Stress is a normal reaction to the demands of life. It can be helpful in emergencies or challenging situations, and it's even a natural part of everyday life. But when stress becomes chronic, it can have harmful effects on your body and mind. Stress management is an important tool for reducing stress levels, improving moods and preventing illness. These tips will help you manage your stress with ease:
1 - Focus on one task at a time.
One of the best ways to manage stress is by focusing on one task at a time.
This can be challenging when you have many things to do and are worried about the end result. In order to focus on one task, you need to:
Forget about everything else. Don't worry about what you did yesterday or will do tomorrow. Don't worry about what other people are doing or what they think of you, as this won't help with your current situation. Focus on what is right in front of you and nothing else!
Clear your mind as much as possible so that there's no distractions whatsoever between yourself and complete focus on whatever it is that needs done right now (i.e., making dinner). This can be done easily through meditation (or even just closing eyes for 10 minutes), but also requires practice so that it becomes natural over time!
2 - Accept that there are events that you cannot control.
A big part of managing stress is accepting that there are events and circumstances beyond your control. You can't always be in charge, but you can make an effort to control the things you can.
Don't try to control people or situations. It's tempting to think that if only everyone would do what we want, everything would be fine—but it doesn't work that way. The more we try to control others (or ourselves), the more stressed out we become; trying too hard creates a lot of internal anxiety that has nowhere else to go except back onto them.
Stop being a perfectionist, or a control freak: these are both ways of trying too hard and feeling out of control, which will only lead you into more stress down the road! There's no such thing as perfect; perfectionists tend not just towards high expectations but also disappointment when they fail those expectations themselves (and others). Similarly, controlling other people's actions or decisions means putting yourself in positions where you have no idea what might happen next—which leads us right back around again because now instead being responsible for our own decisions/actions we've taken responsibility for someone else's as well!
3 - Adopt a healthy lifestyle.
I will go into more details about this below, but here is a short summary...
Eat a healthy diet. A well-balanced diet will give your body the nutrients it needs to fend off stress and maintain optimum health.
Exercise regularly. Exercise reduces stress by releasing endorphins, which act as natural painkillers and reduce anxiety, depression and irritability.
Get enough sleep. Getting at least 7 hours of sleep each night helps to keep your mind clear so that you can think clearly about what is stressing you out in life so that you can work through the problem in a rational manner rather than letting it build up inside until the problem gets bigger than what it was when first encountered.* Listen to your body.* Be mindful of your thoughts and feelings.*
4 - Practice yoga.
Yoga is a great way to stay relaxed and get exercise at the same time. It can also help you learn to breathe better, which is one of the best ways to manage stress. If you're new to yoga, try downloading a few yoga apps from the App Store or Google Play. You can even use your phone! No matter how much time you have in your day, there's always enough time for some deep breathing and stretching. I love to use the Nike Training Club app for yoga or do some online classes via YouTube.
5 - Meditate.
Meditation is a practice where you focus your attention on a single object or idea. The goal of meditation is to improve your mental and physical health by reducing stress, anxiety and depression. It can help you become more focused, less stressed and more productive.
Meditation can be done anywhere at any time, making it easy to fit into your busy schedule. I love to use the Headspace app which makes it so easy. Click here to get a FREE 30 day pass
6 - Get emotional support and validation from friends and family members.
Find someone you trust.
Talk to that person about your stress, and listen to what they say.
If you feel like the other person is trying to help, thank them and ask if there's anything specific they can do to help relieve your stress.
Try not be too impatient or angry if they don't know how to help right away—it may take some time before they're able to offer any assistance. Make sure that you give them some time for thinking about it!
7 - Learn stress management skills, like pacing, problem-solving and communication skills
Stress management skills are important for all aspects of life and it's never too late to develop these skills.
Learn to pace yourself. Don't try to do everything at once, especially if you're feeling stressed out or overwhelmed by a particular task or situation. Focus on one thing at a time, rather than worrying about everything at once.
Learn problem-solving techniques/tools that work for you and use them when needed (or as often as possible). If something goes wrong, stop and think about what happened and how you might be able to prevent it from happening again in the future - this is called reflection and improvement!
Communication is key - talk about your feelings with friends and family members; don't bottle them up inside where they could cause problems later on down the line!
8 - Get more rest
The best way to manage stress is by getting more rest. Sleep is a powerful tool for reducing anxiety, and it’s essential for maintaining your physical and mental health. How much sleep you need depends on your age: adults need seven to nine hours per night, teenagers need at least 9-12 hours each night (and up to 14 hours daily), and babies need 12-16 hours of sleep each day. Unfortunately, many people don’t get enough rest—about 30% of people have insomnia or other sleep disorders like sleep apnea or narcolepsy that prevent them from getting the recommended amount of shut-eye each night. Lack of sleep may lead to depression symptoms such as irritability, difficulty concentrating, fatigue during the day among others.
