Stress relief (A complete guide)

It may appear that there is no way around your stress.

The bills won’t quit coming, there will never be more hours in the day for all your tasks, and your job will always be demanding.

Be that as it may, you have more control than you think. Actually, the simple acknowledgement that you are in control of your life is the basis of managing your stress. 

Managing stress is all about assuming responsibility: assuming responsibility for your thoughts, your feelings, your schedule, your health, and the manner in which you take care of issues.

An ideal goal is a healthy lifestyle, with time for work, socializing, relaxing, and fun – in addition to the flexibility to hold up under tension and address challenges head-on. 

Recognize the sources of stress in your life 

Stress management begins with distinguishing the sources of stress in your life.

This is not as simple as it sounds. Your actual sources of stress are not always always what they seem and it is all too simple to even think about overlooking your own stress-inducing thoughts and practices.

Of course, you may realize that you are continually stressed over work, but eliminating that stress is not easy. 

To distinguish your actual sources of stress, take a gander at your habits, thought processes, and actions: 

Do you clarify stress as transitory (“I have a million things going on this moment”) despite the fact that you cannot recollect the last time you sat and relaxed? 

Do you characterize stress as a necessary piece of your work or home life (“Things are always insane around here”) or as a piece of your character (“I have a ton of anxious energy”)? 

Do you blame your stress on others or general circumstances, or view it as altogether ordinary and unexceptional? 

Until you acknowledge the part you play in your stress, your stress level will remain excessive.

For what reason is it so important to manage stress?

If you are living with significant levels of stress, you are putting your whole being in danger.

Stress unleashes destruction on your mental well being, as well as your physical well being.

It limits your capacity to think, work, and appreciate life. It may appear as though there is no way around stress, and it is true stress will always exist, but there are ways to cope with it.

Stress management can help you to break the hold stress has on your life, so you can be more joyful, successful, and more flexible.

Be that as it may, stress management is not one-size-fits-all. That is the reason it is important to try and discover what works best for you.

Tips for Stress Management

The accompanying seven tips are from The American Psychological Association to help people develop a stress management plan:

Understand your stress 

Stress manifests differently for everyone, but by understanding what stress is like for you, you can be more prepared to manage it when the time comes. 

Distinguish your stress sources 

What makes you stressed? Be it work, family, change, or any of the other potential triggers, knowing what causes it can help you deal with it.

Figure out how to perceive stress signals 

We all perceive stress differently so it is important to know about your individual stress indications.

What are your internal alerts? Headaches, stomachaches, or trouble sleeping are just a few examples of symptoms of stress.

Know your stress strategies 

What is your go-to strategy for calming down and relaxing?

These practices are typically learned over the years and can evolve as an individual learns more about themselves.

Actualize healthy stress management strategies 

It is acceptable to be aware of any current unhealthy practices so you can change them to a healthy alternative.

For instance, if gorging salty snacks is your current go-to, you might want to reduce that and instead, call a friend to talk through your circumstance. 

You can exercise to release stress, recording your Garmin Stress score first.

Side Note: I have tried and tested various products and services to help with my anxiety and depression. See my top recommendations here, as well as a full list of all products and services our team has tested for various mental health conditions and general wellness.

Make self-care a priority 

When we make time for ourselves, we put our well being before anything else.

This can feel egotistical at first, yet it resembles what to do when a plane goes down – we should put our own breathing apparatus on first before we can help others.

The least difficult things that enhance our well being, for example, rest, nourishment, personal time, and exercise are regularly the ones neglected. 

Request support when required 

If you are feeling overwhelmed, ask for help.

There is nothing wrong with asking for support when in need. Plus, talking to others can also help diminish stress.

Strategies for stress management

Use reframing: This is a psychological action that includes taking a look at a stressor or negative circumstance and thinking about it (all things considered and honestly) in a positive or unbiased way.

Ordinarily, when something awful transpires, we get enveloped with the negative.

Be that as it may, this is a somewhat untrue view as there other things to look at when something happens. 

Strength tip: Use your strengths of basic reasoning to view any possible advantages to the stressor.

In some ways, this is like the old saying, “find the silver lining of every cloud.”

Improve your organization: Stress can be overseen through excellent organization.

Begin making your day to day agendas, dust off your calendars, and make a move by sorting out your weekly to do lists. 

