What stress management techniques can help hardworking individuals?
- Learn to say “no”
- Step away from the stressor
- Take deep breaths
- Go for a walk
- Treat yourself
Stress—everyone who’s anyone has experienced and continues to experience it in their everyday lives. At some point, we’ve all believed that there’s nothing that can be done about stress. No amount of medication or products from Unilever Network Philippines will relieve us of the pressure and allow us to regain control.
While this is a common belief, it is also the exact kind of thinking that will prevent us from avoiding stress. In reality, we have a lot more control over our lives than we think and that is the secret to managing stress. Realizing that we have the power to change things is the first and most important step in stress management.
Once you’ve had this realization and have regained control of our lives, you can then make use of these stress management techniques that are sure to help you out whenever you’re in unhealthy stressful situations.
Learn to Say “No”
Some people have a hard time saying “no” to people both on a professional and personal level and it is often the cause of unnecessary stress. Agreeing to everything and putting too much on your plate is a definite recipe for stress.
Now, this is a hard thing to unlearn as we’ve been taught that saying no is impolite, so treat it is a process and take one small step at a time. You can politely say no to a colleague’s invitation if you really aren’t up to eat out or see a movie.
There’s also no shame in saying no to your supervisors who are asking you to report on holidays and rest days or are generally just looking to increase your workload especially if you know that it will only lead to disaster.
Step Away from the Stressor
It’s not always healthy to avoid stressful situations; some you have to face head-on and address appropriately. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to put up with everything that is causing you stress. In fact, you’ll be surprised at the number of stressors that you can eliminate.
If, for example, there’s someone that is constantly causing stress in your life, then limit the time you spend with the person. If the relationship becomes toxic and neither parties are benefitting, then consider terminating the relationship completely.
Take Deep Breaths
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and need to find balance and clear your head, then take slow deep breaths. This is the oldest trick in the book but it is also one of the easiest and most effective stress management techniques.
Simply inhale for five seconds, hold your breath, and exhale through the nose in equal counts. It also helps to imagine the stress melting away as you exhale. You can do this once you’re starting to feel stressed or anytime during the day just to maintain your composure.
The trick here is that you are allowing your mind and body to focus on a single activity. Through practice, you’ll be able to apply this to different aspects of your life beyond just breathing.
Go for a Walk
Notice how people in the movies love to abruptly end an argument and go for long walks? Then the film cuts to a clip of them talking to themselves as they walk along parks or sidewalks. After a few minutes, they then return home with a clearer mind and the argument is settled in a peaceful manner.
While most of the things we see in movies are fabricated and don’t work in real life, this one, in particular, is quite accurate. Going for a long walk or doing some kind of exercise when your stressed—or in their case, mad—can be a huge reliever.
The activity prompts your body to release endorphins which make you feel good and serves as a distraction from your negative thoughts. A short 10-minute walk is enough to make you think clearly and more reasonably, allowing you to tackle the situation in a much smarter and civilized manner.
Treat Yourself
Treating yourself is one of the best ways to relieve stress, but it should be done in moderation. You can’t treat yourself to something pretty or something delicious every single day. That’s just wasting money and we can guarantee that you won’t be feeling good by the end of it.
The best way is to actually treat yourself with massage therapy. Massages reduce the levels of cortisol—the stress hormone—in our body which leads to better moods and lower blood pressure. While doing this, it will also boost serotonin and dopamine which, in high levels, help reduce the risk of depression and anxiety.
However, this doesn’t mean that massages are the only way you can relieve stress. You can buy something that you’ve had your eye on or eat at a fancy restaurant. Anything that will make you feel good but won’t have you waking up with buyer’s remorse.
Key Takeaway
Living with high levels of stress puts your entire well-being at risk. It ruins your emotional equilibrium as well as your physical health. When you’re constantly stressed, you also lose the ability to think clearly and function effectively. More importantly, you lose the ability to enjoy life.
It would be nice if stress could be removed by consuming products from Unilever Network Philippines or taking medication, but that’s just not how it works – at least for most of us. This is why it is important to learn effective stress management techniques that are practical and doable.
There are many others stress management techniques but the 5 listed here are some of the most effective. They’re also the easiest ones to do and only one of them calls for the use of money. So if you ever find yourself in a stressful situation, consider doing one or two of the things listed above and the result might just surprise you!