How to Better manage stress

Hi to you all, 

In today’s post, I will debate an always actual topic: stress and how to better manage it. I can tell with certainty that one of the best decisions of our lives is to better handle stress. I will share the ideas that worked for me in this struggle and I hope will work for you too.

You can find so many simple or complex definitions for stress, I will resume to the one from the dictionary: a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances

Only reading this I understand that people react differently in the same stressful circumstances. So the need of each person to better cope with it is different and must be adapted to each individual.

Have you ever felt like you can’t stop your mind from worrying about something or someone, a feeling of fear is ruling all your thoughts, your confidence is weakening, your mind feels very tense, you feel an ache in your chest, you breath slowly and shortly, your head hurts, your palms are sweating, your entire body feels tense, your arms and feet feels tired, your body and mind are exhausted. And the examples can continue.

O man, I have it also felt those moods and it is not good, because it is like a snowball, the deeper you feel those states, the bigger the stress becomes. It is feeding on your fear and it consumes you. Just to clear a thing now, stress is good in small portions and it can help in many situations, but too much stress can turn into panic attacks, depression and even lead to serious health problems.

I was a very stressed guy in all my actions (I am still working on that): to get up in the morning and do fast all the preparations for work, to drive quickly, then to begin all the tasks, multitasking made me thinking that I will be more productive, completing one action was made thinking to the other ten that are following, the brakes were made thinking again to all uncompleted assignments, all day my mind was in deep tension. After completing work I couldn't even remember what the hell I have done that day. At home I was also overwhelmed about all the things that should be done, I was talking to my family absent thinking to some task, my sleep was bad, in some nights I couldn’t even close my eyes. The next day everything repeats itself over and over. At one moment the panic attacks have begun and I didn’t even realize. And over time, depression and burnout have completed the whole package of a state I want to avoid living.

One day I had a very profound panic attack that made me think and realize that something must be changed in my life. The path that I was following it will surely lead to more and more pain and illness both for my body and my soul.

To find a solution for myself I have begun to watch personal development videos, read books, made training, read blogs, listen to podcasts, speak with psychiatrists, speak with friends and family and talking to myself. After that, I have begun to change my habits, my mentality, my environment, and my relations with family and others.
Before I begin to show you some ideas that can help you manage stress better, I want to point out that stress will always be with us whatever we will do, so do not imagine that you can reduce it to zero. Let be honest a little bit of stress makes us in many situations perform better, but too much can throw us on the ground. I wish to show you how you can reduce stress at a level where it can help you not destroy you.

Mentality hints.

In all situations that life can throw at you try to be more patient and think it through before you act. We should be more intentional persons not reactive to any outside factor.

Being present is also a powerful weapon that can help you through all life battles. Just imagine that you let yourself all day led by your narrative, to your million thoughts that are always running through your head. This would not be a good idea.

Another idea is being bolder in your actions because we all natively are constructed to stay out of danger, trouble or new and unknown situations. But not always this is a good idea, because we raise walls and build a comfort zone that will make us weak and will make us not grow. I am not saying that you should take all the risks that can occur, I am saying to take more risks for the things that matter to you. Don’t forget to accept that you could fail, is ok to fail, you will learn a lot. Fail but don’t stop.  

In our, every day lives we play different roles and states that are induced by environment, health, habits or our minds. In any situation that will encounter try always to stay in a beautiful state how great Tony Robbins is teaching. The scope is to find your center and restore balance in any situation, find your serenity, do all your actions from a beautiful place.

Staying organized in your life will decrease the appearance of stress. Planning your actions will give you confidence and tranquility. But be careful, plan the things that are important and think it trough. Sometimes we create urgency for some unimportant things.

Having a positive attitude for sure helps our life go forward. Just think about what will happen if we always have a negative attitude.

When you want to do something don’t expect perfection, just do it and adapt on the road. If you constantly postpone things because is not the right time, or you don't have the mood or you want them to be so excellent time will pass And you will remain only with the frustration.

Another mistake that we involuntarily make is focusing on the things that we can’t change. It is like swimming against the river and hoping that you will make it through.

No matter what stress comes to you, reground yourself to your life purpose, go on your path and do all the necessary steps to reach it.

Habits hints

Sport is one of the best ways to decrease stress. So whatever your condition is please find time to do it. It must not be a demanding sport, it can be adjusted for any person taking into account its physical and mental condition. I can say that sports have helped me a lot mentally and physically.

Nutrition must not be neglected. We all know what we should eat but we usually eat unhealthy foods that are decreasing our energy and make us vulnerable to stress.

One of the basic habits in battling stress is good and relaxed sleep. We need to have more of it to cool down our thoughts and invigorate our bodies.

Managing our sugar intake and drinking enough water throughout the day will also help us be stronger with all the worries that are assaulting us, so be aware.

Breathing at the moment deeply and fully will revive us. Just look at yourself how do you breathe? I was surprised to see that during the day I was breathing briefly and quickly like I had not enough time to do even this simple thing.

Make time to discuss with yourself every time when you are worried about something, analyze and find solutions. When you do this, be gentle with yourself, understand that you can’t know everything and if you make a mistake is normal, learn from it. Sometimes we are our biggest enemy.

Rejuvenating hints:

Go for a 2 minutes walk outside to clear your mind and body from all that accumulated tension from the day. Try to focus on the outside wonders, breathe deeply and be present.

Reading books is a very nice experience and a good way to dispel the tension. It focuses your mind on a single action and gives you so much knowledge.

Helping peoples in need is also a way to make you grow as a person and receive so much positive energy. I know is hard to do this when you don’t find solutions for yourself, but just try it to see how it works for you.

Gratitude for your blessings is a good way to escape from all the worries of your mind. It is very interesting to see that when you are grateful you can’t be angry or stressed. Just be aware that before you begin a gratitude session you must make some breathing exercises or something to relax a bit to prepare yourself. 

Be present with your family and have a quality time with them. It will make you feel happy and loved.

Speaking with someone about your problems and thoughts it can clear your mind and make you take the right decision. You can speak with a friend, family or even doctor if needed. Do what you need to go out of a bad state.

Meditation is a practice that is well known for its power to reduce stress. I can say that it helped me a lot even if I don’t do it daily. Sometimes for me, meditation is transformed into a small nap that gives me the power to continue.

As a last idea please always set aside some time each day just for yourself. Use it to organize your life, relax, and pursue your interests. You must do this, it is your life and you must live it, feel it.

Hey, hopefully, my ideas will help you find something to decrease your physical and mental tension that we all have from different events, persons and thoughts. What I want you to do, first after you read this post is to choose three practices that are more relevant to you and start to test them for one month. You will be surprised to see how much will help you in your everyday life.

Have a nice day! Be patient, be present and be bold.