Being stressed clouds your mind to the point where it is difficult to relax and think realistically. Extreme or chronic stress can become paralyzing, making you feel like hiding in a closet. There are a variety of ways that you can stop stress before it gets a hold of you. Here are some tips on getting you going and leaving that stress behind you.
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.
Use humor and laughter to eliminate your stress when possible. Although it is not always the best time, if you can look at the stressful situation from a different point of view and see the humor in it, it will help relieve the stress of it. Even if you cannot find the humor in a stressful situation, try to think of a good joke or funny story that you heard and this will help tremendously.
Next time you are feeling stressed, do something that makes you smile. Just the act of smiling has been scientifically shown to reduce stress levels. The nerves you use when smiling trigger the center in your brain that controls emotions. This essentially begin relaxing you immediately. So next time you feel stressed, step back and grin!
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.
If you are very serious during the day, try to find time to read jokes or riddles online. This will make you laugh and can serve as a breath of fresh air in a stuffy office environment. Find time to laugh if you want to reduce your overall stress level.
In order to handle large amounts of stress make sure you are adequately rested. Dealing with extreme stress on little or no sleep is very difficult and borderline insane. Those who are poorly rested tend to make bad decisions which can cause more stress, and tend to be more easily irritated.
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Learn to appreciate what things are worth stressing out over and what things are better to let go. There are so many things that you can’t control. If you have no control over what is going to happen, or the outcome, then there is no point in stressing out about it.
Don’t keep your feelings bottled up inside. You need to let out your thoughts and emotions, or the stress of holding them in can increase your blood pressure and raise the possibility of other health problems. If you don’t have a confidant or friend you can speak to, consider the services of a professional counselor.
Creative writing is an excellent outlet for dealing with stress. Writing poetry or keeping a journal can provide a way to express your feelings so that you can deal with them instead of keeping them bottled up inside. By writing down your problems and analyzing them, you can help reduce your stress.
To quickly relieve your stress, pay attention to your breathing. Make sure that you are breathing from your abdomen, not your chest. Take slow, deep breaths and watch to see that your abdomen rises and falls. This will help get more oxygen into your blood which will help reduce your level of stress.
One of the great things about life is that you can meet new people anytime you want. If your loneliness is the chief cause of your stress, go out to a bar or club with your friends and talk to a charming guy or girl. Ask them if they want to go on a date to add excitement to your life.
Self-hypnosis can help you if you find you are being bothered by same things over and over. Your reaction to unavoidable irritants, such as constant noise, annoying people, and other burdens of daily living can often be addressed successfully via self-hypnosis.
It has often been said that laughter is the best medicine. This saying is true, especially when it comes to dealing with stress. Laughing reduces stress hormones in the body, causing an overwhelming sensation that makes you feel good. If you are having a hard time laughing, then at least try to crack a smile.
Don’t sit around and dwell on all your problems, if you do, stress wins. Be in control of your life, kicking stress to the curb.