How to Stop Stress from Sucking the Life Out of You
Stress is a normal part of life. A little stress can push you and motivate you to do better while too much stress would be less beneficial for your mental health. So, how can we manage stress?
Breathe.
Whenever you feel like things did not go out as you expected to, or challenges become too much to bear, breathe. Take a moment to Breathe and concentrate on breathing for at least 3 minutes, that eases your anxiety.
If you noticed, people who practice meditation and yoga usually start their practices with deep, mindful breathing because it has a calming effect on the nerves and drives out negative thought patterns which may cause one to panic and make poor, hasty decisions.
Do Something You Like.
Do something you enjoy!
For me personally, when i feel stressed, i would make it a priority to go cycling, which is something i love doing. I find myself feeling a lot better after i cycle overall. Which sometimes serves to give me drive to continue working hard, especially during the finals.
Doing something you enjoy would immediately make you feel better. So, especially when you feel really stressed for a long period of time, do what you enjoy and take your mind off whatever you were stressed with.
This would also allow your brain to produce more neurochemicals like dopamine
Take it One Step at a Time.
This is, perhaps, one of the hardest and most clichéd advice, but taking it one step at a time allows you to cope with your struggles without neglecting the joy of the present.
Learn to take things slow and do things one at a time. When you feel stressed, it is likely due to handling too many things at once. Therefore, learn to set priorities and goals for the day and try to achieve them. As much as possible, avoid procrastination as this would only result to unproductive days and half-baked works.
Put on Some Music.
While classical music has a particularly soothing effect — it slows heart rate, lowers blood pressure and even decreases levels of stress hormones — any music that you love will flood your brain with feel-good neurochemicals like dopamine.
And while music can soothe everyday anxiety (crank it up on the drive home!), research shows that it’s particularly beneficial for those in the midst of stressful events, like surgery.
Don’t have your headphones around? Or your phone died?
Try humming or making your own music. One study of stressed-out nursing students found that recreational music-making relieved stress and prevented burnout.
Go for a 10 Minute walk
While just about any walk will help to clear your head and boost endorphins (which, in turn, reduces stress hormones), consider walking in a park or other green space, which can actually put your body into a state of meditation, thanks to a phenomenon known as “involuntary attention” during which something holds our attention, but simultaneously allows for reflection.
So go out for a short 10 minute walk to get your mind away from the stress and work for a while!
Stress may come in all shapes and sizes, but remember that you have the power to tame it. It may take some time and plenty of courage, but eventually all your efforts will pay off once you decide to stave off stress when it strikes.
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