Stress-Free Living
Stress happens. It's always been there - waiting for the right time to hit, or the wrong time to run away. Some people just have a high stress tolerance (myself included). Others? Stress hits like a truck and brings on extreme symptoms of anxiety.
Those who experience extreme stress tend to be much more stressed out than those who experience only moderately stressful situations. The difference lies in their response to the pressure. The body/mind/soul is a living thing. It can blossom or wilt, become stagnant or blooming, but it will always show signs of stress and stressors.
The key to staying healthy and alive during these strong moments of tension is through proper self care, relaxation exercises, regular self examinations and sound sleep habits.
A personal health mantra that I have lived by for a long time is: "If you don't suffer from it, don't fix it. If it doesn't get better, don't take a pill for it."
That's right. No pill for stress. No magic cure.
Rather than focus on the negative... focus on the positive and make things better. I've come to realize that though the stress gets in my way, I can use it as a catalyst to help me grow and evolve. In other words, I give myself permission to have moments of stress, but I push myself to work through them and let them just be right there that they are - frozen in time with no power over me; just little streaks of paint on my canvas waiting to be brushed away or splashed across the canvas and left behind....
Stress is a funny thing. And I am living proof that a negative stress can become a positive if you just learn to work with it.
My stressors happen on a daily basis, in many different ways:
- Not enough sleep (or too much) - Work - School - People - Noise pollution - The media (TV, Internet and news)
If I allow these things to get the best of me, they do. But I'm way too strong for that! So here's what I've come up with to help myself along the way...
- Eat/drink right : Make sure you are eating quality foods and drinking quality drinks. Your body needs to be fed, just like your mind. I can't stress this enough. Your body cannot work efficiently with a poor diet, and when your body is fed properly, your mind and spirits will feed off of the nutrients it receives.
- Exercise : Stress is essentially a physical condition that affects every part of the body. If you're not getting at least 30 minutes of exercise, your whole day can be affected because that's all you need to maintain good health and keep stress from getting out of control (also known as "giving in" to stress.)
- Breathe : Everything in the world is interconnected - good things happen for bad reasons - and vice versa. When you're stressed, your body is the receiver of all sorts of bad vibes that are out there. Focus on breathing and take some deep breaths and inhale the good things in life. Your thoughts need to be positive because that's all you have control over, so direct them toward something positive like faith or hope.
- Take breaks throughout the day : When you're busy doing something, most likely you're not thinking clearly. Stop every once in a while and take a deep breath. Get off the computer, get off the phone, get out of bed. Stretch, walk around the block. Whatever it takes to shake loose stressors that have gotten stuck inside you.
- Rest : Resting is underrated these days and though we hate to admit it, it can be hard to take an entire day "off" from everything. There's always something that needs doing and that's exactly why you need rest! Wake up early, go to bed early (follow a regular schedule) and really give yourself time off from life so you can relax.
- Exercise : You knew this was coming, didn't you? I know it sounds repetitive, but when you're stressed or anxious and you can't figure out why... it's usually your body telling you that it needs work. Do some push-ups, sit-ups, squats and so on. Don't forget to stretch!
- Get restful sleep : Sleep is pretty important - but what kind of sleep? Try not to wake up super early or go to bed super late because this throws off your whole body clock and makes things much more difficult to cope with. Keep things regular and you'll be much better off in the long run.
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Stress-Free Living