Everyone feels stress from time to time. Whether it is due to a problem at work, upcoming exams, unexpected commitments, the conspicuous reason lack of time or a lot more. The problem is trying to eliminate stress and not overcoming it. This only makes you feel more stressed and, in addition to that, turns your daily routine into a maze, with no way out. Things get worse because we drag the stress on our shoulders 24*7, which has a direct impact on our happiness, health and well-being.
The good news is that eliminating and overcoming stress (even preventing it) is quite easy and fun. In this article, we will talk about three ways that can help you have more days of guaranteed relaxation. So, take a deep breath, exhale gently and read on.
Think for a second when the last time you felt much stress was?
Maybe your head hurt, you had massive indigestion, or you probably felt very drained and cranky. In the end, you had all the emotions stirred, and the sensations crashed in your head, which made you feel simply fatal all day.
A short film that I have seen days before taught me a metaphor that can describe this stress situation very well:
“Imagine that your brain is a bottle full of water and diamond powder when you shake it simply the whole diamond turns and turns around senseless. That is how your mind reacts to a stressful situation.”
A mind with sustained stress for a long time seriously affects everything else in your life, including your health, your productivity, your self-esteem, your relationships and everything else.
This is because a healthy lifestyle encompasses three fundamental parts: physical, mental and social. All three are of the equal importance.
When one of these parts is not in an optimal state, it affects all others.
That is why it is imperative that we try to eliminate and overcome stress in a healthy way and above all learn to prevent it.
Before we discuss these unconventional strategies to relieve your stress and feel better, I think it is important to define what we are facing. So, what stress is?
What Is Stress?
Although it seems that the definition of stress is very simple, it is not. First, because not all stress is the same and second because even if you do not believe it, it is hard to detect when someone is under stress.
Why is it difficult to diagnose stress?
The characteristics of stress are similar to various other trivial circumstances, for example, when you see a horror movie or when you eat a delicious dinner, pleasure and stress trigger similar responses in your body and mind.
However, according to molecular biologist John Medina, the perfect storm of stress is triggered when you perceive these two things simultaneously: high expectations (internally or externally) and a lack of control over the situation. It is a “perceived” situation. It is a mental state that generates a reaction in the body.
If I give you an empty bucket and ask you to bring me some stress, will you be able to do it? The answer is “NO”. Because stress is not tangible, you can not touch it or see it. It is a creation of our mind, purely illusory but does much harm.
I do not believe that a life free from stress is possible because it is a natural response to survive and face the challenges of life.
John thinks that many years ago, stress helped our caveman ancestors to survive in a hostile and dangerous environment. Feeling stressed helped them to run away from a dangerous lion, or to fight with a mammoth to eat ruthlessly. Feeling stress for seconds helped us to survive. However, stress today is completely different.
The problem is that often these situations “of danger” are not real, but imaginary. It is not measured by hungry lions, but in thousands of slopes, examinations, and moody bosses.
When this happens stress is activated in our brain as if it was a threat that endangers our life, but in reality, it is not. What is even worse, is when we stretch the unpleasant sensation for days, sometimes even for months.
The best solution is to prevent stress before it appears and I will tell you how to do it. However, before that, it is important for you to know what happens in your body when you feel stress.
As you know, stress is a response to a threatening situation. Your body secretes substances and hormones that trigger a flight response to danger.
Look at animals, when they feel threatened they also feel stress, which activates various reactions in the body and prepares them to escape or to fight.
In our case, the reaction is similar. The relationship between thoughts, emotions and substances in the body is based on a key principle: “minimise danger and maximise reward”.
This causes us to be exposed to a cascade of hormones and other powerful substances that, for long periods, become extremely harmful to health. For example, cortisol, a hormone that seriously affects your body, your way of thinking, learning and making decisions.
If this situation of mental, physical and emotional tension is prolonged you can:
- Destroy your rest and sleep pattern.
- Generate chronic fatigue.
- Intervene in the normal recovery processes.
- Prevent proper digestion of your food
- Affect your immune system, hence causing diseases.
