4 Ways to Reduce Stress

Stress is inevitable. There are days you wake up to stressful moments which last throughout the day. These can come from the littlest things such as worrying over what to cook for dinner, or deciding what clothes to wear for the day. You can’t escape stress, but you can manage it. Let go of a little steam once in a while. Here are some tips on how you can reduce and manage stress better:

1. Breathe. It may be an action we do unconsciously, but it can also your stress reliever. Breathe deep. Close your eyes. Focus on your breathing. Block out your surroundings. This helps to take a minute, or two to yourself. Breathe in deeply, and imagine all the stress going away as you breathe out.
    
2. Learn to Say No. One of the most important things that you need to learn is how to say “No.” Remember that not only do we fight our own battles, but we get to choose them as well. Not everything is worth fighting for and stressing over.
    
3. Alter yourself. Set your mindset in such a way that stress won’t easily present itself to you. Check your habits. Maybe it’s your overthinking that invites stress, or maybe it’s your routine of putting things off until the last minute. Sometimes it’s what we do that causes stress and we don’t realize it. Habits are not easy to change. Try to let go of one bad habit at a time.
    
4. Relax. Everyone has that one thing they do or go to when everything feels too much. do whatever it is that helps you release all that stress may it be a happy place, plans with friends, a vacation, or music. If you don’t have that thing yet, find it. It’ll come in handy when the world feels like ganging up on you.

Stress can be a good thing when handled positively. It helps you achieve more. It helps you be more productive. You can’t escape stress, so the best thing to do is manage it. Practicing the tips above can help you better cope with stress.

Reference

• Lawrence Robinson, Melinda Smith, M.A., and Robert Segal, M.A
  https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.htm June 2019. Web 8 July 2019
• Moninger, Jeannette. “ 10 Relaxation Techniques That Zap Stress Fast.”
  http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/blissing-out-10-relaxation-techniques-reduce-stress-spot, unknown publishing date. Web. 15 May 2014.

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