Does working for long hours make you feel burned out?

Does constant worry about the health of your significant other make you physically ill?

Well, stress is something we all experience regardless of who we are or how much money we have.

Although we may feel the effects of stress, not everyone understands how to deal with stress the right way.

When we are stressed, it is very easy to resort to food, alcohol, drugs, or other unhealthy coping mechanisms.

If we do not manage stress, it can erode our physical health and diminish our joy to live.

Additionally, stress can negatively affect our emotional and psychological well-being.

This article will give you insights on what is stress, causes of stress, and how to deal with stress.

What is Stress?

Stress is essential to life. It is what we feel when we are trying to adapt to physiological, behavioral, as well as cognitive changes.

Furthermore, change and stress can be either positive or negative.

Lack of positive stress can make our life less interesting and unrewarding.

Positive stress can be caused by having kids, being promoted, or even falling in love.

On the other hand, negative or too much stress can cause immense suffering.  It can be caused by illness, loss of a job, or any experience perceived as negative.

In order to deal with stress let’s find out the most common signs that there is a problem.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Stress

• Difficulty sleeping
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Memory problems
• Difficulty concentrating
• Nervousness or anxiety
• Anger, irritability or frustration
• Burnout due to work or school activities
• Inability to cope with difficult life experiences
• Inability to function optimally

Why Do We Feel Stress?

We tend to react differently to stressful situations.

Therefore, situations that make you feel stressed, may not make another person stressed. With that in mind, there are various sources of stress, which include:

Socio-cultural stressors such as

• financial difficulties
• time constraints
• losses
• work deadlines
• relationship difficulties
• failure
• discrimination

Physiological stressors such as

• accidents
• poor nutrition
• getting old
• menopause
• sleep disturbances
• giving birth

Environmental stressors such as

• noise
• traffic
• weather
• pollution
• crowds

Psychological stressors such as

• negative thought patterns
• unrealistic expectations
• pessimism
• perfectionism
• negative self-talk
• beliefs
• low self-esteem

10 Stress Relief Tips

Just as there are many sources of stress, there are also many ways of dealing with stress.

To be able to manage stress, it is important that we change the way we react to it.

Below are some tips on how to deal with stress.

1 – Find Out the Source of Stress

Knowing exactly what produces stress is the first step to feel relief.

Instead of blaming a general situation for our stress, it is helpful to point out exactly what is bothering us the most.

Furthermore, the more specific we are, the more likely we are to be able to change that specific situation.

For instance if the main source of stress is your job, figure out exactly what triggers the most stress. It may be completing a certain task, dealing with a specific client, or being assigned vague projects.

Once you know what bothers you the most, you will be able to make some changes to reduce the level of stress.

2 – Listen to Music

Music can tremendously influence your emotional well-being. It is a fast and easy way to deal with stress in the moment.

What’s more, music can help our mind and body relax. With that in mind, the right choice of music, particularly slow, quiet and classical music, can help you sleep better.

Listening to sad songs can make the situation worse.

With that being said, it is important that you listen to songs that uplift your mood, and cheer you up.

Here you will find more information on how listening to music can make you happy.

3 – Engage in Creative Activities

Visual arts and writing can help you relieve negative emotions and relax your mind.

Through writing, you are able to express how you feel without being judged, which is therapeutic.

With that in mind, you can journal, sketch something, or indulge in creative writing. Additionally, an adult coloring book can be very therapeutic.

Here you will find more information on how engaging in creative activities will make you happy.

4 – Take Care of Yourself

Maintaining a healthy body can help you cope with stress.

With that in mind, be sure to sleep for 8 to 9 hours, eat a balanced diet, and hydrate.

Additionally, it is important that you engage in regular exercise, and reduce the intake of alcohol and caffeine. Inadequate sleep, for instance, can affect your ability to concentrate. 

5 – Lower your Expectations

High or unrealistic expectations can make us feel like running endlessly in a hamster treadmill.

Assess the tasks that need to be completed in a given time frame and decide what can be realistically accomplished under the current circumstances. 

Focus on one task at a time and take a break before engaging in the next project.

6 – Relaxation

Stress tends to cause muscle tension. Therefore, stretching your arms and legs can help loosen your muscles. Additionally, spending time in a peaceful and quiet environment can help you relax.

With that in mind, you can relax and distract your mind by taking a walk on the beach.  Additionally, you can read a book, take a warm bath, or indulge yourself in an enjoyable activity.

7 – Deep Breathing

Taking deep breaths can ease your stress. With that in mind, you can do simple breathing in and out exercises. This not only replaces the oxygen in your lungs, but it also helps to improve your blood circulation and alertness.

It is imperative that you continue breathing in and out until you feel calm. Mastering deep breathing and using it with purpose will help diminish intrusive thought patterns that no longer benefit you.

8 – Take a Technology Break

Spending an entire day on our phone or computer tends to overstimulate us, which can worsen our stress levels.

We use our computer or phone for almost everything from looking at maps, engaging in social media, and getting updates on topics of interest.

Survey findings indicate that 86% of Americans constantly or often check their emails, texts, and social media accounts.

This creates an overwhelming flow of information and distraction adding to the cognitive overload and stress.

Therefore, it is important that you try to minimize your phone usage, or watching too much TV.

Instead, you can engage in other beneficial and constructive activities like exercising or reading.

9 – Mindfulness

Mindfulness is an effective way of managing and minimizing symptoms of stress.

Focus on the present by using your senses. Concentrate on the task at hand without worrying about the past or the future.

Here you can find how mindfulness can make you happy.

10 – Keep a Gratitude Attitude

Even in the middle of a stressful situation keep in mind what you can feel grateful for. You may be grateful for the opportunity to demonstrate your skills at work, take care of a loved one, or learn something new.

Keeping a grateful attitude will help you to keep calm and see the big picture instead of complaining and feeling grumpy.

Here you can read how being grateful can make you happy.

These 10 tips will help you manage your stress at work and at home. If you are feeling overwhelmed with so much stress, here you can find how to go from overwhelmed to happy.

What do you do when you feel stress creeping in? What is most effective for you when managing stress?