Feeling Stressed? Tips on What to do if Life is Stressful

Stress has become a part and parcel of the modern-day lifestyle. We cannot always change what’s happening around us but we can certainly control the way we react to any stressful situation. You are reading this article, this certainly means that you are willing to take steps to deal with your stress. Congratulations, because the willingness to deal with stress positively is the first step towards living a stress-free life.

So, without any further ado, let us see what we can do to relieve ourselves during stressful situations.

1. Take Some Deep Breath

The first thing you need to do in any stressful situation is to start taking some deep breaths. You don’t realize but as soon as you feel anxious or stressed, your breathing pattern becomes shallow. The shallow breathing sends the message to your brain that something is wrong. You need to tell your brain ‘all is well’ by taking some deep breaths consciously.

2. Get Physically Active

Regular exercising is a good habit that everyone should cultivate. But, even if you are not so regular with your exercising routine, you should consider exercising when you feel stressed. There’s no fixed set of exercises to deal with stress. You can do any type of physical exercise. The point is just to get your body moving so that stress hormones like cortisol are reduced and mood-enhancing chemicals like endorphins are released in your body. Even if your body is restricted in any way due to some disabilities you can do exercises that are suitable for your body. Wheelchair pushups, for example, is a good option for wheelchair users.

3. Pour Your Stress on Paper

Not literally though! If you are feeling stressed about a certain problem in your life, writing it down will not only lower your stress but will also help you find out a solution very easily. And if you are feeling low for no particular reason, you should try writing about the things in your life for which you are grateful. This writing process works like a miracle.

4. Get Creative

No, you don’t need to be Picasso, Mozart or Shakespeare to deal with your stress. Try to do or create something new in whatever work you enjoy doing. Experiment with a new recipe if you love cooking. Try a new style of painting if your interest lies in the color palette. Learn a new piece of music if you love playing some musical instrument. Or, maybe try some new dance moves! Creativity can do wonders beyond imagination.

5. Avoid Social Media

This article was meant to be a list of dos, but everything will be a waste if we don’t add this not-to-do thing to this list. Knowingly or unknowingly, almost all of us are addicted to social media to some extent. Many studies have found out that social media is becoming one of the most frequent causes of stress among people. We are not telling you to cut yourself off from social media, but avoid them when you are feeling stressed. Social media can aggravate the condition.

6. Fake a Laugh

Have you heard that quote – fake it until you make it? This technique works in fooling your brain very well. Smile or laugh (preferably in front of a mirror) even if you feel like crying. Try it once. Your brain will get the message that you are happy now and your body will release those happy hormones which will make you feel happy actually. This amazing functioning of the brain is the reason that we feel happy or sad or excited while watching a movie despite knowing that nothing shown there is going to affect us in real life.

While these tips will help you in situations when you feel stressed. Try to incorporate healthy long-term changes in your lifestyle so that you are not easily bogged down by stress.