How do you relieve stress?

STRESS!

It’s a word that has different meanings for different people.

It can be a feeling of having the weight of the world on your shoulders and not knowing what to do.

It can be having to do something you really don’t like doing.

It can be that feeling of overwhelm – there’s just so much pressure you don’t know which way to turn.

It can be financial issues – can’t keep up with your credit card payments, losing your job and so on.

Whatever it is, there are ways to deal with the stress to make.

The first thing to do is take a look at what the stress is and where it’s coming from. When you look at something head-on it tends to have less power as you know something about it and you’re taking the first step to fixing it.

So – have a look. What exactly is causing you stress?

Don’t just think “I’m stressed”. There is something that is causing you to feel stressed.

Where is it coming from?

Is it a particular person? Is it’s your job? Is it the tax-office? Credit card company?

Make a plan

Now you’ve looked at what it is and where it’s coming from it’s time to make a simple plan.

The plan would contain 3 things that you could do about it. Just 3 simple things that you can actually do.

Examples

Credit card debt:

1. Make a list of your cards if more than one and how much the minimum monthly payment is
2. Write down the date each payment is due
3. If you know you aren’t going to be able to make the payment contact the credit card company and find out what you can do

Having too much to do at work:

1. Make a list of all the things that you have to do. If the things to do are major projects, break them down into 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, 2c etc.
2. Put them into order of seniority based on how pressing they are i.e. if they have a deadline
3. Take the first item on the list and start working on it

Relationship issues:

1. Make a time to sit down with the person to talk
2. Talk to the person and tell them your concerns. Get them to give you their concerns. Make sure you don’t get into a firefight or blame each other, just talk and listen
3. Work out a plan of what to do about whatever comes up – maybe some compromise is needed, maybe one of you needs to put more into the relationship

The above are just very simple examples and you would need to apply it to whatever stressful situation you’re in. Of course, you can make a plan of more than 3 things but this is a good starting point.

Activities to relieve stress

Here are some things you can do to relieve stress in addition to the above:

1. Take up exercise. If you’re not very fit then do something easy to start with.
2. Try a breathing exercise. Breath in through your nose for a count of 4, hold for a count of 7 and breath out through your mouth for a count of 8. Repeat this a few times to increase your oxygen intake.
3. Meet a friend for coffee and a chinwag (a chat).
4. Take some “me” time by doing something you like to do. A home pampering day is a good one or a hobby like drawing or sewing.
5. Get a massage. This relaxes your body and it’s almost impossible for your mind not to relax at the same time!
6. Dance like there’s no one watching! Dancing is a great way to relieve stress. Just put on your favourite music and dance.

Want some more stress-relieving ideas?

Do the 10 Day Stress Cleanse and you’ll receive a tip and practical to do every day for 10 days. Start today and in 10 days you’ll be feeling much calmer.