Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Relaxing the Body
• Method 2 of 4: Relaxing your mind
• Method 3 of 4: Taking Action
• Method 4 of 4: Reflecting on Stress
• Tips
• Warnings

Stress is extreme emotional or mental stress. Tension turns into stress when a person feels they are not doing well. Everyone reacts differently to stress, and different factors can cause this condition. More often than not, stress arises from work, relationships, and money. Stress affects how you feel, what you think, and how you behave. It also affects how your body works. Common signs of stress include anxiety, restless thoughts, trouble sleeping, sweating, loss of appetite, inability to concentrate, and other symptoms. You should learn how to deal with stress in order to prevent the development of serious complications that affect your mental and physical well-being.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Relaxing the Body

1. 1 Start exercising. Just 30-45 minutes of exercise three times a week will make you healthier and keep your life in check.Research has shown that exercise can combat stress, relieve symptoms of depression, and improve thinking ability. Sport also promotes the production of endorphins, substances that induce positive feelings. Here are some easy ways to exercise:
   • Start running. Running allows your body to release endorphins and you will feel good after your workout. Set a goal for yourself - for example, run 10 or 20 kilometers. This will help you stay motivated and it will be easier for you to overcome difficulties.
   • Buy a pool pass and start swimming the mile every day. The immersion in water will make you feel stronger and get rid of all negative thoughts. It is also a great sport for those with joint and muscle pain.
   • Sign up for yoga. Yoga is not only good for the physical condition of the body - it also teaches proper breathing and curbing the flow of unpleasant thoughts.
   • Start playing a group sport - bowling, volleyball, softball. You will be able to chat with new people and exercise. In other words, such a sport is beneficial both from the point of view of communication and from the point of view of health.
   • Start hiking. You will be less nervous if you spend more time outdoors and breathe fresh air.
2. 2 Get a massage. Massage helps to calm down. It is a good way to relax and release physical and emotional stress. You can massage your neck, forearms, and palms yourself, ask a friend to help you, or even visit a salon.
   • A professional massage can be expensive, but well worth the money. The therapist can literally squeeze the tension out of your body. Compare prices in different salons.
   • Massage can also be used as a foreplay in intimate relationships. If your partner is ready to help you, ask him to massage your feet or neck and see what happens.
3. 3 Eat right. Good nutrition can help you relieve tension. A body that receives all the nutrients it needs can cope with physical and emotional challenges. In addition, stress has been linked to overeating. When a person is stressed, he tries to eat high-calorie fatty foods. If you intend to deal with stress, pay special attention to your diet. Try doing it like this:
   • Eat a full breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so you need to eat more healthy carbs (like oatmeal), protein (turkey, ham), and fruits and vegetables.
   • There should be three balanced meals a day. Skipping meals despite being busy and stressed can help you tidy up your routine and get the energy you need.
   • Snacking on the right food at the right time will give you enough energy for the day. Carry an apple, banana, or a handful of almonds with you. Avoid food that is unhealthy and makes you sleepy (sugary foods and drinks).
   • Cut back on caffeine and sugar. Caffeine and sugar can temporarily give you strength, but soon your energy drops and your good mood deteriorates. Reducing the amount of these nutrients in your diet can help you sleep better as well.
4. 4 Start using herbs and teas that can help you fight stress. A range of herbs and teas have a calming effect on humans, fighting insomnia caused by stress, anxiety and anger. Check with your doctor before use. Most often, under stress conditions, they take:
   • Chamomile. This plant is very popular for its many medicinal properties and wide availability. Most often, chamomile is brewed as tea. Chamomile relieves stress symptoms including insomnia and indigestion.
   • Passionflower. This herb is used in the treatment of sleep disorders, anxiety and digestive problems.In recent studies, passionflower has been shown to fight anxiety just as effectively as artificial drugs. Passion flower is usually brewed like tea.
   • Lavender. Research has shown that lavender has a calming, relaxing and sedative effect when inhaled. For this reason, lavender is often used in essential oils, tea, soaps, shower gels and body milk, and other industrial products.
   • Valerian root. Valerian root is used to treat anxiety and insomnia, but it cannot be taken for more than a month.
5. 5 Change your sleep schedule. You cannot deprive yourself of sleep - it is very important for health. By adjusting your sleep schedule, you can relieve stress, as sleep affects memory, judgment, and mood. The researchers found that most people would feel happier if they slept 60-90 minutes more every night.
   • Typically, a person needs 7-9 hours a night to get enough sleep. Excessive sleep or a lack of sleep can cause lethargy and inability to cope with their affairs.
   • Try to get the same amount of sleep every night. You shouldn't sleep 5 hours a week, and then 10 hours on weekends, otherwise your fatigue will only worsen.
   • Go to bed and wake up around the same time every day. This will improve your routine and make it easier for you to fall asleep and wake up.
   • Relax in bed for an hour before bed. Read, listen to calm music, make a diary entry. Do not watch TV or use a mobile phone, as this will make it harder to calm down and tune in to sleep.
6. 6 Listen to your body often. Many people separate their physical from their soul, but it will be helpful to assess how they feel and mentally scan your body to understand the impact of stress on it.
   • Lie on your back or sit with your feet on the floor. Look at your big toes and go all the way down to the scalp to get an idea of ​​how you feel and where the tension is. Don't do anything to relax the body parts - just understand where the tension is.
   • Lie quietly for a few minutes, trying to breathe in air with all parts of your body from head to toe. Imagine that air fills every part of your body when you think about it.
7. 7 Relax. Place a warm compress or cloth on your neck and shoulders, leave it on for 10 minutes, and close your eyes. Try to relax your face, neck, and shoulders.
   • You can use a tennis ball or massage ball. Massage your head, neck and shoulder muscles where tension usually builds up. Place the ball between your back and the wall or floor - choose the position in which it is easier and more comfortable for you to be. Press on the ball and press lightly on your back for 30 seconds. Then move the ball to a different location and do the same.

