The 5 best way to de-stress
It is easy to become stressed out these days. Just ask anyone around you. Money problems. Marriage rifts. Co-worker conflicts. Death or illness in the family. Risk to personal safety. Life has a way of piling up on you. And when it does, it can take it out on your body with serious health consequences such as heart disease and high blood pressure.
Stress isn’t always bad. A job promotion, an upcoming vacation, or building a new home can be stressful, too, but not in the same way. This positive stress enriches your life with anticipation and excitement. You feel confident when approaching a situation. And after assessing it, you’re able to develop a plan of action.
Stress is highly individualized. What causes stress in one person may not cause it in another. Some people actually thrive under stress, while others have a meltdown. Here is how you can cut your stress – and your health risk – by learning how to cope more effectively.
Stress And Your Health
Too much stress may lead to:
• Immune system problems. The hormone cortisol, produced during the stress response, may suppress your immune system, increasing your susceptibility to infectious diseases. Studies suggest that bacterial infections such as tuberculosis, and group A streptococci, such as strep throat, increase during stress. Stress may also make you vulnerable to upper respiratory viral infections, such as colds or flu.
• Cardiovascular disease. When you have acute stress, your heart rate increases. That may make you more susceptible to angina, and irregular heart rhythms. If you’re a so-called hot reactor, acute stress may add to your risk of having a heart attack. People who are hot reactors exhibit extreme increases in heart rate and blood pressure as a response to daily stress. These surges may gradually result in injury to your coronary arteries and heart. Stress and depression are known risk factors for heart disease.
• Asthma flare-ups. If you have asthma, a stressful situation can make your airways overreactive and precipitate an attack.
• Gastrointestinal problems. Stress can make your symptoms worse if you have gastrointestinal disorder such as an ulcer or irritable bowel syndrome.
Cutting Stress
You can’t eliminate stress from your life. In fact, it would be boring if you did – like eating food with no seasonings. The trick is to learn a variety of techniques that can take stress a notch or two down and leave you feeling calmer, more in control of your life and with lower health risks, even if you can’t change the environment that’s creating your stress. Try these five time-tested tips:
. Chill out your body and your mind.
• Make exercise a part of your life. Exercise can decrease adrenaline production, which in turn may counteract the stress response. People who are physically fit also seem to have a more relaxed attitude when life throws them a curve ball. Regular exercise, with its healthy benefits, helps contribute to an overall sense of well-being.
• Learn relaxation techniques. It’s best if you can devote time each day to relaxation in order to maintain your mental balance through stressful events and hectic daily schedules.
• Learn to meditate. Meditation is similar to relaxation. The goal of both is to quiet the mind. It can reduce your stress hormone levels, decrease muscle tension, reduce your blood pressure, slow your heart rate and decrease your adrenaline levels.
• Get adequate sleep. There’s nothing like a good night’s sleep to help you deal with whatever stresses you have. Don’t feel guilty about getting an occasional short nap or sleeping a little longer on weekends.
2. Organize your time.
• Become a list maker. Who can remember all of the myriad tasks that need doing every day? If you write them down, you’re less likely to forget to do it. And when it’s done, you get to scratch it off your list – a tangible feeling of accomplishment.
• Learn to prioritize. You can’t do everything in your list every day, so you need to set priorities. Divide your list into three levels: A, those you must do; B, those which are important but not urgent; and C, those that include routine tasks, some of which may need to be done that day and others that can be postponed in the future.
• Set realistic goals. Setting goals and meeting them give you a feeling of control and accomplishment. But if your goals are unrealistic, you could be setting yourself up for a big fall and more stress. To help you achieve your goals, try making them specific, not general. For example, rather than saying you want to lose 25 pounds, it’s better to divide the goal into smaller, more manageable bites, such as losing four pounds during the next four weeks.
3. Get bossy.
• Curve big tasks into small chunks. You don’t have to put off a major project until a large block of time opens up. Instead, start small. Even tasks such as cleaning the house can be broken down into manageable pieces. Before you know it, the big job is on its way to completion.
• Try delegating. Even if you’re a great time manager, there will be occasions when you simply can’t get everything done in the time allotted. Before you stress yourself and everyone around you to the limit, learn to delegate. Delegating means letting go. Letting go of perfectionism, of the idea that your way of doing a job is the best way. Maybe someone will do it differently. So what? The important thing is that someone else is doing the work.
