Practical Tips to Reduce Stress and Enhance Your Quality of Life

Have you heard this phrase? “Nothing is good in excess.”

It’s normal and good to have a little stress so that you can do what you need to do to stay focused while at work. When the normal level of stress is reached to such an extreme that it starts interfering with your daily life, this becomes a problem. It’s going to put a strain on both your mental and physical health and won’t make you productive.

Now the question arises: What does stress mean? It may be defined as

When we experience pressure, overwhelm, or fear, stress is our body’s way of responding. It’s a natural reaction when people feel they can’t make decisions or control situations. Well, I think it’s because of the great responsibility and feeling of pressure that your body begins to trigger hormones and chemical reactions.

There are two main types of stress, which are as follows:

#1) Acute stress

#2) Chronic stress

Acute stress is a state of tension that lasts between minutes and several hours, or even months. It’s considered to be short-term stress, and it can have an extremely intense effect for a very brief time. Unprecedented events, such as natural disasters, can cause acute stress.

Chronic stress, which lasts a long time and then reappears again, refers to this type of stress. It’s called long-term stress. When you are in a situation that feels very difficult to handle or control, you may find yourself feeling more and more stressed.

If stress is not relieved in time, it can lead to problems such as MH or PH. Stress can cause MH problems if not addressed properly, which can make mental health poor and existing MH problems worse.

• If you’re going through a lot of stress in your life, this may create some mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, or even a long time of stress that can create the problems of PTSD, sleep problems, and thinking and memory problems.
• Stress is responsible for creating physical health problems too, which are as follows: diabetes, heart disease, stroke, reproductive issues, digestive problems, skin diseases, and weight problems.

We find ourselves in a state of consciousness where we have no idea how things are going for us or what it’s like. It will help us understand the specific problem by showing a low level of awareness and noticing symptoms that correspond to our current situation.

* Behavioral signs: eating more or less, sleeping too much or too little, withdrawal or isolation, taking alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax

* Physical signs: aches and pains, dizziness, colds or flu, chest pain, rapid heart rate, diarrhea, or constipation

*Emotional signs: general unhappiness, anxiety or depression, anger, irritability, moodiness, loneliness, and other mental health problems

*Psychological signs: constant worrying, memory problems, anxious or racing thoughts, inability to focus

Well, there is not a single cause of stress. Many factors may contribute to stress, known as causes of stress.

Stress can be caused by two factors, both internal and external.

Various internal factors that contribute to stress

• Being a pessimist, seeing only the negative
• Unrealistic expectations
• Perfectionism outlook on life
• Inability to accept uncertainty

The common external factors contributing to the stress are:

• Financial problems
• Workplace
• Relationship issues
• Major life-changing events
• Family troubles

Some major stressful life events that can contribute to sickness

• Death of a close family member
• Divorce/ separation
• Injury
• Marriage reconciliation
• Job loss or unemployment
• Retirement
• Breakup

Practical ways to manage stress 

There are many ways to cope with stress and help you reduce stress effectively.

Go to Mother Nature and walk in nature for at least 30 minutes a day, which will have a positive effect on your health.

Regular exercise can reduce stress, and many symptoms associated with mental health problems may be improved by doing regular physical activity such as walking, jogging, or running.

Be kind to yourself; take care of yourself fully, which includes taking care of your mind, body, and soul. Do self-care activities regularly: one for the mind, one for the body, and one for the soul.

Reduce stress at the moment. There are several ways to reduce stress quickly. By taking deep breaths until you get a sense of calm, Use your senses—seeing, hearing, tasting, and touching things—to bring it right now. Or you can relax instantly by listening to a favorite song, watching a feel-good movie, hugging your pet, or smelling some kind of scent.

Do something you enjoy every day—make time for fun and relaxation activities that bring you joy and happiness. Watching something funny that makes you laugh recharges the batteries.

Connect to others. Connect; we’re social animals. To survive, we must have that human connection. Do not choose to suffer silently, knowing you can’t do anything on your own, because this will only make the problem worse. Tell someone you trust, and if you don’t have a close friend or can’t share it with your family member, You can join an emotional support group of your choice; there are a lot of help groups available online.

Express your feelings. Do not drown your feelings when something or someone disturbs you; share your feelings and give yourself a voice because keeping things inside is going to make it more difficult for you to cope. To express how you feel, try to do a daily journal exercise.

Remove any unhealthy ways that you were using to cope with stress. Unhealthy ways can reduce stress, but only for a short period of time. It’s going to provide you with instant relief, but it won’t last forever.

In the long run, they’ll do us more damage. Quit smoking or drinking, don’t eat junk food, don’t withdraw from others, and stop taking out your stress on others (e.g., lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence).

USE THE 4 A’S TO EFFECTIVELY REDUCE STRESS

Avoiding, Accepting, Altering, and Adapting

Avoid the things or people that make you stressed. Make sure you don’t get into red-button issues and unnecessary stress. Accept some things that are out of your hands and out of control. Don’t try to control the uncontrollable or change what you can’t.

If you’re able to, change the situation and make peace with yourself.

Adapt; if you’re not going to be able to make a difference in the situation, adapt yourself. Reshape your problem by replacing negative thinking with positive thinking. Practice gratitude.

A Gentle Reminder to Readers!

If you or someone you know is super stressed about something or going through something, that is not a big deal for you or anybody else. Don’t make them feel so small that they’re not able to handle something that seems so easy for you or anybody else to manage. The truth is, everyone is unique in their own way, and we all have different personalities. So our ways of responding to stress can be different. It can differ from person to person according to their personalities or some other factors in their lives.

In short, don’t judge and be kind because you don’t know what someone else is going through!

After reading this article, you will be equipped to cope with stress. Even if you are not stressed out, maybe you know someone who is. Use this information to help them and make their world a better place.