Reducing Stress

Stress Reducing Ideas

Everyone has stress in their life. Stress can be healthy even if you cannot directly control it. It can motivate you, drive up healthy adrenaline for excitement, and eve give you a healthy challenge. But what if stress gets to be too much? What if it starts to weigh you down?

First, you must determine the causes to solve any problem. If it's uncontrollable, such as bills, a different outlook may be the only way of calming yourself. Perhaps you can also make a list and prioritize the spending. It could ease your mind.

Other types of stress are situation in which you can remove yourself if you can. If you are having problems with someone else's affairs or getting involved where it's not for you to be in then the best solution is to back away from it. 

Stress can just sometimes add up and can leave a mark on you or perhaps just make you feel bogged down even after you handle everything you just accomplished. Finding ways to calm down from this is pretty simple, but some people have trouble just letting tension go.

If stress is bottled up too much and you become too surrounded by stress without relieving yourself of it you can affect your health, mental state, relationships, even to the point of ignoring your duties. Practicing stress management everyday may not eliminate all unwanted stress, but it does make it better and easier to cope with.

Ideas to Reduce Stress

1. Start eating healthier and exercising. Take a walk, drink more water, eat proper portions, have more vitamins and minerals in the foods you eat, etc. The body and mind will cope better.

2. Talk about it. If something is stressing you, keeping it in doesn't do any good for anyone. This can effect anyone mentally if it is put back long enough.

3. Be productive. Lot's of people handle stress better when they are keeping busy. It can help clear the mind or take their minds off things for a while. Whether it's cleaning or doing a project, you'll feel better after.

4. Read a book. It's calming, relaxing, and it's like a mini get-away. 

5. Watch T.V. While this seems very unproductive, watching your favorite program or a good movie is a good release for a while. 

6. Get a creative hobby. If you have the money you can sign up for local craft and art groups. If you don't or would rather have time to yourself instead of a social group you can pick up materials from your local art or craft store and begin creating! Great ideas on Pinterest or you can Google any number of tutorials. Or, if your like me, you can just use whatever your imagination gives you.

7. Spirituality. Whether it's church, a religious group, or just looking into scripture from holy books, more often then not you will find what you are looking for that may ease your mind. Connecting with your beliefs is a great way to keep stress at bay.

8. Meditation. You can view my meditation page HERE or you can look up other ways meditation and reflection can calm you. Meditation is a great way to relax!

9. Listen to music. Not only relaxing and a good way to get your mind off things, sometimes you can also connect with the lyrics or feelings behind certain songs that make you feel better overall.

10. Get out of the house! Go connect with nature, take a car ride in a scenic route, go on an adventure! 

11. Learn to say 'no' or ask for help. Everyday tasks will cause stress. But when we overextend ourselves we tend to flip out. Learn to say 'no' if projects are too much on top of the others you are involved in and if a project or task is just too much for you to handle yourself ask for help.

Unhealthy Ways to Cope with Stress

I'm sure some of these are a given, but you would be surprised how many people do these things to manage stress!

1. Drinking or doing drugs. While enjoying a small drink is harmless, in excess it can be dangerous and even escalate feelings of being down. Drugs even in recreational fun are NOT good. Downers, uppers- all play a part on the body, not to mention are expensive to use even if it's legal (weed being legal now in some states). It's much better to be constructive and not waste time or money getting these to manage your stress.

2. Shopping. Ok, ok, sometimes it is awesome for us to shop. But think about it. Just because your stressed will spending money on things you don't need constructive? Buyers remorse sometimes comes after these shopping sprees. Or perhaps you spend more then what you really have out of want. It causes problems. If you are smart about it and you really don't spend a lot for a pick-me-up, then more power to you! But beware if your a habitual spender at stores. Probably isn't a healthy way to deal.

3. Reacting the wrong way. Taking it out on people, causing different types of "crazy" making conversation and destructive talk can ruin relationships. Be aware of how you deal with stress when speaking with others about the confrontations they may be a part of. Be careful and constructive in the way you talk and propose ideas so you can solve the stress.

4.Eating. This isn't making healthy habits- this is someone who eats because of their mood. Ice cream, chocolate and sweets do release a chemical in the brain that makes us feel better, but often afterwards we feel horrible about the choice. If you do this, which many do, find healthy snacks to replace these with. After some time it'll be a healthy habit instead of gorging on something that can impact your health in large amounts.

5.Keeping it to yourself. I sort of explained this before in things to do. It's easier to talk to people then retaining the tension. It could be a friend, a family member, or even a professional. Keeping stress in that you can't manage often festers on the person and makes everything worse. Even if the stress is people-induced, find a calm point to talk rationally about it.

While we all go through some level of stress, you don't need it to rule your life. Prepare a daily routine that takes care of you. It doesn't need to take hours. Sometimes even taking an hour to unwind and calm from the day is enough to make you feel much better!

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