Method 2 of 4: Relaxing your mind

1. 1 Read it. Reading is a great way to relax your mind and gain new knowledge. It is also a good way to wake up the brain in the morning and put it to sleep at night. Whether you're reading a story or a romance novel, immersion in another world will help you relax your brain. Just 6 minutes of reading can reduce stress by two-thirds.
   • Try reading to classical music before bed - it may help.
   • To protect your eyes, read in good light. Dim all lights except for the bedside lamp to make it easier for you to get into rest and relaxation mode.
   • If you enjoy reading, but you also want to communicate, sign up for a reading club. It's a great way to read more and meet new people. You can kill two birds with one stone: do something you enjoy and start chatting with other people.
2. 2 Think positively. Try to think good things and enjoy what is happening to you every day.Psychologists have found that both optimists and pessimists often experience unpleasant situations, but optimists cope with them better.
   • Think about three little things every day for which you are grateful. It will remind you of the good things in your life, even if you are under stress. Thinking positively will help you see what is happening from a different angle.
3. 3 Laugh often. Laughter has been shown to fight stress. Many doctors believe that humor can help you recover from illness and surgery. Research even suggests that every smile boosts your mood and makes you happier.
   • Laughter stimulates the production of endorphins, substances in the brain that lift your mood.
   • Humor allows you to regain strength. It helps you see things in a new light. It helps to get the stress out of your head. Humor allows you to laugh at the government. Humor helps to see what worries a person from a new perspective. Laughter and humor are powerful tools for seeing the world in a different way.
4. 4 Breathe deeply. If you make your breathing deeper, you can turn on the relaxation mechanism. Deep breathing is also known as diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, slow respiration. Deep breathing stimulates the full flow of oxygen into the body, that is, the incoming oxygen completely replaces the exhaled carbon dioxide. This can help slow your heart rate and stabilize or even lower your blood pressure.
   • Find a calm and comfortable place where you can sit or lie down. Take a regular breath or two to calm yourself down. Then try to breathe deeply: breathe in slowly through your nose so that your chest and stomach swell as the air fills your lungs. Let the belly puff up to the limit. Don't hold your breath - this mistake is made quite often. Then begin to exhale slowly with your mouth (or nose - do as you like). When you get used to it, move on to normal breathing. Sit down, close your eyes, and start breathing deeply while imagining something pleasant or repeating a thought or phrase that helps you relax.
   • Why doesn't shallow breathing have the same effect? Shallow breathing, on the other hand, limits the movement of the diaphragm. When a person breathes shallowly, oxygen does not reach the lower lobes of the lungs, which causes shortness of breath and anxiety.
5. 5 Think about self-awareness. Self-awareness exercises are exercises that help pay attention to the moment, which allows a person to adjust their train of thought and feelings that arise as a reaction to events. These techniques can help you fight stress and keep it under control. Meditation, breathing, yoga are often used as such methods.
   • Try meditating on your own if you can't go to yoga. You can do this anywhere and for as long as you want. Just 20 minutes of meditation can relieve stress. All you need to do is find a comfortable, quiet place, place your hands in a comfortable way, close your eyes and concentrate on breathing. Think about your current feelings and your body. Pay attention to every breath and the smallest pain. Try to get rid of any negative or disturbing thoughts, and this is perhaps the hardest part of the process. Most importantly, breathe. If you notice that your thoughts have gone the other way, start counting in and out. Try meditating right after waking up or before going to bed.

