are stressed, but they don't what is causing it. And that's dangerous.
It is important to understand the source, because the source is where the solution is. It is that much easier to solve your stress problems when you what's causing it. It doesn't help to blindly start applying stress management techniques on yourself.
You hit the nail on the head with that point.
Best Regards,
Nikhil
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