How many times have you gotten angry at yourself for misplacing your keys, being late to meet a friend, or forgetting to pay a bill on time? Being angry at ourselves can be one of the most stressful experiences there is. We are our own worst critic. Trying to change this behavior for the better, even a little bit, can help you feel happier and less stressed. Try some of the following tips to get started.
When you are overwhelmed and stressed out, think about being calm. Try to imagine yourself in a hot shower or bath and watch as a wave of relaxation washes your stress down the drain. Try breathing deep and slow with your eyes closed, and imagine your happy place. Is it the beach?
A fantastic way to help you keep your stress levels down is to meditate. There are many different ways to meditate. Meditation is great because it helps you forget about all of your worries for the moment. You’ll be able think more clearly just by meditating a little bit each day.
Stay up to date with your repairs in order to remove stress. If you have three things that need to be repaired, that is triple the effort you will have to do. It is better to stay on top of things.
Smelling pleasant aromas can help you deal with stress. Certain things can be soothing when you smell them. You can smell chamomile, lavender, peppermint and rose to soothe your senses for example. You can mix essential oil with some rock salt, and keep it in a little vial. Open your vial when you are a little stressed out and take a sniff.
Shake your stress away. Try this quick exercise. Sit or stand, stretch your arms out to your side, and shake your hands for around ten seconds. Shake them vigorously. While you are shaking, do some deep breathing. Just this short little exercise will help to relieve any tension in your back and neck and help to relieve some stress as well.
Monitor your stress. Stress that becomes excessive to the point where it takes a toll on your daily life can frequently lead to depression. To avoid getting to this point, try to eliminate as much stress from your life as possible. Learn to say ‘no’ to others, and be sure to surround yourself with positive people and things. Try to use humor as a coping skill, as research indicates that this helps to reduce stress.
If you are very active during the course of the day, one of the things that you can do is to listen to music to calm you down. When you listen to music, your mind will be toned down, especially if the music is very fluid and soft. Listen to your favorite tune to optimize the way you feel.
In order to deal with stress, you may wish to consider completely cutting yourself off of whatever is causing your stress temporarily. This is important because sometimes we have problems with completely turning things off and often times this can be the best way. An example would be to turn off your work cell phone and computer for an entire weekend.
A lot of the stress that you have as the day wears on is due to your appearance. Make sure that you look as good as you can during the day, even if this means waking up early to spend more time getting ready. Maximize your appearance to minimize your anxiety.
Sometimes, with a hectic work schedule, it is important to take a 20 minute nap here and there to recharge your internal batteries. This will make you feel great when you wake up and will eliminate the haggard feeling that you carry around. Find time to take short rest breaks to limit tension.
Stress is a basic and necessary human emotion and it can be used properly at some times. That being said, if you are experiencing stress on a daily level than you are not using stress correctly. It should be something that only comes out during the hardest and most dramatic situations.
Running is one of the absolute best activities you can do to help you reduce stress. Not only does it help you to clear your mind, it also releases endorphins into your body that help you to feel more relaxed. It’s not called a runner’s high for no reason at all.
Do not turn to alcohol to try and reduce stress. Alcohol may make you feel better for a short period of time, but it is actually a depressant. This means that you will move right past that good feeling and actually feel worse than you did before you began drinking.
As you can see, being kind to yourself really isn’t that hard, and it sure feels better than being stressed and angry. Don’t underestimate the ill effects of stress on your health. Factor the above tips into your daily habits, and you will be making a very positive investment in your health and your life.