Method 3 of 4: Taking Action

1. 1 Let go of what's bothering you. Realize that you cannot control everything. There will always be moments of stress in your life, but you can reduce your exposure to stress by removing as much of what is causing it as possible and learning how to deal with the stress that remains.
   • It will be helpful to refer to your diary and re-read the entries to find out which of the stressors is not dependent on you - for example, traffic congestion, the attitude of your boss, colleagues, the economic situation in the country, and so on.
   • It is not easy to realize that you cannot control everything, but in the end it can help you. For example, in the process of awareness, you may realize that you control only your thoughts and behavior. You cannot influence what your boss thinks of you or what your wife's parents say about you. It is important to think about how you will manage your response to these actions. This will help you understand who you are and what you are capable of.
2. 2 Deal with stressful situations right away. Don't put off problems or avoid them - tackle them. You are unlikely to be able to independently get rid of all the things that worry you, but you can at least weaken their impact to some extent and, more importantly, prevent the situation from getting worse, because otherwise stress will begin to negatively affect your mental and physical state.
   • Deal with problems at work. If you feel overwhelmed or not appreciated, talk to your manager calmly and to the point. If you feel like you're doing too many chores, find a way to work half an hour less a day — you can get rid of distractions and unnecessary interruptions. Try to solve problems in a way that lessens the impact of one of the stressors without causing additional problems. Learn to be persuasive so that your needs are taken seriously.
   • Deal with relationship problems. If you're worried about a relationship with a partner, relative, or friend, it's better to talk about it than wait to see what happens next. The sooner you talk about the tension in the relationship that is bothering you, the sooner you can begin to address the problem.
   • Deal with small matters that you never got around to. Sometimes the cause of stress is the heap of small things that accumulate from day to day. If you feel that there are too many things to do, start doing them. Make a list of all of these responsibilities (such as changing the oil in the car or fixing a tooth) that hang over you, and think about how many of them you can complete in a month. Lists are very useful - they will gradually get shorter as you cross out items from there.
3. 3 Get all your belongings in order. If you start to keep order, plan ahead, and prepare for important things, you will be less nervous. To begin with, you should create a diary in which you could write down all your meetings, all things and everything else that you have planned (for example, a yoga class or a trip out of town). This will help you know exactly what you will be doing each week and each month. You will have a better understanding of what you need to do for all activities and how to prepare for them.
   • Tidy up your short term plans. If you are worried about an upcoming trip, try to find out all the details about this event in advance to avoid surprises. Knowing what lies ahead will help you better control the situation and make it easier to deal with unforeseen circumstances.
   • Get your belongings organized. If you get rid of unnecessary junk, your life will become more orderly. This may take some effort on your part, but the benefits will outweigh the time taken. Get rid of what you no longer need and don't use (old clothes, electronic devices, small gadgets), and clean up your closets so that they are convenient to use. Try to maintain this order and cleanliness in the house. Every evening for 10-15 minutes, sort things and throw away what you don't need, and wash and put the rest in its place.A clean and spacious room will help you clear your mind.
