Stress Less

If you are anything like the typical American in society today then you are bombarded with some sort of stress on an everyday basis. Stressful situations are consistently around us and can be hard to avoid. Avoiding stress isn’t the problem, it’s how we deal with the stress that is the problem. We as humans tend to go from one extreme to the next when we deal with stress. Stress comes in many forms… relationships, work, the need to be successful or to be perfect, and then not having enough time to complete everything … I really could go on and on.

I used to be a compulsive stressor, (yes it’s still an ongoing struggle for me, but what in life isn’t a journey?) what I realized was what needed to change wasn’t what I was putting on my plate to complete, but it was my mentality about it. We all have coping mechanisms when it comes to the stress in our lives, usually comes in either ignoring the situation as long as possible then having a full blown panic attack until the stressful situation is over. Stress is not only harmful to us mentally (where we feel like we are going insane), but stress affects our bodies in a very physically detrimental way.

So the question is when we feel stressed what are some things to do to calm ourselves down? I ran across a list of ways to stress less and I added some of my own… now I’m sharing them with you!

First thing on my list of ways to minimize stress in our lives is Laugh More. How often in life do we tend to take ourselves too seriously? I know I do. Laughing is a natural stress reliever, this is because it reduces stress hormones such as cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), and dopamine. So laugh it up! Nobody feels horrible after a good laugh, unless you laugh in an absolutely inappropriate situation, we’ve all been there (some more than others… why is everything funnier when you know you aren’t allowed to laugh??). Secondly, Breathe. Sometimes all we need in a stressful situation is to take a step back and breathe. Life can look daunting when we are trapped in the middle of the storm, but when we take a look at the whole picture we more often than not realize it isn’t as bad as we think. Sometimes all we need is a little air to remember we are rock stars and we’ve made it through 100% of stressful situations so far. Get Organized. If you are anything like me, then you understand that clutter adds twice as much stress. You are franticly running from mess to mess, forgetting important details and remembering things that aren’t important. If you have a mess of schedule, try getting a planner and writing down what needs to get done for the day, week, month exc. Believe me it’ll help… and you don’t have to get all complicated and color-code, sticky note, or freak out cause you miswrote something (I might have a small problem… I know). Third, Pray. In my opinion there isn't a more comforting thought then knowing there is a God out there who cares about me and my problems. Sometimes saying a quick prayer is all it takes to calm me down because it is no longer in my hands and whatever happens I can now trust it’s for my best wellbeing. Serve Others. Stress, 99% of the time is because we are focused solely one thing... ourselves. When we serve others the focus shifts from a “me” mentality to the greater good of others. It takes us out of our little me focused life and paints us a bigger picture of the world. Our problems turn into small things in comparison to what others are going through. Work Out. This could not be a truer fact especially in my life. Every time I go to the gym I feel like a whole different, happier person. When we exercise our body releases endorphins which creates a drug-like effect and makes us relax and become happy. In the words of Elle Woods, in Legally Blonde, (yes, I know this quote) “Exercise gives you endorphins - endorphins make you happy and happy people don’t shoot their husbands… they just don’t”. So get your exercise people…! Think of the Good Times. Nothing makes me feel better than thinking about good times. It makes me remember that my life isn’t always a disaster and in fact I have it pretty good. For everything there is a season, but the thing to remember is that seasons end… stay strong. Get Hugs. Now for the people out there who are all into the touchy and feely this is an easy thing to ask, but if you don’t really like to be touched... at all, then this step might at first make you feel more stressed. However, we need hugs, human interaction is a good thing! I do not like hugs nor do I like asking for them, but if I'm stressed and someone gives me a hug I feel 100% better. Talk About It. Most of the time in life we don’t need someone’s opinion, we need to just hear ourselves speak and we usually can figure it out on our own. So pick a best friend that owes you a listen and just talk away. Another thing that happens when we talk through things is that we realize the problem isn’t as big as we have made it up in our minds to be. Finally Smile. Fact of life is that it is next to impossible to be upset or stressed if you are wearing a beautiful smile on your face. Smiling is the perfect way of tricking your brain into believing you aren’t stressed until you actually calm down.

Well there is my list of what to do when you are feeling stressed. I’m sure there are many more ways to calm ourselves down, but it’s a start. The best thing to keep in mind when stressing out is to remember that you’ve always made it through situations in the past and worry isn’t going to do anything for you except lower your immune system and make you sick. So smile because you got this!! J