• Learn to say no. Stress develops when the demands of your environment outstrip your ability to cope. But just saying this simple two-letter word – no – can cut your stress down to manageable levels. Of course, some responsibilities can’t be ignored. But there are many times when you can say no. It’s easier than you think. And when you say no to a request, keep it short and simple. No long explanation is necessary. In fact, that’s counterproductive and gives the impression that you’re hedging. Sure, you’ve been taught to be polite and agreeable, even when someone’s making a request for your precious time. But learning to say no is liberating. And it puts you back in control of your life.
4. Make time for yourself.
• Take time to play. When it comes to work, more isn’t necessarily better. Have some fun. Spend time with your family. Pursue a hobby. Socialize with friends.
• Start a new hobby or take up an old one. Hobbies are great stress reducers. They give you a mental timeout and provide you with a break from your everyday worries and problems. They also help you meet others with similar interests, giving you a kind of built-in support group.
• Spend more time alone. How many times during the day are you interrupted by people who need your help? At home, your kids want your attention, your spouse wants to talk, your dog needs to be walked. Those are all valid and important points of your life, but sometimes you need a break. Give yourself the gift of solitude. Even 15 minutes a day by yourself can leave you refreshed. You need to find a quiet place, even if you have to lock yourself in the bathroom with earplugs! Take a walk. Sit on the porch and stargaze. Or lie on the couch and stare at the ceiling. These solitary moments will clear your mind, slow your breathing and restore your calm.
• Make time for people. People are your social safety net. Study after study has shown that people who enjoy good relationships with family, friends, or a partner – what’s known as social support – tend to live longer, healthier lives.
5. Learn to talk to yourself.
• Keep a stress diary. You may not be even aware of where your major stresses are coming from, especially if you’re getting pummeled from several different fronts. That’s where a daily stress diary can be helpful. After a while, you’ll begin to see what kind of events trigger a stress response and how you typically react to it. Now you’ll know when and where to apply your stress management techniques.
• Practice relabeling. Some call it reframing, positive thinking or positive self-talk. The idea is to take all the negative words (e.g. never, always and should), pepper your thoughts. Instead try labeling your thoughts to reflect the positive (e.g. challenge, try and learn).
Gaining Prospective
Life happens. In other words, you need to realize that there are some things you simply can’t control. But that doesn’t mean stress has to overwhelm you. Stress management techniques work, but the skills you’re building take time. The more you practice them, the easier it becomes, and the rewards can last a lifetime.
Stress isn’t always bad. A job promotion, an upcoming vacation, or building a new home can be stressful, too, but not in the same way. This positive stress enriches your life with anticipation and excitement. You feel confident when approaching a situation. And after assessing it, you’re able to develop a plan of action.
Stress is highly individualized. What causes stress in one person may not cause it in another. Some people actually thrive under stress, while others have a meltdown. Here is how you can cut your stress – and your health risk – by learning how to cope more effectively.
Stress And Your Health
Too much stress may lead to:
• Immune system problems. The hormone cortisol, produced during the stress response, may suppress your immune system, increasing your susceptibility to infectious diseases. Studies suggest that bacterial infections such as tuberculosis, and group A streptococci, such as strep throat, increase during stress. Stress may also make you vulnerable to upper respiratory viral infections, such as colds or flu.
• Cardiovascular disease. When you have acute stress, your heart rate increases. That may make you more susceptible to angina, and irregular heart rhythms. If you’re a so-called hot reactor, acute stress may add to your risk of having a heart attack. People who are hot reactors exhibit extreme increases in heart rate and blood pressure as a response to daily stress. These surges may gradually result in injury to your coronary arteries and heart. Stress and depression are known risk factors for heart disease.
• Asthma flare-ups. If you have asthma, a stressful situation can make your airways overreactive and precipitate an attack.
• Gastrointestinal problems. Stress can make your symptoms worse if you have gastrointestinal disorder such as an ulcer or irritable bowel syndrome.
Cutting Stress
You can’t eliminate stress from your life. In fact, it would be boring if you did – like eating food with no seasonings. The trick is to learn a variety of techniques that can take stress a notch or two down and leave you feeling calmer, more in control of your life and with lower health risks, even if you can’t change the environment that’s creating your stress. Try these five time-tested tips:
. Chill out your body and your mind.
• Make exercise a part of your life. Exercise can decrease adrenaline production, which in turn may counteract the stress response. People who are physically fit also seem to have a more relaxed attitude when life throws them a curve ball. Regular exercise, with its healthy benefits, helps contribute to an overall sense of well-being.