4. 4 Review your commitments. There are obligations that exist beyond your will, but there are also obligations that you can manage. Very often people agree to do things that do not bring them pleasure, cause anxiety, or distract from more important things. One of the reasons why people feel stressed is due to an excess of responsibilities, as a result of which a person feels that he does not have enough time for what he is interested in and for those close to him.
   • Take time for yourself. This is exactly what many parents should do: take the time for yourself and put off things related to children, work and everything else. It doesn't matter what you do - go hiking, soak in a hot bubble bath, or meet a friend. The main thing is to find time for yourself.
   • Distinguish between the words "can" and "must". For example, you must pay taxes on time. But you shouldn't feel obligated to bake homemade cakes so your child can take them to school if you don't have the time. Why worry about this if your child loves apples as much as pies? Think about what you must do and prioritize the remaining tasks according to what you could or would like to do under ideal conditions.
   • Learn to say no. If your friend throws noisy parties all the time where you are uncomfortable and calls you every time, do not be afraid to miss the next such event. There is nothing wrong with saying "no" from time to time, and sometimes it even needs to be done. Know what you're not happy with and make decisions accordingly. If you take on more than you need to, the stress will only increase.
   • Make a list of what you won't do. Sometimes there are so many tasks that you only do all day long to deal with these issues. Try to make a list of what can you remove from the planned... For instance:
     • If you have to work until Thursday night, don't cook dinner that day if you can afford it.
     • You must help your parents sort things out in the garage this weekend. You will get tired and sweaty, so you are unlikely to be able to go skateboarding with friends after that. Reschedule it over the next weekend.
     • You will have an important test. You know that you can only afford to work out in the gym for half an hour, not all two.
5. 5 Take time to relax. Try to relax for at least an hour every day, especially in the morning and evening before bed. Write it down in your diary so you don't forget. Everyone needs time to recuperate.
   • Do something that you enjoy every day. It could be playing the piano, staring at the stars, or doing a crossword puzzle. These things will remind you of the things that you enjoy in your life.
6. 6 Use problem-solving techniques. Instead of thinking about what A, B, and C are making you nervous, think about what you can do to solve these problems. By shifting your focus from the problem to your actions, you can regain control over your life.
   • For example, if you know that traffic jams are exhausting because they are boring and time-consuming, ask yourself what you can do to make a difference. Come up with several options for solving the problem (for example, in traffic jams, you can listen to music, read books, or you can give a lift to a colleague and talk to him) and apply them. Then analyze what works best for you. If you isolate each stress factor as a separate problem, you will realize that each of them can be solved as a problem or an equation.
7. 7 Surround yourself with people who are willing to support you. Research has found that people who are most stressed (like the loss of a loved one or a job) cope faster with the support of friends and family you can rely on and turn to. Spend more time with people who bring positiveness into your life and who make you feel important, valuable, and confident. These people will help you become better.
   • Reduce your interactions with people who throw you off balance. If someone constantly makes you nervous, it is best to refuse to communicate with that person. Of course, you are unlikely to be able to stop communication with a work colleague, but in general, you should reduce to a minimum the time spent with people who annoy you on a daily basis.
   • Avoid negative people and people who make you feel inferior. Negativity breeds stress. Try to get rid of connections with all negative people. A person who does not support you can only make your condition worse.