If you're struggling with sleep, why not download my SLEEP eBook here and learn all you need to know about getting a good night's sleep (plus receive a 10% voucher off your first purchase!).
9 - Let your friends help you
Even the best of us can't always handle everything on our own. Sometimes, it's just nice to have someone else's opinion or help.
Definitely talk to your friends about what's going on in your life. They may be able to offer some advice that you hadn't thought of before and could really use at this point in time. Or maybe they've been through something similar and can help guide you through it like a pro!
If they're too busy (or just don't want to listen), that's fine too—just know that they're there if you need them—and make sure not let anyone down by turning away their support when it matters most!
10 - Get physical
Exercise can help you sleep better. It's a fact that exercise can improve your sleep, but it doesn't have to be strenuous. Even just a 20-minute walk around the neighborhood before bedtime can do the trick.
Exercise can help you manage stress levels. This is another no-brainer: when you exercise, your body releases endorphins—chemicals that make you feel happier and more relaxed—which will help alleviate some of the physical symptoms of stress (like headaches and sore muscles).
The benefits of exercise go beyond just feeling less stressed out, though! Exercising regularly has been shown to keep people living longer and healthier lives in general, so it's worth incorporating into your routine if possible. It'll also help release endorphins that may make us feel better about ourselves because we're doing something healthy for our bodies; this is especially true for those who have low self-esteem or are dealing with depression or anxiety disorders.
11 - Eat a healthy diet.
Your diet is one of the most important factors in managing stress.
Eat more fruit and vegetables, which are high in vitamins and minerals.
Eat less processed foods, as they can be low in nutrients and high in unhealthy fats, salt and sugar.
Avoid salty foods, which can make you retain water if you're not drinking enough water.
Don't drink alcohol if it's going to increase your stress levels – alcohol is a depressant that makes people feel worse when drunk than when sober! Instead of drinking alcohol try some relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation to help reduce tension levels without any negative side effects.
Swap your coffee for matcha or green tea which gives a slow release of caffeine helping you to avoid that afternoon 'slump'. Try my matcha tea here.
12 - Learn to breathe better
Breathing is a natural process, so you don't have to do anything special to learn how to breathe better. However, it's possible that your breathing could be causing you some problems.
Problems like:
Stress and anxiety
Sleep problems
Difficulty concentrating on work or school tasks
Try using some of my Botanical Essences to help you stay calm and create a more relaxing atmosphere.
13 - Have orgasms.
You may have heard the old cliché that sex relieves stress, but it's true. Orgasms release endorphins, which make you feel great. Plus, having an orgasm can be a great way to relieve tension and connect with your partner. A study published in American Sociological Review found that people who had sex at least twice a week were less likely to experience depression (and more likely to feel closer to their partner). And if you're not getting much action these days? No worries—you can help yourself out with the magic of masturbation.
If you're feeling stressed out and unfulfilled in your relationship, an orgasm might be able to fix those problems too. According to research from Stanford University School of Medicine, couples who report being satisfied with their relationships also tend to have better communication skills than those who aren't satisfied—and good communication means more orgasms for everyone!
Don’t forget about self-esteem either: another study found that women who engaged in sexual activity reported higher levels of self-esteem than those who didn't engage in sexual activity.
14 - These are some extra stress-busting tips that really work!
Learn how to say no. In order to manage stress, you must be able to effectively and gracefully decline requests for your time and attention that are not absolutely necessary. When you're feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, it's tempting to just take on everything that comes your way—but don't! You need to set boundaries for yourself and stick by them.
Take care of yourself physically. Eat right, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep—these things will keep your body healthy so it can work more efficiently in times of stress or even just regular life! And if there's something specific about your health (such as an injury) that's causing additional pain? Get it checked out; what may seem like an insignificant problem could actually be something more serious which could affect how well you cope with stressful situations later on down the line!
Keep a journal handy at all times so when things get rough—which they will—you have somewhere safe where all those feelings can go instead of bottling them up inside until they explode into flames all over everyone around you (and possibly destroy part of civilization). Just writing down how bad things seem compared against how good they used to be will help release some tension from within because every day is better than yesterday...
There are many ways to keep stress at bay and avoid it altogether. The key is knowing what works for you and making sure that you put these tips into practice every day. Try some of them out today, and see how much better life feels!
I hope you've found this little guide useful,
Thank you so much for reading,
Emmaline x
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