Are you Stressed?

Find out in this blog if you are generally stressed, how it's impacting your life and how to overcome it

How do you know if you are stressed? So, when your calendar is crammed, your inbox is overflowing, and you feel that sickening shake of stress—you can use these tips and tricks to take advantage of the best ways of coping with stress. What if you reframed your response from dread to anticipation? Rethink and choose your stress response. Your body is gearing up to meet a challenge and boosting your energy to rise.

The definition of ‘stress‘

Pay attention and shift your thinking away from stress:

Do you have a pounding heart? – This could mean that You are preparing for action.
Are you breathing faster? – You are getting more oxygen to your brain.
Is your blood surging? – You are dilating your blood vessels to increase flow.

With this shift, your body can experience feelings like the conditions of people experiencing joy and courage. Stress is an unshakable part of our lives today, let’s use it to our advantage.

Identify unhealthy 'stress' coping mechanisms

Social Withdrawals
Over-sleeping
Over-eating sweet or fatty foods
Mindlessly watching TV without caring what you watch
Using medication to relax you
Smoking
Drinking too much alcohol
Taking out stress on others (e.g. in arguments or furious outbursts

Be physically active

Dance to your favorite song
Walk whenever you can instead of driving
Walk your dog
Take the stairs every time there is an option
Find an exercise buddy, and go to glasses together

Build and maintain relationships

Ask a friend or colleague to lunch
Call or text an old friend to catch up
Invite your exercise buddy for a coffee
Join a book club and have fun once a month
Find a market on the weekend and go and browse and indulge
Do something for a charity it will allow you to give back to the world in a way that is profoundly satisfying.

Change your attitude

Think positive and say positive things
Stop overthinking everything
Set “worry periods” – only allow yourself to stress out for a short period of time a day instead of the whole day long
Deliberately reframe life’s challenges – ask yourself what opportunities they might present
Make a gratitude list – what are you thankful for
Download a gratitude journal
Engage in active problem solving
Join a craft class and start a hobby
Put problems into perspective – will you really care about the present difficulty in a month, or a year?
Avoid perfectionism. Set realistic goals for yourself and practical goals