- Affect your blood sugar (glucose) levels
Above mentioned are among many other consequences that you do not want to have in your life. That is why it is important that we do not fight against stress, but take action to eliminate and overcome it in a healthy way. This is what I have put into practice myself and has given me great results.
What Do I Do To Eliminate Stress?
A few months ago I had a strong pain in the neck, I did not sleep well, and I felt as if I had passed a train above.
It was clear that I had become a victim of stress. When I understood that in reality, the stress was unnecessary and also was not helping me to solve the “problems” I had decided to do something about it.
“I started to meditate.”
Take a little bit of time to close eyes, breathe and try to listen to the body screaming for a break.
However, while I tried to relax, all my problems which caused me stress haunted me like ghosts. I just kept watching them and not running after them or trying to stop them. Observing my problems without doing anything generated me peace and tranquillity, even though they were right on my face. It is as if the diamond in the bottle we were talking about at the beginning began to settle gently.
Another strategy that has given me incredible results is to exercise.
Virtually any form of movement (even walking down the aisle) can act as a stress reliever.
Exercise makes you feel good because it increases the production of endorphins (endogenous opioid neuropeptides), a substance that gives you that feeling of satisfaction.
In addition to that, regular exercise increases confidence in you, relaxes you and decreases the symptoms associated with depression and anxiety.
Exercise can also improve your sleep quality, which is affected by prolonged stress. Waking up with energy helps you stay calmer. In other words, it makes the diamond inside the bottle stay at the bottom.
Meditating and exercising affects your mind and your body. Together, they are like Batman and Robin who fights the villain of stress. However, the most important thing is to learn to prevent that terrible stress from appearing in the first place.
Here are three super original and fun ways to do it. The goal is to use these activities to delve into the recesses of our mind, listen to your body and prevent stress.
The good news is that if you are constant, these relaxing activities will become a habit. The stress will decrease in your daily routine automatically.
#1 Listen to The Music You Like
Put music that relaxes you and loses you listening to at least one song. I already tried it, and it gave me great results.
Whether you use a public or personal transport while going to work, on the way, you may do many things like reading or studying, but I would recommend listening to some music. The moment one of your favourite songs appear, your mind will drift away. You do not even need concentrating; you will feel the breathing and a feeling of calmness all over.
It is no coincidence that music has a positive effect on our brain, managing to change our mood. In research, it was discovered that classical music has an important effect on your body under stress. According to the results, participants who listened to classical music after feeling high levels of stress recovered their normal blood pressure and heart rate much faster. If this was not enough, a scientific study showed that music could have an analgesic effect by alleviating pain.
Listen to a song you like at least once a day. Use that melody as an escape and a moment to disconnect.
If you are more daring, move your body and dance to the music. Don’t feel ashamed if you have two left feet, just feel the music. It is proven that dancing has a strong impact on the brain, even modifying its elasticity (physical form). Try it, and you will see how well you feel afterwards.
#2 Eat Slower
Eating has become a nerve-racking task for most of us. It has been reduced to opening the mouth and introducing food into it. You can turn your lunch break into a therapy period to achieve inner calm and shut those turbulent worries you may have. All you have to do is enjoy your meal.
Keep some space between bite and bite, which means while eating breathe and relax. The trick is to be at the moment, savour and enjoy every bite. Remember that food nourishes the body and is not a race, so slow down.
Once you have mastered this, you will find that mealtime is a pleasurable time. Hence, you will also eat just enough, since you will be listening to your body from very close.
#3 Play and Have Fun
We grow and play, but it all becomes a vague memory of our childhood. As we grow up, we forget play has a great effect to relax your mind.
According to the Wall Street Journal, more than 50 major companies, including Nokia, Chrysler have incorporated the “play ethic”. They currently have a games room for their employees’ breaks. Some companies have gone even further and trained their executives with spa.
If you have small children or pets, take advantage of them to play and relax. However, if it is not your case, get some lego tokens, a puzzle or any other game that awakens your creativity.
Have fun while you play and take away all those thoughts that cause you stress.
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