Managing Stress
Life can be stressful and there are many things that can trigger stress from our sleep patterns, work life, family responsibilities and relationships, to our diet choices, moving house, obsessing over our appearance, sickness and money just to name a few. Even a bad hair day can sometimes throw me off my game.....
It’s all too easy to know and feel when we’re stressed; however dealing with our stresses can be a completely different ball game and a hard task for many of us to achieve.
As with everyone in life I have faced a few curve balls in my time. Stress is just one of those things that sneaks up on me. Every time I feel like I’m cruising, life decides to test me; and ultimately throws me a curve ball. It’s frustrating, annoying and I hate it. But stress is a part of life that when equipped with the right tools you can learn to conquer. Ultimately when you look at stress through a positive light (seems impossible I know!) you can both learn and grow from your negative experiences.
The World Health Organisation defines stress as “the reaction people may have when presented with demands and pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities and which challenge their ability to cope”. So the question is - How do we cope with stress when most of us have not been taught how to? Following are some helpful strategies you can use to assist you in coping with stress.
1. Exercise
When I’m feeling stressed the last thing I feel like doing is exercising. However, exercise can be a great remedy. When you exercise, your brain releases endorphins and this helps us feel happy. So a quick session at the gym, a brisk walk, a run, a yoga session or swim can make the world of difference to how you’re feeling.
2. Food
How many times have you felt stressed and the first thing you grab is a bar of chocolate, a bag of chips or other form of sugar treat. When we feel overwhelmed or like everything is just too much we naturally reach for our comfort foods. I’ve definitely been guilty of reaching for some chocolate when I’ve felt stressed, however it doesn’t help in the long run. Reaching for these kinds of comfort foods will only give you a temporary high before bringing you back down even harder. These foods will mess with your blood sugar levels; giving you a peak in your sugar levels and then a drop. This doesn’t assist your ability to think clearly. Sugar interrupts your thought patterns and makes it nearly impossible to think logically. In most cases it can actually make a bad situation worse. Sometimes even taking away your ability to think rationally; not to mention it can play havoc with your emotions.
3. Yoga and Meditation
I am an avid lover of Bikram yoga and meditation. I find that it clears my mind and challenges me all at the same time. Whenever I’m at Bikram it’s hard to think of anything else but the stretches I’m performing and my breathing. Sometimes getting there can be a challenge but once there, in the heat of the Bikram room, I start to feel the stress of the day/week/month melting away.
Bikram, although a favourite of mine, is not for everyone. I have over my Bikram life taken a few friends along with me to give it a try, but after one class I could tell if they weren’t coming back. If Bikram isn’t for you there are many other forms of yoga practice out there to try.
Meditation is another method I use to help clear my mind and calm my thinking. When I’m feeling like I can’t control the thoughts streaming through my head I turn to meditation. Meditation gives me time to sit and either work through my thoughts or gives me the time to banish them from my mind, even if it’s only for 20 minutes. Practicing meditation doesn’t have to be complicated. All you need is a quiet comfortable space to sit and take some time to yourself. I like to play relaxing meditation music and burn some incense to accompany my “me” time. Meditation doesn’t have to be performed inside either. You can go and sit at your favourite spot on the beach or engage in walking meditation and take a stroll along the river or along your favourite bush walk.
4.Deep Breathing
Deep breathing can do wonders for helping us manage stress. Deep breathing goes hand in hand with yoga and meditation as previously discussed and can be used at any time. When I can feel myself getting worked up or easily upset by something someone has said or when something stressful has just happened; I stop and take 10 deep breaths, in through my nose and out through my mouth. This will immediately calm your heart rate and give you a chance to realign your thoughts and calm yourself down.
Water! You’re thinking. Yes water! A simple glass of water can help you reduce your stress levels significantly. All of our organs need water to function properly, including our brains. Studies have shown that even a slight decrease in our bodies water levels can increase our cortisol levels and in turn our stress levels. If you don’t drink enough water during the day you can start to feel stressed (out of what seems like nowhere) or it can inflame any stresses you may already be feeling. Then once we become stressed our body’s reaction to stress can increase our dehydration further.
So drink up and stay hydrated.
6. Keeping a Journal and Daily Diary
Since I was a little girl a have kept a journal, or a diary as I liked to call it back then. I love writing down my thoughts and feelings, as I feel it can help me order my thoughts logically. Sometimes when you’re stressed it can feel really overwhelming like there are so many problems you have to face all at once. When this happens we can lose sight of what the problem or stress was to begin with and the ability to think logically can diminish. So for me who tends to have a million things going through my head at once I use my journal to map out how I am going to approach each stress or task. Sometimes when I write my thoughts down, what once seemed like an unfixable dilemma and like my whole world was ending, can seem not so scary.
Another method I use is keeping a daily diary. I take this little baby with me everywhere and write down all the things I need to do that day. Being organised like this can limit your stress as it prepares you for the day and makes it less likely that the normal everyday demands of life will get on top of you.
These are just a few things I do to help me minimise stress in my life. Stress can get the better of us all and it’s a normal part of our lives. However, once stressed it’s not how we need to stay. I hope some of the strategies I have mentioned above will help you in managing your stress and making sure you stay in control of your life – not your stresses.
Love
