Stress has long ago become an inherent part of our everyday life, and it grows on us, still, we try to make out it is small beer. Maybe because it has grown so habitually that we can’t think of it as a mental disorder? Yet a life riddled with stresses tends to wreak havoc with our productivity and hack away at the prospects of a contented and healthy life. Sickness and irritation with life set in and devour our innards.
Most of us are functioning on tight schedules and are chased by one responsibility after another, which is, of course, conducive to stress. Therefore it’s up to us to know how to handle stress when it bears down. Physical strain and exercising are one of the quick ways to counteract it, and we know that meditation – if we have suitable circumstances – can weaken it, but there are also other ways we can make use of easily.
Stifle complainings when you see that the situation is beyond your control
You know that no-one can prevent taking on new unpleasant co-workers, meeting bad drivers on the streets, coming across stupid officials…
The fact is, human life is so boundless that it includes all sorts of experience, ranging from the best to the worst; it is not always easy to bear some of life’s offers, if we could, we would not know what stress is.
Yet it doesn’t happen, something crops up to stress us out, and if we start focusing on a stressful situation that you have no control over, you only inflate your stress. That isn’t a positive reaction, and it’s always up to you how to react.
Never break into pieces situations that haven’t materialized
We all try to anticipate what is going to happen – and most of us begin to analyze situations as if they have already happened. It is not only a waste of time, but also a way to intensify the feeling of stress.
The general belief is that you are going to feel happier if you have pictured yourself the worst possible scenario – you know what you might have to face. What’s more, you may be able to take pre-emptive measures to try and mitigate the worst effects.
Actually, if you mean to develop your analytical abilities, there’s no problem – but see for yourself if it really does you any good, spending so much mental energy.
After you have analyzed the imaginary outcome and then analyzed it again more closely, do you feel what a rewarding task you have accomplished? And that you can now hold things well in hand?
Probably you don’t and you can’t – then, why bother with it?
If people around you don’t make you feel good, think about how you can change it
Let’s get down to it: what sort of people really make you feel good? Those who understand you and share your likes and dislikes, who feel natural around you and let you be your own self, who put up with your drawbacks? Does this type of people surround you?
If not, what defines best the people you rub shoulders with? And how did it come about that you have the wrong sort of people hanging round, not appreciating your time and wasting your energy?
Steer clear of other people’s worries
Other people are often full of worries, and many of them are not averse to stuffing them into friends’ ears, thereby making them feel as if they were their own. As you get deeper into another’s problem, you may take on the responsibility for it – and you certainly don’t need that, since it has nothing to do with you.
For certain people, it is a way to feel needed and appreciated, and they may evolve addition to helping others, even unasked. Basically, it is the same kind of addiction as that to alcohol or other stimulants. Moreover, this help isn’t really a service to the afflicted. They should be encouraged to regain responsibility for their situation instead, taught and made to address their issue, thus augmenting control over their lives.
Think about your assets instead of dwelling on what you don’t have
If you caught yourself spending too much time on pondering on things you don’t have, cut off on television commercials: it is they that lay a strong accent on the necessity to go and get at once something you haven’t got. They are paid a lot to do this as powerfully as they can.
With all those ads and commercials jumping to the eye, you have to take pains to remain focused on your possessions as opposed to what you – in the opinion of sellers – need to purchase. To diminish stress, keep your mind away from importunate urging.
If your job doesn’t offer growth, why not quit it?
We have to earn money to pay the bills, but it matters how we do it. Come to think of it, we usually work more than 40 hours weekly (which adds up to at least 2,000 hours yearly, and with many it’s two times the number), and that means we devote a good deal of our life to working!
Supposing somebody else told you about their plans to spend 3,000 and more hours on a project that won’t be appreciated, rewarded justly, nor will it bring possibilities for personal development or promotion. What are you going to say to this person? Aren’t you going to dissuade them from the project? If you are living in the same conditions, it is sure to give you stress.
Stay in this given moment rather than reside in the future or in the past
If your mind stays in the present moment, it is in far better contact with your body and your feelings, thus providing for a fuller sensation of life.
Concentrate on two important questions: how do you experience fear? What are the things or situations that scare you most?
Should you find it hard to give adequate replies, it means you are not quite exisitng in the present: people staying in the present are honest, vulnerable and generally humble.
People who stay in the future or in the past are usually out of touch with their bodies and don’t receive the signals they send. Also, they are not always aware of their feelings.
As you feel your body’s signals and emotions that signify the current moment, the future and the past lose their pull, and you feel better and more alive. The oftener you live in the present, the less vulnerable to stress you will be.
Other more simple ways to like a stress-free life include the following:
- waking up early,
- having your life organized by a simple schedule,
- meditating,
- learning how to relax,
- avoiding procrastinating,
- avoiding multitasking,
- taking good care of yourself and making regular check-ups,
- decluttering your home and life regularly,
- finding time for your hobbies and being creative,
- walking in the fresh air regularly,
- being proud of what you‘ve already achieved.
