- Take a stand and learn to say no.
It's alright to say no. Taking on too many responsibilities that you can handle can stress you out.
Stress prevention is knowing and setting your limits whether it concerns your personal or professional life.
- Trim your daily to-do list.
I know you love making a to-do list. Scrutinize it. How long is it? You are setting yourself up for stress if it’s too long. Besides, you can't handle everything on a very long list of tasks.
Analyze your listed tasks and see what the musts are. Manage your tasks by prioritizing the most important ones.
Put the least important at the bottom or eliminate them totally from the list.
- Get enough sleep.
A good night’s sleep is one of the ways to deal with stress because it helps your mind and body to be in top shape to handle negative stressors.
Lack of sleep can contribute to anxiety and can compromise your ability to deal with stress. A well-rested body maintains your emotional balance, which is a key factor to manage anxiety and to stop worry.
- Be reasonable.
Having realistic expectations is one of the ways to handle stress. Don't aim to be perfect and don’t expect others to be because no one is perfect.
Expecting perfection from yourself and from people around you can only add to your stress level.
- Learn how to relax.
You can’t be anxious and relaxed at the same time. Feeling anxious, ironically, is not just a feeling. Based on the definition of what stress is, it’s your body’s natural physical reaction against a perceived threat.
But your body also has a natural antidote to manage a stressor – the relaxation response – which creates a sense of calmness and well-being.
Ways to deal with stress are activities that can prompt the relaxation response. Examples are breathing exercises, reading a good book, spending time with a loved one, or taking a warm bath.
- Treat yourself well.
Taking care of your body includes eating healthy food and engaging in regular and moderate physical activity.
Experts from the American Psychological Association agree that regular exercise fuels the brain's stress buffers.
One of the benefits of being active is your body’s ability to manage and deal with stress is enhanced.
How important is eating well during stressful situations? Your body needs more vitamins and minerals during times of stress.
Eating well helps your body get those vitamins and minerals to function at its best. Be sure to eat breakfast to jump start your day the right way.
- Focus on the positive.
Is your cup half full or half empty? Being positive can help you manage and handle even the most stressful circumstances.
If you can’t change a stressful situation, why not change your expectations and attitude towards it? Ask yourself if the situation will matter a year from now and if it’s worth the anxiety and worry you are in.
- Pursue a hobby
to busy your mind and hands. You can also take up yoga to relieve stress.
Click here to read how yoga works for stress relief.
- Know that you always have a choice
-- you can either smile or sulk.
Your adrenal glands release hormones during stressful moments. Prolonged exposure to these hormones negatively impacts your immune system and encourages the development of cancer cells.
The negative things high doses of cortisol cause makes cancer prevention more difficult especially if you smoke and don't care about the dangers of smoking.