Strength tip: The basic strength you use when organizing is foresight.

You can figure out how to plan efficiently and utilize your foresight to take stock every morning on what you need to get done. 

Learn to unwind: Where might a stress be without ways to unwind? Scores of studies have shown a significant connection to relaxing to overall stress levels. 

Strength tip: Unwinding includes the ability to give your body time to relax.

This can be through breathing exercises, yoga, or simply by giving yourself time to take a long bath.. 

Foster an easy-going mindset: The strength of being laid back has been shown to have an amazing impact on stress.

The individuals who are profoundly sympathetic to themselves, as well as other people, have a far less possibility of developing high stress levels.

One group of analysts, driven by Loren Toussaint, clarifies that being flexible takes the negative association between dysfunctional behavior and stress and makes it almost zero.

Without the ability to let things go, we experience stress in a more crude, unblocked way.

Strength tip: Find yourself dubious how to be more lenient? Start small, beginning with easily overlooked details.

When someone cuts you off in rush hour gridlock or appears to overlook your “welcome” at work, adopt a particular strategy of letting go. 

Practice self care: Thanks to the most recent many years of research on self care, there is currently a great measure of research showing care approaches help with stress from numerous points of view.

Taking care of yourself is of the utmost importance.

Strength tip: Try “the careful delay” which is a basic exercise in which you pause your thoughts when experiencing a stressor and mindfully relax for 15 seconds, followed by one inquiry for yourself — “how can I utilize one of my character strengths at this moment?”

Make positive moves with any character strength that springs up. 

Release your appreciation: The act of appreciation largely affects stress. Studies have shown that it is useful to stay aware of what you are grateful for when confronting alarming feelings because they can help ground you.

Strength tip: Start by setting up a daily practice. Record three things you are thankful for every night and why you are thankful for them.

If you keep it up over a long period of time, you will have many instances of appreciation to look over whenever feeling stressed.

Frequently Asked Questions

For more information on stress management, check out these books:

Everyday Stress Relief: Essential Techniques to Boost Emotional Resiliency and Improve Your Health

This book acts as a guide to help the reader understand and cope with their stress. Through given information, writing reflections, and mindfulness exercises, this book aims to support someone through their stress.

The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)

This book is intended to provide an opportunity for individuals to learn techniques to better help them cope with stress.

It includes sections that describes the how’s and why’s of stress and a workbook section for the reader to develop their own sense of managing their stress.

References

Epstein, R. (2011, September/October). Fight the frazzled mind. Scientific American Mind. www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fight-the-frazzled-mind

Freidlin, P., Littman-Ovadia, H., & Niemiec, R. M. (2017). Positive psychopathology: Social anxiety via character strengths underuse and overuse. Personality and Individual Differences, 108, 50-54. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2016.12.003

Gander, F., Proyer, R.T., Ruch, W., & Wyss, T. (2013). Strength-based positive interventions: Further evidence for their potential in enhancing well-being and alleviating depression. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14, 1241–1259. doi:10.1007/s10902-012-9380-0

Hames, J. L., & Joiner, T. E. (2012). Resiliency factors may differ as a function of self-esteem level: Testing the efficacy of two types of positive self-statements following a laboratory stressor. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 31(6), 641-662.

Niemiec, R. M. (2014). Mindfulness and character strengths: A practical guide to flourishing. Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe.

Niemiec, R. M. (2017). Character strengths interventions: A field-guide for practitioners. Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe.

Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York: Oxford University Press and Washington, D.C.:  American Psychological Association.

Rosmarin, D. H., Pargament, K. I., Pirutinsky, S., & Mahoney, A. (2010). A randomized controlled evaluation of a spiritually-integrated treatment for subclinical anxiety in the Jewish community. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 24, 799-808.

Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60, 410–421. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.60.5.410

Toussaint, L., Shields, G. S., Dorn, G., & Slavich, G. M. (2016). Effects of lifetime stress exposure on mental and physical health in young adulthood: How stress degrades and forgiveness protects health. Journal of Health Psychology, 21(6), 1004-1014. doi:10.1177/1359105314544132J

Wood, A. M., Linley, P. A., Matlby, J., Kashdan, T. B., & Hurling, R. (2011). Using personal and psychological strengths leads to increases in well-being over time: A clongitudinal study and the development of the strengths use questionnaire. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 15-19.