Anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease and suicide are just a few of the detrimental health effects that stress has on people around the world.
Anything can happen that can trigger your stress levels and feelings of lack of control. Finding techniques to de-stress can prevent stress from ruining your life or your health.
The majority of us regularly endure stress of some kind. Moreover, our thoughts have a tendency to exaggerate and magnify them, which makes matters worse. But we can learn how to control our stress.
In the past, time management, conflict resolution, communication skills, social support, humour, spirituality, exercise, yoga, and positive affirmations have all been tried as ways to control and prevent the harmful effects of stress on the mind and body.
Research has indicated a correlation between stress levels and time management abilities.
Reality is, stress manifests differently for every person and as such, every person has a unique way of letting go of stress. Finding what works for us is part of the challenge of reducing stress. Asking a few reflective questions can help determine the best strategy.
Elissa Epel, an international expert on stress, well-being, and optimal ageing and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, at The University of California, San Francisco says, become aware of your stress.
We aren’t always aware of how stressed we are, especially if we’ve become desensitised to it. When we check in with our bodies, we can feel that we carry around (unconscious) stress even when we think we are relaxed.
A great way to begin to de-stress is to tune in to your body and ask: where might I be holding pressure in my body?
Doing a mindful body check draws attention to certain parts of your body that can help you identify your stressors.
Your stress levels might significantly change if you take stock of your daily schedule and decide what is necessary. It enables you to take charge of what you can manage and accept what you cannot. You can probably eliminate at least one item from your to-do list to make your day easier and more free-flowing.
Be mindful of what you tell yourself:
What we tell ourselves when we’re stressed matters. Your actions, words and thoughts are teaching it how to make you behave and respond.
Your actions are almost all the result of unconscious thoughts. Be careful what you say to yourself. It's common to be engulfed by negative thoughts when facing a stressful situation.
According to increasing amounts of research, improving mental health can be achieved by paying more attention to the present moment, including your own thoughts and feelings as well as the environment around you.
Build your stress fitness: Like exercise, managing stress in healthy ways gets easier the more you do it. Have something that instantly transports you to your happy place, for some it’s running, others ice skating or ice baths.
Invigorate your senses: Experts continue to praise sensory stimulation as a helpful tool because it helps children, especially, engage with the outside world in a way that fosters their growth and development.
Sensory stimulation continues to be hailed as a beneficial tool by experts as sensory play helps children engage with the world in a way that helps them grow and develop.
Sensory stimulation can help put the mind at ease and relieve stress. One way to achieve this is a walk through the company gardens.
Rest: Sleep is crucial to our physical health. Inadequate sleep may negatively impact one’s physical and mental health, adversely affecting grades, relationships and mood. When we sleep our bodies and brains get rejuvenated.
Be grateful: Gratitude is regularly and substantially linked to happier lives in positive psychology studies. Practising gratitude is a very effective stress-reduction technique and can have a huge positive impact on your well-being and that of those around you.
Gratitude improves one's ability to experience more joyful feelings, enjoy pleasant memories, maintain excellent health, overcome challenges, and forge close personal bonds.