Dealing with Stress: 8 Stress Management Tips

8 Tips for Stress Management

Fixing your mind on a deadline and realizing that time is already against you, you feel pressure, tension builds and stresses slowly comes in.

Stress invades people’s lives all the time, for some even daily. Life gets hard and it’s difficult to juggle all the things life throws at us. It’s important that we get our stress levels under control because frequently elevated levels of stress are toxic to the human body and can cause heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.

No amount of caffeine, alcohol or nicotine can help you deal with stress, dealing with stress is an intentional move you have to take for yourself and it is easier than you may think to decrease your stress levels. Here are 8 simple steps.

Step 1: Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine.

Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and do not decrease your levels of stress; they increase them. Alcohol is a depressant in large amounts and a stimulant in small amounts, making it bad for you to take as a way of relieving stress. Instead of reaching for the wine/beer, caffeine, or nicotine, grab some water or herbal tea. These are hydrating and provide you with stress relief.

Step 2: Try doing some physical activity.

Stress releases hormones in your body known as adrenaline and cortisol. Releasing some of these hormones can help your stress levels go down. Walking, stretching and even some beginner’s Yoga can help you.

Stress Tip –Step 3:  Get more sleep.

Not getting enough sleep is a direct correlation to high-stress levels. However, stress sometimes prevents us from relaxing enough to fall asleep. If you are having this issue, try taking a warm bath or reading before bedtime. Another good tip is going to bed at roughly the same time every night. This creates a routine for you to follow, naturally decreasing your stress.

Step 4. Try relaxation techniques.

Every day, try a different stress-reducing technique. You can try being mindful or meditating as these are very simple and easy to do anywhere. I personally like the Insight Timer App. You could also attempt saying one word repeatedly to yourself that holds meaning for you. Don’t worry if these relaxation tips don’t work right off the bat. Relaxation is a skill that takes time to master.

Management Tip – Step 5. Talk to someone you trust and who can help.

Letting someone know how you feel is a great way to reduce your stress. Many people have said that it’s like a weight being lifted off their shoulders. Stress can cloud our minds and prevent us from thinking clearly. Talking through your situation with someone can help you figure out a solution to what you’re stressing about.

Step 6. Keep a diary.

Keeping a journal and writing down your thoughts and emotions will help you become more aware of what you’re feeling. Write down the date and place the stressful event occurred. Also include what you were doing and how you felt, both emotionally and physically. Writing everything down will enable you to avoid another stressful situation and you’ll discover some new coping mechanisms.

See the Opt In at the bottom of this post for your Free Journal.

Step 7. Manage your time.

Many people experience stress when they run out of time to do important things. With a schedule to follow you can ensure that you get all of your important tasks done in a timely manner. Having all your work done on time will help to decrease some stress.

Here’s a free downloadable planner sheet to help you with #7

Managing Stress –Step 8. Learn to say “No”.

It’s easy to believe that you have all the time in the world and can juggle one more thing in your life. But sometimes you need to remember that you have so many other important things that need to be juggled. There’s only a certain amount of hours in a day, making it hard to get multiple things done.

 Take care of yourself. Stress invades everyone’s lives but dealing with stress is manageable. Know that everything will get better and the thing that’s causing you so much stress won’t be a worry to you down the road.

Here’s another article from The Positivity Blog on dealing with stress.

I hope you find it helpful in conjunction with my 8 tips.

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