Remember the last time you were so stressed that you couldn’t sleep? Stress is one of the biggest sleep stealers there is. Even if you fall asleep, stress can prevent you from entering deep sleep for physical recovery or REM sleep for mental recovery. Experiment with different ways to relieve and release your stress, each day, so that your nightly slumber becomes more peaceful. Try these tips and see how they work for you.
One of the things that you can do when you are feeling anxious is to go to the spa and get a massage. This will help to reduce the amount of knots that you have in your body so that you can maintain your flexibility and reduce the strain that you feel.
Meditation can be a great way for you to relieve stress. Try meditating each night before you go to bed. Turn off anything around you, close your eyes, and clear out your mind. Don’t think about things you need to get done or problems that you need to solve. Just let your mind relax for a little while and focus on each breath. If your mind starts wondering, just bring it back to your breath. Shutting off your brain takes practice, but each practice session is working off your stress.
Make sure you’re not taking too much on. If you’re feeling stressed, particularly at work, it could be because you’re trying to take on too much work at once. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you’re not able to handle your work load, let your boss know. Often, your boss will be more than happy to help you out or help you to find someone who can.
Put worry time into your schedule. Some things do need immediate attention, but some stressors can wait until the time is more convienient. If something is bothering you, and it can wait, write it down, and when it becomes your time to worry, sit and worry about it and figure out how to fix it.
Munch on a snack if you are feeling a little overwhelmed. Foods that contain a lot of carbohydrates work to stimulate the release of the feel good brain chemical, serotonin. The release of serotonin helps to induce calm. Some crackers, a bagel, or pretzels should do the trick.
A great tip that can help you fight stress is to make sure you’re not spending more money than you have. There’s nothing more stressful than being in debt and having to repay a lot of money. Being responsible with your money will help you keep your stress in check. Start today at keeping careful track of where your money is going – you could be surprised when you see how much of it is really just wasted.
If you want to reduce the amount of tension in your life, go to your favorite store and buy a pair of shoes that you’ve always wanted. When you purchase something new and fresh, it makes you feel more comfortable with your appearance, which will give you more confidence and reduce your anxiety.
A great tip that can help you feel less stressed is to try and visualize calm in your mind. An example of calm would be a feather slowly falling down or a lake that’s barely moving. Visualizing images such as this can help you keep your stress in check.
Get to know your stress. It is vital you recognize the areas in your life that inflict the highest levels of stress. When something or someone is bothering you in your life, stress is the body’s natural reaction. As soon as you figure out what is causing you stress, you can eliminate it, or at least minimize it.
One of the most effective methods for reducing stress is going for a long walk. Not only does this remove you from the stressful environment it also allows you to clear your mind by being distracted. If you go alone be sure to take some nice music with you to help you feel even better.
If you are feeling as though your stress levels are becoming unmanageable or even just higher than normal, you should consider talking to a professional. A counselor who deals with stress will be able to give you many great tips, and will talk you through your most stressful moments and times. Sometimes this kind of help is indispensable.
Now you should have a few new ideas to add to your “stress management” tool kit. Everyone needs to know different techniques to manage stress, because stress is tricky because the same techniques don’t always work all of the time. Try the above tips and see if they can become part of your stress-fighting arsenal, to help you to better manage daily stress levels.