Method 4 of 4: Reflecting on Stress

1. 1 Identify the causes of your stress. You won't be able to move forward until you understand what causes stress. Spend some time alone with a notebook or diary. Make a list of all the things that can be stressful. Once you understand what is causing you, you can make the necessary changes to help you cope with stress.
   • Refer to a general list of possible causes of stress. This list will help you assess your current situation. There is a special Holmes-Rage test that is widely used in psychology and psychiatry. The list of stress factors includes 43 events that can affect a person's mental and physical condition, from serious events like the death of a loved one or divorce to something less difficult - for example, a trip abroad or a minor violation of the law (wrong crossing the street, parking in forbidden place). It is important to note, however, that all people experience stress differently and deal with these events in different ways. The test will help you identify the causes of stress, however, it may not describe all the feelings that you experience, and vice versa - it may describe feelings that you do not have.
   • Keeping a journal, even if only for 20 minutes a day, helps people in many areas of their lives, and this has been scientifically proven. Keeping a journal can help combat stress and strengthen the immune system. It also helps you keep track of your behavior and recurring episodes in your emotional responses. Keeping a diary helps to resolve internal conflicts, and a person begins to understand himself better.
   • Start thinking about the root causes of stress: You may feel like you're worried about low pay, but the root cause may be that you are generally unhappy with your job and don't know which profession to choose. Are you nervous when your husband buys you a new home appliance? Do you dislike the device or are you worried that your family's debt is increasing?
   • Analyze your relationship in your personal life. Are they helping you to improve and deal with stress, or are they just causing you additional stress?
2. 2 Analyze the frequency of stress. Are you worried about a particular situation or constantly feeling stressed? If you’re nervous about a colleague not preparing an important document for a meeting, that stress is very different from the state in which you are nervous from the moment you wake up until the night. If you are under chronic stress, there may be deeper causes. In this case, you should seek professional help. You can read articles on how to deal with anxiety and stress on WikiHow and other sites.
3. 3 Rank the causes of stress in decreasing order of importance. This will help you understand what is causing your greatest anxiety.It will also allow you to understand where you should focus your energy in order to become calmer. For example, traffic jams may be at number 10, and financial problems may be at the very top of the list.
4. 4 Outline a stress relief plan. You will need to act deliberately and systematically. If you are truly ready to reduce or relieve stress completely, you will need to start taking concrete actions to deal with stressors.
   • Start with the small issues at the very bottom of your list. Consider if you can deal with them one by one. For example, you can be less annoyed with traffic jams if you leave earlier, if you take your favorite music or audiobooks with you and listen to them in the car. You can also consider other options for transportation: public transport or moving in the same car with a colleague.
   • Go to the top of the list to find solutions to all the problems that worry you. Some will be more difficult to deal with than others. For example, compared to the problem of traffic jams, getting rid of your worries about money can be tricky. However, it is possible to draw up a plan of action for all problems where possible - for example, seek help from a financial advisor. Just thinking about the causes of stress can give you new strength and relieve tension.
   • Try to make a dedicated stress management work plan for each stressor. This will help you understand each factor in isolation and analyze the impact each of them has on your life. This will facilitate the search and application of solutions for each of the factors. For example, you can write how you plan to deal with the stressor in a more positive way. This outline will also allow you to analyze more general aspects of stress. In addition, you will need to list several ways to be more careful with yourself and take care of yourself.
5. 5 Meditate with the help of others. You don't have to deal with stress on your own. It will be much easier for you to share your experiences with a friend, family member, or even a therapist. Talking about how you feel can provide helpful advice and a new way of looking at the problem. In addition, each time you say the words out loud, it will be easier for you, or for yourself, to understand what exactly you are worried about.
   • Talk to a close friend or relative about your stress and how you plan to deal with it. Chances are, the people around you have experienced stress in the past, so you will not only be able to talk out, but also learn about the experiences of others.
   • Know when to seek help. If you are constantly overwhelmed with emotions due to a problem in a certain area of ​​life, you should sign up for a consultation with a psychotherapist. If the stress makes you unable to sleep, eat, or think, it's time to ask for help.

Tips

• Remember that other people are also stressed. If you think about the fact that you are not the only person with this problem, it will be easier for you to be nice to others, as well as to yourself.

Warnings

• In difficult times, a person is inclined to abuse alcohol, smoking or soft drugs. Do not use these substances as a stress reliever, as they only worsen the situation in the long run.
• If you are completely unable to cope on your own, seek professional help. Don't be alone with stress.