Stress is a common emotion that most people will feel at some point in their lives. From the stress of exams as a teenager to the stress of planning a wedding, there are typical life events and moments in life that most people will experience.

Stress is an inevitable part of life and understanding why it happens and how to manage it can be incredibly beneficial in our day to day lives. Many people find comfort in learning about the physiological response from stress so that they can have better control over their emotional triggers. Cortisol, a hormone released by the body during times of stress, is largely responsible for initiating the fight or flight response. It is important to recognize when this reaction is happening as well as learn how to counteract it through healthy activities or talking with a trusted friend. Learning these skills at early stages of life will give people the tools they need to face any challenge that comes their way.

While stress is common, it’s also an emotional state that can do more damage than good. If you’re not taking control of stress and allowing it to affect you regularly, it can take a toll on your health.

With that being said, having knowledge of some stress-busting tips will help to put you in the driver’s seat instead.

 

1. Remove yourself from situations that trigger stress

Firstly, when it comes to taking control, it’s all about acknowledging what situations or scenarios are likely to trigger stress. Perhaps it’s certain people that are causing you stress, or maybe it’s the workplace that triggers it. Everyone is different and some are more affected by certain scenarios than others.

Removing yourself from those situations is the best way of taking control of your emotion. Sometimes, you’re unable to remove yourself but doing the best you can do to minimize that stress is going to do wonders for your health. 

2. Surround yourself with the right people

The right people for your mental state is important and often is the case that people have others in their lives that don’t always have the best intentions. The right people for you should be lifting you up, not dragging you down.

If you’ve noticed that there are certain people in your life that are making you feel worse or stressed out in general, it might be time to take a step back,

Surrounding yourself with positive people who help in those situations where stress seems to be building, can be really helpful.

 

3. Seek out alternative medications and supplements

There are a lot of alternative medications and supplements out there that can help greatly with stress. While not everyone will want to take medication, for some, it’s either that or allowing their stress to control their life completely.

It’s worth looking on the market for what’s available, both approved medications and alternative supplements that perhaps aren’t scientifically proven to positively impact stress levels. From Delta 9 THC to anxiety-centric medications, there’s a lot out there so it’s worth doing your research to find what works for you. 

Not everyone is going to have the same experience when it comes to medication and supplements either, so it’s worth trying something different.

 

4. Take some downtime every so often

If you’re not taking time for yourself, chances are, the stress is going to continue building and getting worse.

A habit that many have nowadays is that they spend a lot of time working hard or organizing a schedule that doesn’t really provide much time to relax. With very little time to relax, it results in burnout, especially when it comes to working.

While you may consider yourself to be a workaholic, everyone needs some downtime and that lack of downtime can contribute to underperforming. As someone who may enjoy their work, contributing less quality can be detrimental.

Try to schedule time in for yourself and for that downtime needed to relax and unwind.

5. Challenge yourself in a healthy way

Do you challenge yourself in life? While it may cause stress, challenging yourself to push your comfort zones can actually work positively when tackling stress. By putting yourself into scenarios that cause a little bit of pressure means you’re less likely to get stressed in those situations moving forward.

While not everyone likes to feel uncomfortable or enjoys stressing themselves out, it’s important to try every once and a while to break the mold you’re in. You never know, you might end up surprising yourself when it comes to what you can achieve.

6. Work smarter – not harder

When it comes to working, this can often be at the crux of a lot of stressful situations for the individual. It’s often said that working smarter is a lot better than working harder. When you work harder, you’re more than likely to burn yourself out and cause more stress as a result.

If you’re someone who is getting less of a personal life and having a work life that’s suffocating, it might be worth exploring other options that are out there.

 

7. Approach stressful situations with more perspective

While there are some stressful situations that are quite clearly stressful, some might not be. It may be the case that you’ve built it up to be stressful in your mind, but in reality, that’s not the case.

Consider what situations may appear stressful but with a different perspective when it comes to your approach, is actually a lot easier. Seeing things from different perspectives can certainly help when it comes to stress.

8. Take care of your mind

Our minds are precious and just like our bodies, if you neglect the mind, it’s going to suffer as a result. With stress, it can be tumultuous to a person and a weight on the mind is never a good thing. Taking care of your mental well-being is extremely important and so it’s useful to find ways to help give care to your mind where possible.

From doing activities that bring you joy, to speak to those who are in a similar situation to yourself. There are lots of self-care opportunities that can help when you’re under stress and are needing some relief.

9. Speak to others in a professional environment

If you’re looking to get help for stress-related problems that are getting too much to handle personally, then speaking to someone in a professional capacity might help. Not everyone can deal with stress in the same way as others. For some, speaking to a colleague or even a therapist is a great way of getting assistance.

These stress-busting tips will hopefully help to control stress in a more healthy manner, especially due to the mental and physical impact it can have.

 

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