Conquering Stress: Understanding the Causes and How to Relax

Stress comes in two forms:

·  Eustress

·  Distress

Eustress is the good kind; it makes you feel excited, motivated, and improves performance. It’s the distress that most of us experience for many different reasons, whether it’s caused from the workplace environment, relationships to finances, medical conditions, or something else entirely.

Distress affects our mind and body in many different ways:

·  Rapid breathing and heart rate

·  Changes to testosterone and menstrual cycle

·  Anxiety, depression, and irritability

·  Body aches and pains

We all experience some form of distress in our day-to-day lives. Being able to identify when the stress is coming on and how to cope with it will allow you to relax and avoid the negative aspects.

As someone who experiences a great deal of anxiety I have a few things to say about dealing with stress and finding what works for dealing with it.

A. Keep a stress log

It may sound tedious but it would be worth your while to keep a journal to record each instance of when you feel stressed. You can keep this journal with an ordinary pen & paper or use one of your note taking apps on your phone.

By documenting the moment you feel overly stressed you can later reflect on what may have caused the discomfort. For example – if by the end of the work day you were irritated you may be able to identify the cause as a coworker that continuously interrupted your workflow; you can then address the situation with that coworker the following day.

B. Make peace with yourself

Most of the stress you experience is caused from outside forces but many times we trick ourselves into believing that we somehow caused the situation. Don’t beat yourself up over something you have no control over; you need to make peace with yourself.

There are a few different ways you can go about doing so:

· Practice meditation

· Take five minutes to do slow, controlled breathing

· Consider relaxing by using a massage chair to ease the physical tension

· Indulge in a comfort food

· Watch a relaxing video or listen to chill-out tunes

C. Find a way to vent

Suppressing your stress will only lead to a greater break down; it’s a terrible feeling when your body goes into shock because of the immense amount of stress, which is why it’s important that you find some kind of outlet to vent and take out some of your frustration.

Venting is easy (choose one):

·  Find a quiet place and shout it out

·  Create a new journal as a way to transfer the stress to words

·  Talk with your significant other or a close friend

·  Take up a sport or some physical activity

·  Do something you’ve always wanted to do (without feeling guilty)

Remember: you’re letting off steam – but don’t go as far as to self-harm (or harm others) in the process.

Don’t let it conquer you

The more you allow stress to control your life the more likely you’ll begin to accept it as a fact of life. You begin to convince yourself that you are perpetually sick. You’ll have trouble concentrating, you’ll begin to slip on work, and all of it compounds into additional distress.

Dealing with stress starts from within. You should first take the time to identify how it starts (use the journal), then find a way to vent your frustration (in a safe manner), and finally use gadgets, food, and other resources to unwind. Create a routine of destressing after a tough day of work; the more you make this a routine the less likely these stressors will have a substantial impact on your day.

Don’t let it conquer you. You conquer IT!

Author: Ravi Kumarr Gupta

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