Stress Relief Ideas For A Successful Life

What Is Stress?

Stress in terms of evolution is the state where the body enters into a fight or flight mode when a threat looms. This is the state where people have to either run or face the problems head-on. When it is at a low levels, stress can propel an individual towards achieving a certain goal. When it is too much, however, stress can lead to a negative reaction, including hampered productivity and illnesses.

10 Tips To Lead A Stress-Free Life For Success

Life is a journey. This is a common cliché. But what is your destination? You need to outline your grand vision, values, short-term, and long-term goals. It is the only way you can define motivation and success. People have different stress triggers and varying reactions to that pressure. [1] If you feel like you are about to succumb to stress, here are ideas to help you calm yourself down.

1. Be Well Prepared

The most common drives of stress are irrational surprises and expectations. This is where the reality fails to match with the already perceived expectation in the mind. The best way to avoid such is by planning your day. Set a day to plan your week to have a good grasp of what to do but be less rigid. Don’t just expect things to go a certain way. If they don’t happen as expected, you are more likely to be stressed.

2. Exercise And Eat Well

Exercise releases the feel-good hormones endorphins. These give you a sense of natural well-being, allowing you to feel relaxed. Exercising regularly also promotes the flow of blood to the brain helping it to function better and relax.

If you are feeling stressed, nothing might be better than a good workout. Remember to eat well and don’t skip any meals. Poor and unhealthy eating habits can put you in a bad mood, increasing your stress levels.

3. Surround Yourself With The Right People

It can be stressful to be around people who don’t believe in you. Negative people are more likely to spew too much negativity into your life, which can affect your goal achievements. It is advisable that you spend most of your time with like-minded people.

These are the people who can inspire you to chase your dream and succeed. The best way to jumpstart your efforts is by identifying a mentor who can keep you accountable.

4. Have Limits

Don’t engage in activities out of pressure or fear. You need to phase life-stressors out. For instance, if you work late, hire someone who can be doing your dishes, preparing dinner, picking your kids from school, shopping for your groceries, and more.

Invest in things and people that will help you out with external stressors. You might also want to phase out time-wasters such as TV series, video games, etcetera. If you have to bring some work home to complete, for example, switch off the TV and concentrate.

5. Revise Your Goals

If you are going to work towards your goals, you must do so with all your effort. Many times, your efforts dictate the levels of success. It is a good indicator of how much you will achieve. However, the goals must be reasonable and realistic.

6. Give Up Control

You can’t always try to control every single situation that comes your way on the road to success but you can have the power to control your thoughts. . It is true that leaders must be at a level of control, but they cannot control the outcome. Good and sober leaders adapt to the situation the outcome leads.

Be prepared for whatever comes your way and relax. No matter how well prepared and equipped your team is, there will always be unexpected results. Rebuild your life if you have to.

7. Take It Slow

Sometimes you need to slow down and find better ways of approaching issues. For instance, you could set your watch 10 minutes ahead to avoid getting to work late. That way, you will avoid the stress of having to face your boss explaining why you are always late. You could engage in relaxing activities such as Yoga, meditation, listening to music, or praying.

8. Set Time For Hobbies

Spend time in things you love to do outside of work. Things you enjoy can relieve you of stress. It doesn’t have to be a whole hour. Even just 5 minutes to half an hour is enough. That could include knitting, reading, doing puzzles, and more.

9. Speak Out About Your Problems

Talk about things that bother you to people you trust or do self-talk. This is a good way of releasing stress. If you failed in a task, accept that you cannot always be perfect. You also can’t control everything in life. Sometimes you have to allow life to take its course and quit thinking you can do so much.

10. Write Down Your Problems

Take a few moments and reflect on your stressors. While some problems are rational, others are irrational. Irrational problems stress people out more. Writing problems down has a powerful ability to help one focus thoughts and bring clarity to what is happening in the mind.

Write all these problems down to bring clarity to your mind on what is bothering you. Focus on working on each problem individually to reduce stress in a more organized manner and bring logic to the irrational things.

Conclusion

No one wants to deal with a stressed lot. Even managers working with stressed teams struggle to lead and keep the employees productive. The good news is; if you learn to deal with stress positively, you can avoid burnout and achieve success.

Because it is a natural part of life, if you learn to embrace it, you can emerge from the experience stronger with the capacity to handle tougher challenges in the future.