Ways to Successfully Deal with Stress

What is Stress Anyway?

Stress is what happens when you have so much to deal with emotionally or physically, and the burdens overwhelms you.

This is why you can deal with many stressors and then all of a sudden something minor like dropping a glass of milk makes you start crying or feels like the final straw.

When you let stress build, it can feel as if it’s all too much to handle so you end up doing nothing.

Or worse, you start trying to deal with the stress by using alcohol or other unhealthy coping mechanisms.

Dealing with stress head on is always best and here are a dozen ways that you can effectively do that.

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Use Meditation

By using visualization or other forms of meditation, it can help relieve the pressure of stress building up.

You don’t have to be an expert to get started with meditation, either.

You can use self-help books, online tutorials, guided imagery podcasts or other means.

Meditation takes your mind out of the middle of the stress and allows you to focus your thoughts.

While you’re meditating, the constant badgering you sometimes get from stress will be eliminated because it won’t have center stage in your thoughts.

This practice can be done anywhere at any time and it doesn’t take long to reap the benefits of using meditation to deal with stress. Your mind and body will align and relax while using meditation.

It helps you let go of the negativity brought on by stress and instead keep your mind set on what’s good, what’s peaceful and what’s helpful to you.

Meditation gives you a coping skill that helps you eliminate the effects of the flight or fight response that occurs when you’re under stress.

You’ll be able to lower your blood pressure and feel the weight of your stressors lift from your shoulders.

Know Your Stressors

By understanding what causes you stress, you can manage and eliminate it.

Sometimes people aren’t prepared for handling stress because they don’t know exactly what it is about their life that’s causing the stress reaction.

Fear and anxiety is a stressor. You can feel this kind of stress when you start playing the what if game – what if you lose your job, what if you can’t your bills, what if your partner breaks up with you, what if you get sick, etc.

This is projection thinking that takes you out of the present day and causes your mind to live in a state of what “could” happen in the future. It’s worrying about something that hasn’t happened and may never happen.

Issues with relatives can also be a stressor. You could have people in your life that you simply don’t get along with. Or you could have family members who are involved in situations that are bad and you feel the stress from that.

Leaving your normal way of life can be a stressor. This includes things like taking on a new job or leaving one, moving to a new home or new state, ending a relationship or starting one, going to college or graduating or having a child or having a child move out.

It’s anything that shakes up how you routinely live your life. Health issues can be a stressor. Whenever you not feeling well or you’re dealing with a chronic health problem, it can cause stress.

You feel the stress more when the health issue gets in the way of you being able to handle your day to day activities or your job. Job performance, both good and bad, can be a stressor.

When you do well at work, you may feel the stress and pressure to continually outdo yourself.

When you do poorly, you may fear the boss’s reaction or the loss of your job. Work and family balance is another stressor.

You can feel pulled in two directions and feel like your life isn’t balanced.

This can cause you to feel stressed that you’re not able to do your best at work or at home because your time is being stretched too thin.

Track Your Stressors

You can’t fight what you can’t see coming.

But when you write down what you’re going to be handling that day, it helps you deal with stress.

It does this because you’ll be identifying all the situations for that day and what the potential stressors are going to be.

Identify what it is about the situation (or the person) that’s going to be in your day that’s causing you to feel the stress.

For example, if you have to attend your child’s school for an event and the ex you don’t get along with is going to be there, you should know ahead of time how to handle the negative emotions that will rise up.

Maybe you can strategize a way to minimize interaction, too. Know ahead of time that when you feel the anger, you’ll practice meditation deep breathing exercises – because this can help you keep the situation and yourself calm.

Discover the Power of No

One common cause of stress is being too busy saying yes to others that you end up saying no to yourself.

Know your limitations and don’t exceed them. Every day you’re going to be bombarded with people and situations that want you to say yes and give your time and energy.

But being a consistent “yes” person is the road to stress. You can’t take time for yourself or what you really want to do if you don’t practice using the power of no.

Most people refrain from saying no out of fear that they’ll appear selfish, but saying no to someone isn’t selfish.

It’s practicing the art of self care.

When you have a problem telling other people no, or even telling yourself no to things, you add to your workload and can over-do what you’re capable of.

You’ll end up – not only stressed – but your immune system can take a hit as well since stress lowers your body’s immune system defenses. Learning to say no can free you from the guilt that comes along with saying yes.

Many people only agree to something because they feel guilted into it or they guilt themselves into it.

Just keep in mind that by saying no, you’re taking care of your body and that’s a good thing.

When you say no, let that be your one word explanation.

If someone asks, “why not” in response to your no, recognize that as a boundary issue. You don’t owe anyone a reason.

By saying no, you free yourself from overextending your own time and causing yourself unnecessary stress.

Get Enough Sleep

Not getting the right amount of sleep can cause stress and worsen the stress you may already have.

When you don’t get enough sleep, it can cause a delayed reaction time in situations such as driving or trying to do your job.

It also causes memory problems, weight gain, and can lead to serious health issues.

A lack of sleep causes your decision making ability to be affected and you end up making poor choices that increase your stress.

This happens when you get tired and you end up not really wanting to deal with whatever you’re trying to handle.

So you end up saying no to good opportunities and yes to bad ones.

The lack of sleep can cause a cycle. When you don’t get enough rest, it causes stress, which in turn causes insomnia.

With each feeding into the other, it can make your stress level increase and reach the point where you find it difficult to deal with even minor problems.

Continue reading part 2 of this article >> Stress