Avoiding Stress Is Easy If You Just Know How To
We can consider stress as a process that begins when someone finds a particular situation or event threatening, or if that situation exceeds their resources. The cornerstone of this definition is the concept of “detection.” It is not a question of whether the threat really exists, but whether the person perceives the situation as threatening.
Most often, stress-triggering situations are associated with changes that force a person to see a greater amount of effort than usual. Therefore, it puts the well-being of the individual at risk. Thus, stress is not directly related to the cessation of certain activities and does not accomplish multiple goals in a short period of time. Stress is more about a person’s perceptions than the situation itself. Remember that one particular situation can be stressful for one, and for another it is not at all.
It is generally considered that a person is exposed to stressful situations when he or she is confronted with environmental requirements that exceed his or her resources. He gets the feeling that he is not able to give an adequate response to those demands in a short enough time.
What kind of situations produce stress?
Stressful life events or situations
They can mean unusual events or extremely traumatic events. They can also include events that are quite common, such as marriage, divorce, dismissal, etc.
The ones that have been studied the most, and according to their impact on a person’s health, are: situations involving war, terrorism, or assault; rape; fatal diseases; emigration; natural or man-made disasters. As well as vital events that are extremely traumatic, such as divorces, the loss of a loved one, and so on.
Daily events
We refer to “small-scale” events that occur at a certain daily frequency of events. Events such as family disputes, financial problems, congestion, memory leaks…
The accumulation of events like this shows the great predictive capacity of an individual’s psychological and somatic activities, as well as their well-being, an effect that is even more overwhelming than that found in the case of stressful life events.
Continuous situations of chronic tension
These point to the most important source of stress, as in addition to the intensity of the situations themselves, their presence is constant and daily (similar to stressful life situations).
For example, we could give a contradictory position at work with constant overload or an uncertain perspective on the future; ongoing family disputes; situations of social exclusion; caregivers of patients with chronic diseases, the elderly and the demented, etc.
What can I do to avoid or relieve stress?
Do physical exercises
Moderate physical exercise (such as 30-minute walks) will improve your health, your appearance, and reduce your tension levels. You no longer have excuses not to exercise or do sports. This is true for every single person, whether you suffer from stress or not.
Through physical exercise, we secrete endorphins, substances (endogenous opioid peptides) that our bodies naturally produce to relieve pain and produce a sense of well-being. Therefore, endorphins are also known as happiness hormones.
Take care of your health
This may seem obvious, but many of us don’t take good enough care of our own health. Follow a balanced diet, sleep the recommended number of hours a night, and avoid harmful habits such as smoking and alcohol and drug use. People who tend to suffer from anxiety are most likely to develop unhealthy habits for themselves.
Think though, when you feel stressed, you are most likely to neglect your diet. This imbalance is basically manifested in excessive eating, as well as consuming food that is high in calories and low in nutrients. That is, “empty calorie” food.
Organize your time
You better leave yourself extra time than exhaust yourself by leaving everything to the last minute. Arrange appointments and gatherings in advance, and if necessary, get up a little earlier than usual so you don’t have to rush to start your day. Keep in mind that our bodies need time to warm up.
Creating an agenda can really help you organize your time. On this agenda, you should record everything you need to do during the day. You then categorize tasks according to what is busiest, which are less important, and what you can postpone. You can use color coding to separate tasks into different categories so you can identify them instantly.
Organizing schedules and routines
Routines are especially reassuring for those who feel easily overwhelmed. The routine creates a sense of order and control. It also fights the tendency to do a thousand things at the same time without even focusing on them. This is characteristic of people struggling with stress.
If you organize your schedules and routines, you will be able to keep in mind all the important things you need to do on a daily basis. It is important that you do not take on more tasks than you can complete. Also, leave yourself some leeway for adversity. Undoubtedly, this provides a great sense of control that is incompatible with stress.
Try to be optimistic
Optimistic people suffer less from the physical signs of stress than pessimistic people. The tendency towards optimism or pessimism determines the amount and intensity of unnecessary stress that each person experiences during their lifetime.
Believe it or not, but you can actually learn to be more optimistic, and as a result, reduce your stress. To do this, it is essential that you learn to speak to yourself differently from how you normally speak. Look for reasons and evidence for the things you fear greatly.
Laugh, develop a sense of humor for yourself
Laughing helps you relax, because when you laugh, you see the absurd side of every situation. You also manage to make your difficulties look less serious and difficult.
However, this does not mean that you have to make yourself stupid when faced with certain situations. But you can still make the effort to try to see the comic side of all the bad situations. Discover a sense of humor in everyday conversations with others. Everyone will thank you for that. Even you yourself.
Interact, share, and develop your feelings
Very rarely can stressful situations be reduced without the presence, support and understanding of our loved ones. I recommend that you develop your communication skills to the best of your ability so that your relationship develops. So much so that you are able to show appreciation for others, as well as resolve conflicts and negotiate skillfully.
Consider this: Owning social support networks helps us alleviate the effects of stress. It also develops a discouraged spirit. In addition, whether others are present or not, it is important for a stressed or sad person to notice their own availability as well as intimacy.
To complete the article, I need to mention one more thing: keep in touch with nature. Looking at the wonder of nature is not only beautiful but also relaxing. It helps you focus on something other than just yourself, something external. It feels like a part of the life that surrounds us to put our worries into perspective and reduce our level of tension.
If putting this advice into practice won’t help you lower your stress levels, remember that you can always seek professional help. This will help you to live in a more peaceful way, as well as enjoy every moment of your existence. It will teach you skills that will allow you to relax as well as face everything that stresses you.
