Hands-on Strategies For Reducing The Impact Stress Has On Your Life

Stress is something that we all have to deal with.

For some, it is what they associate with work,

raising their children,

meeting deadlines,

or even just when having to deal with others.

For some of us though,

just being alive and function in society can be stressful,

compared to those times when we can lie in bed

and not have to think about the world and what it wants from us.

Learning to deal, work, and live with stress is an important part of developing greater wellbeing.

Don’t Stress

We hear it all the time, ‘Don’t Stress!’

And if we can actually do that,

the benefits we feel are good, really good.

However, sometimes it seems that everything we face in life is just adding to the stress that we feel.

This is when it is important to have a strategy to deal with stress.

Let’s have a look at the definition of stress

so that we can understand how to alter our perception of it

and learn to use it, to work with it, and to control it to a greater degree.

Stress is:

Pressure or tension exerted on a material object,

a state of mental or emotional strain or tension

resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.

Sound familiar?

I know it does.

We all experience pressure in life and because of this,

have an intimate relationship with stress.

Too many times,

we go to a doctor complaining of

headaches,

lack of energy,

or depression and what do we hear?

It’s because of stress.

So What To Do?

When we understand what stress is

we can learn to dictate our lives

so as to either remove it

or lessen it

know when our decisions and actions are going to bring it about.

If we know this,

then we can have a strategy that allows us to manage it effectively.

By committing ourselves to anything,

we are causing a magnification of stress levels.

By accepting a deadline,

and agreeing to be a part of anything that is going on,

taking on board the thoughts and feelings of others,

or taking on debts,

by doing any and all of these things

we are encouraging the development of stress within our lives.

We must consciously choose and decide,

by understanding how much stress we can deal with on a day to day to basis,

we must construct a barrier that only allows this exact level of stress into our lives.

What does this mean?

 

Managing Stress

Imagine that stress is like money.

In order to get things done in your life

you are going to need a certain amount.

In reality, there is only so much money you need

to achieve and get the things done that need to be done.

So if we can work and act with the intention of only doing

or having the things that we need then

we can effectively allow only the maximum amount of stress needed

in our lives, and no more.

By practicing techniques of meditation,

self-hypnosis,

and self-control,

we can develop habits that remove stress from our lives.

By sitting and being alone,

without tasks and jobs to be done,

not having to deal with other people,

we can force our minds to settle by

focusing on our breathing and the body and encouraging it to relax,

release the pent-up tension that has come from being involved with the world.

In other words, discipline.

We must discipline our lives in a way that only allows in,

amount of stress,

and the amount of pressure, and

the amount of ‘things to do’ that we can handle.

We must learn to say ‘no’ to the things that we can’t handle.

Also we must admit to ourselves when the time comes,

that we are being overloaded and when that happens,

we must say ‘no’ to any added stress.

In learning to manage our commitments effectively

and practice ‘stress-releasing activities like

meditation, yoga, self-hypnosis, and relaxation exercises

we can learn to effectively balance and manage the stress in our lives

and still, get the things done that need to be done.

Remember the key term here, ‘balance’.

Effectively balance your life and you will become the governor,

the master of your stress levels.

On the other hand, let stress be your master

and it will inevitably crush you with an infinite amount of pressure

serving nothing but the domain of added stress.