My Way of Managing Stress
If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what you’re needing is not to be in a different place but to be a different person.
~― Lucius Annaeus Seneca
If there was a way to rid ourselves the pain that from time to time plagues our existence, am sure we all would scramble for it. Stress, being a five letter word, one would not expect it to be the cause of so much pain and anguish in the lives of many.
The feeling of emotional or physical tension, comes from any event or thought that makes us feel say frustrated, angry, or nervous. It usually is a body's reaction to challenging or demanding times. In other words it is the body's way of communicating that something has to change, and change ASAP, otherwise there is no peace or a sense of comfort.
It is not always a bad reaction when it happens, it can have positive effects on us, helping us meet deadlines, which without the anguish and discomfort of missing the deadline we would just procrastinate about. But when it is consistent in one's life, over prolonged periods of time, it changes to harmful.
The effects varies from one person to the other. For others, even after the stressor is no longer there, they are still stressed, changing to a constant feeling of uneasiness, with a myriad symptoms such as sweating profusely despite temperatures being low when in some situations. And anxiety is born, starting a long journey full of anguish and frustrations until one can realign themselves.
Despite not being able to fully rid oneself fully of this reaction, there many recommended ways of how to deal with it, to try and lessen the effects of it in one's well being and try to lead a better life rather than that riddled with pain and suffering.
Personally I integrate different ways to try and mitigate the effects:
Dedicating a few minutes on a daily basis in the morning and before bedtime to just sit still and just observe my thoughts without necessarily reacting to them greatly helps.
The stillness achieved through concentrating on breathing, helps lessen the chaos in my mind, which otherwise would be too loud. Despite things not always going according to plan, mediation always helps me maintain calmness during such times, maintain a clear head and face the challenge much better.
Writing down without any particular format what is in my mind, helps give clarity, and stand a better chance at making a well thought out decision.
Writing down my thoughts helps me also get a better understanding of what actually is the cause, which would be impossible with all the noise in my mind with no way of letting the thoughts just flow.
At the end of a few pages of me writing, I am able to connect the dots better, and see solutions I would not otherwise be conscious of.
With everyday routines, it comes a time when one is fully drained and emotionally exhausted. When such a time comes, I always take time away from all the regular routines to just get back to myself, process everything that has been happening, and give my mind time to just roam freely without anything in particular to focus on.
After a few days, of just being lazy and spending most time just sleeping and doing nothing really constructive, my energy levels are back up and I can go back to regular routines, until next when it all gets too heavy.
Sometimes all we need is a break.
We are no strangers to saying that nature heals. A random walk in a place full of trees such as a park or a forest is really good at easing the pain caused by dealing with too much.
The head gets sufficient and clean oxygen from the vegetation which greatly helps the oxygen levels in the blood circulating in the brain. After a while in nature, a challenge no longer feels too complex.
...see y'all in my next update!
The biggest enemies of willpower: temptation, self-criticism, and stress. (...) these three skills —self-awareness, self-care, and remembering what matter most— are the foundation for self-control.
~― Kelly McGonigal
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