There is no sense trying to ignore it, we all experience stress in our day so instead, what if we had a way that worked for each of us to deal with stress?
Stress can mount from within through things like:
- Wishing we were different
- Struggling with low self confidence
- Procrastinating and then feeling stress over not getting things done
- Having expectations that are not aligned with our thoughts or actions
- Not getting enough rest or eating properly
Stress can also be triggered by our response to external circumstances:
- Death or sickness in the family
- Loss of or frustration with your job
- Mounting bills, poor financial condition
- Relationship issues
- Situations that demand we step outside of our comfort zone
- Being held back and not being able to live as we desire
While some of us are better able to handle stress than others, the bottom line is that we all experience negative stress and so learning how to manage that stress is critical to both personal happiness and professional success in life
Here are 5 methods that are proven to help deal with stress in your life.
1. Meditation
You may not want to hear about meditation because many of you have pre-conceived notions of what meditation is and perhaps a negative view because of past experience with meditation. The fact is that meditation can be something as simple as listening intently to a repetitive stimulus (ocean waves, chant, calming voice, white noise, etc…) and with as little as 5-10 minutes can have a dramatic calming effect on your mind and body. Most important though is the ongoing benefit that meditation brings in terms of allowing you to view stressful situations more objectively which instantly puts you back in control and allows you to deal with stress in almost any situation.
2. Exercise
Second on your list of things you don’t want to hear about is likely to be exercise. Yet, moderate exercise can do wonders for escaping stressful situations and improving your body’s resilience to stress in the first place. Moderate walking each day for 30-minutes, a 20-minute job or workout, a 30-minute swim or cycle can all massively reduce the impact stress has on your life today. If you find yourself stressed today, then start by walking, move up from there.
3. Hobby – Creativity
Using the opposite side of your brain (the creative side instead of the analytic side) is an excellent way to escape from a stressed-out state of mind. Learn what works for you. For some it is music, others art and still others it could be flying model airplanes, working with wood or countless other hobbies that you may just find gives you that ability to enjoy the moment and deal with stress no matter what the source
4. Personal Improvement
The worst form of chronic stress is brought on by a sense of hopelessness fueled by a lack of control over situations or thoughts in your life. When you reach the point at which you feel powerless to change you will have a very elevated stress level. By taking back control over your ability to change your life, escape your rut and improve yourself over time you will find that personal improvement time actually helps you deal with stress – both short-term and longer-term.
5. Take Action
When I find a situation that really stresses me I come up with a 10-second rule…that is I don’t think about action in that area of my life for more than 10-seconds at which point I just do something. For example, if you stress over a test or public speaking – then limit your fretting to 10-second maximum and then do something about it…learn a new technique, practice in front of a camera, actually try speaking in front of others, etc… Over-thinking is often the biggest source of stress in your life. By taking action you limit the impact that negative thoughts have on your psyche.
Are you having trouble dealing with stress?
Try one of these techniques – in fact give your entire life a boost by applying the proven, highly effective “Get Unstuck In Your Life” system available here.
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