How to Handle Stress and Anxiety
In this post, we explore some ways to handle stress and anxiety to promote one’s overall health and increase productivity.
It’s normal to get to a point where everything becomes quite overwhelming and you find yourself stuck in a stressed and anxious situation. Stress and anxiety can be caused by many factors such as lack of finances, too much workload, relationship issues, family issues, etc.
Though ending up in stressful and anxious situations can happen, it is best to ensure that you don’t remain in that position for a long time.
Below, we explore some helpful tips to get you out of your stressful and anxious state.
Steps on How to Handle Stress and Anxiety
Take a break:
When one is feeling overwhelmed, one of the best things to do is take a break. Pause, stop whatever you’re doing, breathe, go out for some fresh air, practice yoga, listen to music, meditate, go on a vacation, do things that you love. A break is the best first step to take when trying to tackle negative emotions.
Eat well-balanced and nutritious meals
Try as much as possible not to skip meals, eat snacks that boost your energy, drink lots of water and eat foods that supply enough nutrients to your body like fruits, vegetables, proteins, and fibers. No matter what you are facing, ensure that you are not hungry because hunger has a way of increasing one’s stress levels.
Reduce your intake of alcohol and caffeine
Alcohol and caffeine will only aggravate your stress and anxiety levels. To truly live a stress-free life, ensure you limit or avoid alcohol and caffeine intake.
Sleep well
When you are feeling stressed and anxious, do not deprive yourself of sleep. 8 hours of sleep for the average adult is important to keep your body system in check. Lack of sleep will only worsen your situation.
Exercise on a daily basis
Get your body moving on a daily basis. No matter how busy you are, try to get in at least 20minutes of exercise daily. Whether it’s walking, running, hitting the gym, exercise has a way of helping one ease off stress. When you exercise, your body releases what is known as “oxytocin” or “happy hormones”. These hormones help to keep you relaxed, you feel lighter, more confident, and determined to take on the day.
Don’t put pressure on yourself
Rather than aiming for perfection, do what you can at the moment. Enjoy the process and stages in life and don’t take on more than you can handle. When you set unrealistic goals and set a lot of high expectations for yourself, you become stressed and anxious when it looks like things aren’t playing that way.
Smile and Laugh More
Studies have shown that it takes more muscles in your face to frown than it takes to smile. Choose to be that person who embraces joy no matter the situation. Worry solves nothing, so maintain a positive attitude. Laugh more, live more, and love more.
Volunteer
Get involved in activities that bring help to others, it has a way of giving you a sense of fulfillment.
Study what triggers your stress and anxiety
Studying patterns is important. Try to sit down and identify some of the things that make you stressed out and write them out. Writing them out will help you remember them so that when they come up, you know how best to handle the situation.
Talk about how you feel
When you are feeling overwhelmed, it is always best to speak with someone about it. The person may be a friend, family member, partner, counselor, etc. Just ensure that you trust the person enough to be open about your feelings. Remember, “a problem shared, is a problem half solved.”
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