We all do it, some more then others, stress that is.
But when we pause to think about what stress actually achieves for us, we quickly find that all it really does is stop us from finding a solution, creates frustration and anger and leaves us feeling pretty darn flat and puffed out.
But whether we like it or not, it's normal to stress. Our lives are busy, there's financial pressures, big decisions to make, finding time to squeeze everything in, feeling accepted and healthy, looking after ourselves and others and some days, just finding the effort and energy to put one foot in front of the other with a smile on our dial can be cause for stress.
So how can we manage stress in our lives?
We can find positive outlets for pented up anger and frustration or just time to breath and think by dedicating 30 minutes a day towards exercise. Yup, 30 small minutes can do wanders for your physical and mental health, and is much more beneficial then stewing in bed, or pondering life's challenges on the couch; it creates a time and place for positive thinking and there's just something therapeutic about being outside in the fresh air and natural sunlight that helps to ease your worries.
Changing our attitudes in certain situations can help to ease stress; ie instead of being nervous for a job interview you could replace the negative adjective word nervous with excited and stimulated, which can change your whole mindset about the experience. Often just realizing that our attitude may stink at certain times, can be enough to jult us into finding ways and selecting thoughts and actions that can help us through tricky situations with a more positive mindset.
Challenge your thoughts and stresses; is it really worth stressing over? What can I be doing that's more effective then mulling over these thoughts? Is my life really that bad? What do I have to be grateful for?
Look for solutions to your problems; often this gives you the control that you've been craving in your life; knowing that perhaps a few small changes can increase your overall happiness and quality of life can be empowering.
Return to basics. Yup, that's right, forget about busy schedules and cramming something into every minute of your waking hour and turn your focus to sleeping, eating, exercising and relaxing. It really can be as simple as that!
Do something about it. Sound harsh? Well really, you're not achieving much by sitting around and ranting and raving, so if it's more money that you need -re look at your budget, more sleep - cancel an appointment, more challenges - speak to your boss about bigger responsibilities, more quality time with your partner - book in a date night - believe it or not, you can either choose to bitch and moan or create opportunities for change!
Contribute to something bigger then you. What does this mean? How can this reduce stress? Sometimes we become so focused on our own lives and worried about social media that we close our lenses to much bigger problems in our society. Chances are, you have a home, you have a full belly, you're loved and you're as healthy as you're willing to make yourself be, so perhaps other stresses aren't as big a deal as we make them out to be. When you can turn your focus and energy to creating positive changes in society, or contributing to something that benefits other people, then you might just be surprised how your overall outlook and appreciation for life changes for the positive.
Stress truly is one of the most wasted emotions that we can feel. Yes it's normal, and even okay to stress about things because it means that you care and you worry about yourself and others, but allowing stress to control your life, actions and happiness is something we should try to avoid.
How do you control stress in your life?
Look after yourself and those around you,
Kirsty xxx
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