Stressed Out

Chapter 4

Managing and preventing stress are similar, but have some differences. You manage your stress if you already know you have chronic stress. There are many ways you can manage your chronic stress.

Take time out whenever you feel stressed out or overwhelmed. Take deep breaths, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Count to ten then resume with what you were previously doing. Do not have too high of expectancies for yourself. Try your best, because your best is always enough.

Make sure the meals you are eating are well balanced, and do not skip any meals. Limit alcohol and caffeine, which can aggravate anxiety and trigger panic attacks.

Exercise daily. But it is advised to not do intense sessions of workout each day, you can critically injure yourself that way. It is recommended to do exercises that have low or medium intensity for 30 to 45 minutes. Yoga is also helpful since it stretches out your muscles which help them relax and you usually take deep breaths.

It is also important to get the right amount of sleep that your body needs. If you sleep too long you wouldn't be able to sleep the next night which makes you too sleeping the day after that and so on. It is helpful to have designated times to sleep and to wake up everyday. Naps are also disruptive to your sleeping pattern. If you get just the right amount of sleep you should be able to have energy throughout the day, which helps you focus and achieve goals, and once it's time for you to sleep you will be tired and fall asleep very easily.

Accept that you can not control everything. In other word, do not be a control freak. Everything happens for a reason, regardless as to if the results are bad or good. If you do not believe that everything happens for a reason, remember that for every action, there is an opposite reaction. Each decision made by anyone changes the world in either a monumental way or in a small way. But each decision leads a different road. Look at the bigger picture, try to view the stressful situations from a more positive perspective, ask yourself how important it will be in the long run. Is it really worth getting all upset for? If not, focus your time and energy elsewhere.

Welcome humor, and maintain a positive attitude. Remember to "look on the bright side of things".

People often enjoy the feeling of sorrow or depression. If you asked someone if they had, they would probably deny it, but we've all had those days when you're feeling sad and your friends try to make you laugh so you try to appear indifferent, hiding the smile or laugh trying to surface. My theory as to why people do this is either because they want to attract attention. Or that they want to feel important. If all your friends tried to cheer you up, it becomes pretty clear as to how much they care about you. Of course these are just my theories, but I know when I'm around my friends you'd be able to hear my horrendous laugh a hundred miles away. Welcome friends and family, do not isolate yourself. If you think they would not understand, you would be surprised at what they have been through. Talk about it, nothing feels better than ranting about something to people you trust, and finding out that they can relate to it. It is always good to feel that you are not alone. Let it out! Never bottle up your feelings, there is always someone willing to listen.

It also helps to get involved. Volunteer in your community, nothing is a louder wake up then seeing that there are people that are less fortunate than you. People also like to feel needed and wanted, like they have a purpose, helping your community strengthens those feelings. Develop self-compassion and forgiveness.

Distract yourself with music, sports, games, books, or try something new. Recruit some friends, never be by yourself. If you are going to try something new, find a friend to do it with you. Try meditating! Meditation and mindful prayers help the body focus and relax. Set small goals but nothing too big that would cause you stress to achieve said goals.

Never resort to drugs, alcohol, smoking, stress eating, procrastinating, zoning out for hours looking on your phone, busying yourself with little tasks to avoid facing problems, taking out your stress on others, or isolation. These things will just worsen your mental and physical health.

Smoking, drugs, and alcohol are never the answer. They might make you feel better or forget for a short period of time but they are all bad for your body and they do not cause your problems to magically go away. Alcohol also kills brain cells.

If worse comes to worse, consult a therapist, or psychologist. If you have tried all these methods and you still do not feel like you have got your stress under control, see a specialist.