• Learn relaxation techniques. It’s best if you can devote time each day to relaxation in order to maintain your mental balance through stressful events and hectic daily schedules.
• Learn to meditate. Meditation is similar to relaxation. The goal of both is to quiet the mind. It can reduce your stress hormone levels, decrease muscle tension, reduce your blood pressure, slow your heart rate and decrease your adrenaline levels.
• Get adequate sleep. There’s nothing like a good night’s sleep to help you deal with whatever stresses you have. Don’t feel guilty about getting an occasional short nap or sleeping a little longer on weekends.
2. Organize your time.
• Become a list maker. Who can remember all of the myriad tasks that need doing every day? If you write them down, you’re less likely to forget to do it. And when it’s done, you get to scratch it off your list – a tangible feeling of accomplishment.
• Learn to prioritize. You can’t do everything in your list every day, so you need to set priorities. Divide your list into three levels: A, those you must do; B, those which are important but not urgent; and C, those that include routine tasks, some of which may need to be done that day and others that can be postponed in the future.
• Set realistic goals. Setting goals and meeting them give you a feeling of control and accomplishment. But if your goals are unrealistic, you could be setting yourself up for a big fall and more stress. To help you achieve your goals, try making them specific, not general. For example, rather than saying you want to lose 25 pounds, it’s better to divide the goal into smaller, more manageable bites, such as losing four pounds during the next four weeks.
3. Get bossy.
• Curve big tasks into small chunks. You don’t have to put off a major project until a large block of time opens up. Instead, start small. Even tasks such as cleaning the house can be broken down into manageable pieces. Before you know it, the big job is on its way to completion.
• Try delegating. Even if you’re a great time manager, there will be occasions when you simply can’t get everything done in the time allotted. Before you stress yourself and everyone around you to the limit, learn to delegate. Delegating means letting go. Letting go of perfectionism, of the idea that your way of doing a job is the best way. Maybe someone will do it differently. So what? The important thing is that someone else is doing the work.
• Learn to say no. Stress develops when the demands of your environment outstrip your ability to cope. But just saying this simple two-letter word – no – can cut your stress down to manageable levels. Of course, some responsibilities can’t be ignored. But there are many times when you can say no. It’s easier than you think. And when you say no to a request, keep it short and simple. No long explanation is necessary. In fact, that’s counterproductive and gives the impression that you’re hedging. Sure, you’ve been taught to be polite and agreeable, even when someone’s making a request for your precious time. But learning to say no is liberating. And it puts you back in control of your life.
4. Make time for yourself.
• Take time to play. When it comes to work, more isn’t necessarily better. Have some fun. Spend time with your family. Pursue a hobby. Socialize with friends.
• Start a new hobby or take up an old one. Hobbies are great stress reducers. They give you a mental timeout and provide you with a break from your everyday worries and problems. They also help you meet others with similar interests, giving you a kind of built-in support group.
• Spend more time alone. How many times during the day are you interrupted by people who need your help? At home, your kids want your attention, your spouse wants to talk, your dog needs to be walked. Those are all valid and important points of your life, but sometimes you need a break. Give yourself the gift of solitude. Even 15 minutes a day by yourself can leave you refreshed. You need to find a quiet place, even if you have to lock yourself in the bathroom with earplugs! Take a walk. Sit on the porch and stargaze. Or lie on the couch and stare at the ceiling. These solitary moments will clear your mind, slow your breathing and restore your calm.
• Make time for people. People are your social safety net. Study after study has shown that people who enjoy good relationships with family, friends, or a partner – what’s known as social support – tend to live longer, healthier lives.
5. Learn to talk to yourself.
• Keep a stress diary. You may not be even aware of where your major stresses are coming from, especially if you’re getting pummeled from several different fronts. That’s where a daily stress diary can be helpful. After a while, you’ll begin to see what kind of events trigger a stress response and how you typically react to it. Now you’ll know when and where to apply your stress management techniques.
• Practice relabeling. Some call it reframing, positive thinking or positive self-talk. The idea is to take all the negative words (e.g. never, always and should), pepper your thoughts. Instead try labeling your thoughts to reflect the positive (e.g. challenge, try and learn).
Gaining Prospective
Life happens. In other words, you need to realize that there are some things you simply can’t control. But that doesn’t mean stress has to overwhelm you. Stress management techniques work, but the skills you’re building take time. The more you practice them, the easier it becomes, and the rewards can last a lifetime.
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