Reducing The Bulk Of Your Stress

REDUCING THE BULK OF YOUR STRESS

Among the most important skills and behaviors for reducing stress and creating stress resilience are certain qualities of life. How many of the attributes in the following sections describe you? Don't worry, if you can’t get rid of all (or any!) of the items; at least you can change old habits and learn new ones.

Managing your stress isn’t an over-night or magical process. Mastering new behaviors and finding new ways of looking at yourself and your world is critical to managing your stress. Try out these tips:

Knowing how to relax. 

You need to master best way to let go of tension, relax your body, and quiet your mind. There is no one right way to relax. Some people may prefer focused breathing, meditation, and imagery, while others may favour a more active approach such as progressive muscle relaxation.
Greater relaxation attainment isn’t limited to formal approaches. Any exercise that can distract you from the stressors of your world can bring about relaxation: a stroll in the park, a hot bath, a cup of (decaffeinated) coffee, a favorite TV program or a good book. All the above activities can provide a relaxing escape from stress.

Eating right and exercising often. 

What we eat can play an important role in reducing your stress levels — or making them worse. A balanced, healthy diet is all that your body needs to maximize your ability to cope. That is to say, you need to give your body the right nutrients to supply you adequate reserves of vitamins, minerals, and other essential elements. And don’t forget to drink liquids throughout the day. Adequate hydration of the body and brain is needful also to stay sharp.
Engage in some form of physical activity regularly — at least three times a week and, when possible, more often. It can be participating in a sport or walking on a treadmill. Your exercise regime doesn’t have too hectic or be fanciful. Walking, Climbing the stairs rather than the elevator, parking farther away and walking down your kids to their school whenever you can are often overlooked forms of exercise.

Not worrying about the unimportant stuff. 

Get to learn to put things into perspective. Get to Know the difference between what’s truly important and what isn’t. Many — if not most — of life’s stressors are relatively inconsequential. Asking yourself, On a scale of 1 to 10, "how would I rate the relative importance of my stressor?” is one good way of putting things into perspective.
Remember that eights, nines, and tens are the upper scales — major life problems such as the loss of a loved one, a serious illness, a major financial loss, losing your job, etc. The fours, fives, sixes, and sevens are problems of moderate importance — a lost wallet, a broken-down car, or a broken water heater. The ones, twos, and threes are your minor worries or stressors — you forget your wallet, your watch battery dies, or you get a bad haircut.

Trying not getting angry often. 

One stress emotion you can largely do away with is anger. Mastering how to avoid becoming angry and losing your temper is a skill well worth learning. You can spare yourself a lot of grief and regret by learning how to control the expression of your anger.
Distorted thinking is the source of most anger. You may have low frustration tolerance or unrealistic expectations of others (and of yourself) that trigger you to feel angry when they aren’t met. Maybe you exaggerate your inability to cope with small discomforts by “catastrophizing and awfulizing” or creating some “can’t-stand-it-itis.” Groom yourself to be calmer and more accepting of life’s challenges instead of lashing out in anger. You’ll be healthier (lower blood pressure) and less stressed and have a better outlook on life if you take your ups and downs in stride.

Living according to your values. 

Examine your values and goals, assessing whether they truly represent who you are and where you want to go in life. Pursuing values that aren’t reflective of the kind of life you want can lead you to an unhappy and stressful place. Ask yourself, “What do I want to get out of my life? What is truly important to me?” Begin by clarifying and articulating your important wants and goals.
Have a good sense of humor. Laugh at life’s hassles and annoyances. Be able to laugh at yourself, and don’t take yourself too seriously. And remember that bit of wisdom, “He who laughs, lasts.”