To many life constant struggle.
We face troubles, problems and situations that demand more time and energy than we really have.
This causes us to have to focus more energy on these problems leaving other parts of our life with to little effort, which of course causes them to grow into problems of their own.
This creates an evil spiral, one we have to break if we are to feel better.
We all have these problems About one week ago it reached a point where I felt like I was about to explode.
I was impossible to be around, I was irritable, tired, couldn't sleep (which is one reason I was tired) and couldn't stop thinking about the problems that I had.
The biggest obstacle was that I needed to buy a new car, I needed one by the weekend and by Tuesday I hadn't found one...
Big source of stress right there! Tuesday night I sat down and started thinking, I realized that I couldn't go on being this stressed, sure I might find a car tomorrow but that won't solve all the problems, there is always something to be stressed about.
So I did a mental inventory of myself and the true causes of my stress, I came up with 9 ways to alleviate the stress and already (it is now Saturday) I feel calm enough to actually write about it.
These are the 9 things I can advise you to do when you start to feel overly stressed.
1.
Take a step back Stress is caused by constantly having things gnawing at you.
Often it isn't what you think is the cause that really makes you stressed; in my case I thought it was the car.
But after a deeper look I realized I was just trying to do too much and had to slow down a little.
2.
Finish every task you start The absolute biggest source of stress is unfinished business.
Something half completed is just laying there waiting.
Don't let that happen, don't be a person who starts a project, works on it half way, stops and finds a new project and so on until you have dozens of half finished tasks and none that are complete.
Make sure you finish the task you have started so that you can close that box and feel that it is forever finished.
3.
Take a break If you are to work well at your job you need a break.
The problems you have will go away faster if you are clear enough to work on them.
So once in a while take a walk and let your mind calm down so that you can single mindedly focus on each task.
4.
Spend time with family and friends People are social beings; we are supposed to and even need to spend time with other people in order to function correctly.
When you are feeling stressed, spend some time with your family and friends, those that are really important and remember what a gift life is and that the most important thing in the world is right here.
5.
Get up earlier You get a more relaxed start to the day, you can take that long shower, make yourself a nice breakfast, read the newspaper without having to stress about it and kick back for a few minutes.
You also get a feeling of satisfaction in that you start earlier and will be able to get more done during the day.
That feeling really helps to alleviate stress.
6.
Eat at regular hours By not feeding your body and mind with "fuel" you are bound to burn out.
Your body requires food and drink to be able to sustain itself and if you don't give it that at routine times your body will not be able to function at its highest level.
7.
Exercise regularly Regular exercise is a great way to release the stress from your body.
A 30 minute jog, a round at the gym, anything that gets your blood pumping makes you body release adrenaline is good for you.
Once you are done and start to calm down your body releases endorphins, which is the body's own anti stress drug.
8.
Learn to say, No! The most common source of stress, just as it was for me, is trying to do too much.
People won't get mad at you for telling them that you don't have time to help them, they will be glad to know that up told them front instead of realizing that you just don't have the time after a week.
Be honest with people and let them know that you don't have the time so that they can find someone else to help them.
It is a favor for them and a life saver for you.
9.
Remember the reasons why you are working One problem most of us have is that after a while we forget why we are working and why we day after day put ourselves through the toils.
Remember your goals and use the energy you get from thinking about your dreams I hope this list will help you as much as it helped me.
Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below and if you have anything to add, please let us know as we can never run out of ways to relieve our stress.