Table of Contents Show
Stress is a part of life. It’s something we all experience and can’t avoid. You might think that stress is just a feeling or emotion, but it actually has a physical impact on your body—on your heart rate, blood pressure, and even your brain chemistry.
As much as we’d like to control our thoughts and emotions,1 sometimes we don’t have any choice but to deal with stressful situations in life. It’s important to understand what types of stressors 2are most likely to cause problems so that you can take steps to minimize their impact on your health.
In this article, I’m going to share four simple ways that you can manage your stress levels so that you can keep your cool even when things get tough.
Seek Help From a Professional
If you’re feeling stressed out, the best thing you can do is reach out for help.
Sometimes, we all need a little extra support when life gets tough. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed by stress, it’s important to get help from a professional who can guide you through your situation.
There are many different types of professionals who can help with stress management3, from psychologists and therapists to coaches and counselors. Your doctor may even be able to recommend someone in your area who specializes in stress management. You can find a therapist nearby who can help you deal with stressors.
As per the Mental Health Million Project 2021, in 10 countries with English-speaking populations, 58% of people with clinical-level mental health problems did not seek care. The percentage was 45% in the United States and 50% in the UK. In Australia and Canada, the percentages were 45% and 47%, respectively, implying that 55% and 53% of people actually sought help. Those who did not seek any professional help varied from 61% to 81% in South Africa, Singapore, Nigeria, and India.
These numbers are shocking and can lead to more chronic conditions. No matter what kind of professional you talk to about your stressful situation, they will be able to help by providing guidance on how to manage your stress levels 4without having negative effects on your health and well-being. They will also be able to provide tips and techniques that will help reduce or eliminate some of the causes of stress in your life, so that it doesn’t become overwhelming again in the future.
Face Difficult Situations Head-on
According to APA’s 2021 Stress in America survey, roughly half of U.S. adults say that the uncertainty of the pandemic has made planning for their future feel impossible. Nearly a third claim that their stress levels are so high that they occasionally struggle with even basic decisions, like what to wear or what to eat. The vast majority of American adults express additional stress connected to the situation in Ukraine, including concerns about inflation and general discomfort, on top of pandemic-related worry.
The pandemic has brought massive devastation and made billions worry about their future. And the stress it brought into our lives – it’s inevitable. But the best way to handle those situations is to face them head-on.
Facing a difficult situation head-on means confronting it rather than avoiding it. It means facing the problem and making changes in your life, however small they may seem so that you can move past them.
When you avoid your problems, they will only get bigger and bigger until they are out of control. But when you face them head-on by taking action, they become much easier to manage.
For example, say you’re having difficulty finding time for yourself because of work and family commitments – maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed with how busy your schedule is. Well, rather than trying to squeeze in time for yourself here and there (which will only lead to more stress), take steps toward making a change in the way that you approach your daily schedule so that you can make time for yourself without getting stressed out about it.
Practice Mindfulness
You might have heard of mindfulness, but you may not know what it is. Mindfulness is a form of meditation that teaches you to be in the moment and focus on the now. When you’re practicing mindfulness, 5your thoughts are not allowed to wander into the past or future – instead, they stay focused on what you’re doing right now.
The practice of mindfulness has been shown to have many benefits, including helping people feel less stressed and more in control of their emotions. It also helps people better manage pain and anxiety.
Practicing mindfulness doesn’t require any special equipment or clothing – all you need is yourself. To get started, sit down somewhere comfortable, where you won’t be disturbed for at least 10 minutes (and preferably longer). Close your eyes and focus on your breathing for this time period; take slow breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth while counting each breath as it goes in and out.
If other thoughts start creeping into your mind during this time period, gently bring yourself back to focusing on your breathing again until all thoughts have passed.
Approximately 76% of the U.S. individuals who practice meditation cited overall wellness as their main motivation. Additionally, according to statistics on mindfulness meditation, other benefits of meditation include increased energy levels (by 60%), enhanced memory and concentration (by 50%), and relief from worry, stress, and depression.
Take Time to Reflect
Taking time to reflect can help you find new perspectives on stressful situations, which can help you find solutions and make better decisions.
When we are stressed, it’s easy to get caught up in our emotions and react quickly. But taking a few minutes to think about things from a different perspective can help you see that there are other ways of handling the situation than what your gut instinct tells you.
For example, if your boss says something rude at work, taking a few minutes to reflect before responding might help you realize that it’s not worth getting into an argument about it – or even reacting at all. In fact, sometimes people say things like this because they’re feeling stressed themselves or they’re having a bad day. They don’t mean anything by it; they just need someone to listen and give them some space so they can feel better about themselves too.
Summing Up
The key to handling stressful situations is to learn how to manage your emotions. This way, you’ll be able to deal with stress in a rational manner and come out of it stronger.
It’s also important to remember that we all experience stress in different ways. What might be stressful for one person may not affect another person at all.
Hence, if you feel that you are experiencing too much stress in your life, it’s best to seek help from a professional who can help guide you through the process of finding ways to cope with it.
Click here to read more with us.
- McKay, Matthew, Martha Davis, and Patrick Fanning. Thoughts and feelings: Taking control of your moods and your life. New Harbinger Publications, 2021. ↩︎
- Leserman, Jane, et al. “How multiple types of stressors impact on health.” Psychosomatic medicine 60.2 (1998): 175-181. ↩︎
- Greenberg, Jerrold S. “Comprehensive stress management.” (2002): 301-320. ↩︎
- Seaward, Brian Luke. Managing stress. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2017. ↩︎
- Shapiro, Shauna L., et al. “Mechanisms of mindfulness.” Journal of clinical psychology 62.3 (2006): 373-386. ↩︎
Last Updated on by ayeshayusuf
Author
