How to Deal with Stress: 21 Best proven strategies

 

“Accept what is, let go what was, and have faith in what will be.”

Stress is an enemy, don’t let it conquer. When you think too much about a situation, you get trapped in it. But Is that fair? Not at all, you do not have control over situations, but on your body and mind, you can have.

“Life is to live, to live freely.” This is the only mantra to attain real happiness. But, the only one that prevents us from living happily is an invisible opponent created by our own mind. I believe we all know who is that, That’s no one other than “Stress”. This unseen enemy is tough to deal with, for sure, but don’t think, it’s impossible. Any one of you is capable to destroy it, but the only requirement is a firm determination.

So, let’s hop on to the solution. I am going to share with you, how to deal with stress: the 21 best-proven strategies that helped me get rid of the shackles of this enemy.

What is Stress?

Stress is a condition in which reality gets defeated by expectations. If you really want to be calm and happy, you need to fill the gap between your expectations and reality. You have to realize that both of these can never go hand in hand. The sooner you accept this fact, the happier you will be.

21 Best proven strategies to get rid of Stress

 

1. Think less, do Your Best

Life is full of uncertainties so don’t try to force anything to happen. Situations will always come and go but the way you react to them will determine your level of stress. Excessive Thinking creates confusion and takes our mind completely out of control. So, do not always keep thinking why is this happening to you. Do your best in whichever situation you are because they are meant to pass.

 

 

Watch out this video and practice Deep breathing exercises To reduce your Stress.

 2. Practice Deep breathing Exercises

Breathing is natural to humans. So, why do you need to practice it? It’s just because when you practice breathing knowingly you focus over your body from within.  Your body starts to calm down and relax once you are able to achieve conscious control of your breath. Breathing slowly and consciously helps you release the toxins and negative energies you have stored in the stressful situations. You can start to establish a connection between your mind and body that will help you learn how to keep your body stable in stressful situations. You can take the help of simple deep breathing techniques when you are starting with the breathing exercises to destress yourself.

 

 

3. Go for a Walk, experience Nature

Whenever you feel stressed out or burdened, you should try walking and spending time outdoors in nature. When you walk in the natural atmosphere the level of positive energy starts to boost immediately. No matter which kind of stress you are dealing with emotional or physical, if you choose walking your stress will start to burst out making you feel different.

 

 

4. Exercise regularly, make yourself Stress-free

An exercise is an act of making your body fit and active. When you exercise and take a small break from your busy routine life, the stressors also get a break from bothering you. Your brain starts to secrete a stress-reducing chemical called noradrenaline and you will feel less burdened from stressful episodes.

 

 

5. Take out time for Leisure activities

Taking small breaks in between your busy schedule will change the inner atmosphere of your body. The relaxing time you take out for yourself will make your mind and body release toxins and negative energy so that you can be free from anxious thoughts constantly disturbing you when you are at work.

 

 

6. Make yourself your Best Friend

No one in this world, not even the nearest companion you have can understand you better than yourself. With this, I do not mean you cannot have family and friends who can do the best for you or understand you the best. But when you are your best friend you realize the soul creature who exists within you. With regular yogic meditation, you can have control over your mind and body. This will help you make responsible decisions with acceptance which in turn helps you cope up with stressful situations.

 

 

7. Do not Burden yourself with Extra Work

Doing work at home or in the office is inevitable. But taking regular breaks is equally important. With hectic schedules to follow every now and then you become inactive to happiness. Maybe when you realize how important it is to make yourself and your near ones happy, it’s very late. You may get trapped in the shackles of anxiety and stress and coming out of it will become a task very difficult. So, help yourself at the right time to make your life worthy.

 

 

8. Practice Yoga and Meditation Regularly

Getting rid of stress is basically about understanding yourself. When you have control of yourself, you will be ready to accept whichever situation life puts you in. Not only that, but you can also make responsible decisions that may change the situations which are extremely difficult for you. And, this control you can have with regular meditation and yoga practice. Devote some time for regular meditation and yoga in the morning to make yourself a distinguished human being. It will take time when you start but believe me it has the power to transform you into a stress-free and joyful person.

 

 

9. Eat a Healthy Balanced diet

According to WHO, depression and stress are the leading cause of worldwide disability. Adding more fibers in the form of vegetables and fruits to our food keeps the brain function healthy and stable.

Also, the whole grains in our diet will serve as a source of energy to make us active all the time. Eating high fat, carbs, and sugar diets are harmful to good health over time. Resist yourself from eating oily and spicy foods frequently as these are the triggers to stress, anxiety, and fatigue in our body. We should focus on foods that regulate our mood and keeps us calm with soothing effects.

 

 

10. Maintain a Work-life Balance

Balancing is an act of making yourself stable and calm. You may be very busy at work but you must remember that working continuously for long hours without breaks will make you less productive at the end of the day. That is why it is important to allot some leisure time for yourself even on the regular working days. This will make your mind and body relaxed and stress-free from hectic work assignments.

