6 tips for dealing with stressStress is something that we are all faced to deal with; often on a regular basis. Here are some of my tips for dealing with stress more effectively:
1. Get off your butt. Exercise creates profound physiological changes within the body. Simply going for a walk or hitting the gym for a quick workout can dramatically decrease the stress toll on our bodies. Aside from the physiological benefits, I’ve also found that exercising during stressful times clears the mind enough to find effective solutions to many of the complicated issues we face.
2. Learn to say no! These days we seem to pile more and more things onto our plate each day. While it’s commendable that we want to be involved in so much, there’s potential for us to become overloaded and stressed as a result. Learn to say no to the people or activities that aren’t as important to you and you’ll find you have less stress and a better quality of life.
3. Sleep more. When we neglect sleep it affects us in profound ways, one of which is to become more sensitive to stress. Make sure that you’re getting 6-8 hours of restful sleep per night and you’ll deal with stress much more constructively.
4. Stop glorifying being “busy.” These days it seems that people are always eager to explain how busy they are as a form of validation. Unfortunately the busier we are the more stressed we often become. My personal opinion is that simply doing a bunch of stuff is irrelevant, what matters most is being productive. Instead of trying to stay busy, try to be more productive by delegating more, relying on other experts, developing more efficient systems or pursuing anything that allows you to create your desired outcomes with less time and stress.
5. Keep yourself in the present. A common response to stressful times is to make it worse by either reliving past failures and bad times or by thinking too far into the future and becoming overwhelmed about what is to come. The most effective response to stress is to deal with it as it happens and create solutions for the problems affecting you now.
6. Visit a specialist. As a chiropractor I’ve helped many people with stress over the years. Chiropractors help remove nerve tension which is a main cause of physical and emotional stress. Others I’d recommend for de-stressing are acupuncturists, massage therapists and exercise specialists.