Finding Hidden Happiness: Strategies for Coping with Unseen Stress
Photo by Keenan Constance
Stress is a condition that regularly afflicts almost everyone from adults, to teens and even children. Undue stress can not only hurt the mind and body but lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease among others.
Several long-term strategies to combat stress include yoga, a healthy diet, exercise, journaling, and more. But what do you do when you are overcome with unseen stress, like negative client feedback or family disagreements?
Since your relationship with people can impact how you respond in such situations, here are some effective ways of handling stress that crops up immediately.
Go On a Cruise
While a vacation is a great way to unwind, a cruise is the way to go if you want the ultimate relaxation. Planning a cruise, especially to the Caribbean, is extremely easy and you can begin a voyage without all the extra stress.
Apart from the mesmerizing effect caused by the gentle rocking of the ship and the smell of salt in the air, there are some cozy and quiet places to enjoy the astonishing paradise of the Caribbean and unplug simultaneously.
Understand Your Stress Indicators
Your hands may clench, your neck might stiffen, or your stomach may ache—all indicators of a damaged immune system caused by undue stress. Developing the ability to understand these clues will increase your capacity to relax.
Additionally, coping with stress provides an opportunity to reset your thoughts and progress. Reorganize the brain to learn from the experience so you can handle stress easily next time by recognizing the symptoms rather than dismissing them.
Pause and Breathe
It is better to pause in stressful situations, let the body catch up, and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for relaxing the body. To reduce stress quickly, plan breathing exercises four to five times a day.
To begin with, exhale all the air out of your lungs, take a deep breath, and hold it until the count of four. Then, gently exhale to the count of eight to quickly eliminate any anxiety, fear, grief, migraine pain, or even rage.
Make a Journal
Making a note of the things that need to be done on priority is a great way to alleviate stress since this enhances concentration and mental attention. Create a to-do list of your duties and the dates to complete them.
So do not waste time worrying about what may happen if you fail or about the circumstances; otherwise, you may never take the first step forward. This will only aggravate the situation and create tension since you haven’t prepared to cope.
Find a Stress-Relieving Activity
Saying a prayer, hugging your pet, walking, or watching a funny movie are all activities that relax the mind and body.
Find out which activity helps you relax the most and have it ready for action on those extremely stressful days.