 

 

11. Reduce Stress with Regular Sleep

Insomnia or sleep deprivation are the consequences most people who are stressed out have to cope up with. Stress and sleep are the nearest enemies of each other. If you are already stressed out and not able to sleep, your first priority should be to deal with your stress using methods such as a regular bedtime schedule, food promoting sleep at dinner time, taking a warm water bath before going to bed. Apart from that, you can also try aromatherapy which has soothing effects and promotes good sleep. There have been researches that states Sleep to be a stress reducer as it deactivates the set of neurons that increases emotional reactions in our body. When we sleep our body rejuvenates back with energy and power to fight with anxious thoughts and emotions.

 

12. Go for Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique

Learn to do Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique

This is the technique to make you relaxed physically so that you do not feel anxious. In this technique,  we create tension in a group of muscles as we breathe in. And that tension in that group of muscles has to be released as we breathe out. Those muscles go to a relaxed state and so does the body. Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique blocks the level of anxiety by releasing the tension in the muscles.

 

 

13. Keep Yourself Hydrated

Water is the key to every process that is happening inside our bodies. When you are hydrated, you will be active, full of energy, and power to carry on the tasks which you are responsible for. Drinking water at regular intervals helps in the relaxation of muscles and ease from anxiety and stress. A warm water bath is also a proven strategy to help your body enjoy a good night’s sleep.

 

 

14. Practice Self-care activities

Self-care is an act of looking after yourself. Whatever work you do, when you take regular breaks or give some time to care for yourself, you will get back fresh and more productive than before. Taking care of yourself means doing something for yourself, maybe you like to practice meditation, spending time with friends, spending time outdoors, DIY craftwork, or decorating your home. All these activities help your mind to deviate from thoughts of anxiety and stress.

 

 

15. Talk to Family and Friends

When you need a solution to a problem or you are stuck upon taking a decision, you develop stress about the consequences of the decision you are going to take. That kind of situation is tough for any person who has to deal with it. But, my only advice to you is that in such kind of a situation don’t get freaked out. This episode can happen to everyone and anyone. Don’t get weaved up in your own thoughts at that time but instead seek help from your loved ones. You never know who will give you the right suggestion, listen to everyone, and then do what you think will be the best for you. When you do this, you will never feel alone and nor will stress and anxiety overpower you.

 

 

 16. Listen to Soft Music

Music has the ability to ease your mind and body. Relaxing with music which is soft and soothing helps reduce the effect of Cortisol hormone that triggers stress in our body. Apart from that, music has the power to convert negative energy into positivity which can help us fight with unwanted thoughts.

 

 

17. Learn to Let Go

Help yourself by learning to let go. Accept the fact that expectations do not always get fulfilled. People are not always going to be what you want them to be like. The behavior of your favorite ones will hurt you many times. But you have to accept that each person has his own nature. Everyone is going to act differently in different situations. If you hold grudges inside your heart about why did they act so badly,  you are going to make yourself stressed out and depressed. So, I urge you to understand this fact and accept people the way they are, let go of their mistakes and make yourself happy and relaxed.

 

 18. Reduce Stress with Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the state when we are consciously aware of the present moments of life with a drive to accept any situation willfully.

Learn more about How to Practice Mindfulness

When you practice mindfulness, you don’t get distracted with unwanted thoughts or feelings. When you are mindful you become aware of what you think and you can concentrate on a particular task. Mindfulness will help your nervous system to learn the art of getting relaxed and have control over your thoughts.

 

 

19. Make a to-do list and Prioritize your Work

This is a proven strategy to reduce the level of stress and anxiety. You can make a routine diary or a list of things you have to need to execute each day. Always remember to prioritize your list with the most important jobs at the top. When you do this, you will be able to complete the most important tasks to be done at first and you will be able to find out some time to relax. And, even when each work is not completed by the end of the day, it will never be a burden because those works can be done later as well.

 

 

20. Laughter Remedy

Laugh it out, don’t hesitate. Laughter will make you and your mood relax and calm down. Laughter controls the release of stress hormones in your body. Have a fun time with family and friends and if you have no one around watch funny movies or videos that will help you come out of those stressful unwanted thoughts.

 

 

 21. Avoid intake of Caffeine or Alcohol, if you do

Intake of caffeine in heavy amounts will stimulate your Stress level instead of providing any relief. Most of us think that drinking tea and coffee will lower down the stress and anxiety we are going through. But that’s not true, instead of relieving you, they trigger stress in your body. Apart from that Alcohol when consumed in high volume raises the level of anxiety and depression in human beings.

 

Conclusion

When you refuse to control the situation that you cannot change, you refuse Stress. Also, when you strongly make a decision, accept your responsibility and let go of the sorrows that life delivers at times, once again you refuse to stress. When you accept that you cannot repair every situation but deal with them being calm and relaxed, you experience the fruit of real happiness and peace of mind. So, make your own strategies or take the help of the strategies mentioned above in this article which I assure will help you out whenever you are confused or anxious about a situation you have to deal with.

Please share your ideas about the ways which you feel are most effective to control stress and anxiety.