As we know, life can get hectic! I’m sure that at some point in our lives, we’ve all experienced stress. Interestingly stress has become an inevitable part of our lives, and we are all navigating life by finding the best ways to cope with it to achieve our never-ending goals.

Having a bit of stress isn’t that dramatic. A little bit of stress keeps us on our toes and helps us motivated and focused on our goals. So why do we need to manage stress? Well, when stress is frequent and so overwhelming that it negatively impacts our mental and physical health, it becomes dangerous. And we don’t want that!

That’s why in this article, I will go over how to effectively manage and overcome stress using easy-to-follow coping techniques. If you struggle with stress, know that you are not alone! Today, make the decision to start using these techniques for positive changes in your life!

How to overcome stress? Follow these 3 simple steps:

• • Identify sources of stress
  • Adopt healthy coping mechanisms
  • Challenge yourself

1. Identify sources of stress in your life

The first step in managing your stress is to identify the sources of your stress in your life. Why? By identifying the sources of your stress, you will understand how to manage and reduce that stress. How? To understand where your stress is coming from, listen to your situation and follow the below tips:

Tip 1: Think back and write down when you started feeling overly stressed. Have you been in this situation for 1 day? 1 month? 1 year?

Tip 2: Now that you know how long you’ve been stressed, what’s the frequency of this situation? If you’ve been stressed for, let’s say, a year, does it go and come back in waves? If so, how often? All the time? At the beginning of the day? At the end of the day? On weekends? You get my point, right?

Tip 3: You’ve been able to pinpoint the exact time your stress started and the frequency? Great, now what’s the event that triggered your stress? This is the event that coincide with the moment you started feeling stressed. Did something happen at work or in your relationship? Any health or financial concerns?

Whether your stressors are work-related, relationship issues, financial problems, health concerns, or even something as simple as traffic, don’t worry. You can manage them. You just want to know what they are. From then on, you can reduce them. Knowing what you are working with will give you an idea of how to tackle them.

2. Adopt healthy coping mechanisms

When life gets tough, it’s natural to turn to coping techniques to help us get through it. This is a reality of stress too. It’s essential to turn to healthy coping mechanisms when stressed to feel balanced, empowered and energized. Always choose the options that bring you joy. Checkout this article on how to break bad habits to improve your lifestyle. There is no size fits all! Many healthy techniques are out there, and it’s up to you to decide. So, go nuts.

Here are some easy-to-follow approaches to managing and healthily reducing stress:

Tip 1: Try finding a relaxation technique that works for you. You can choose yoga, meditation, tai-chi or mindfulness, to name a few. The idea here is to focus on your breathing to relax your mind. If you are too busy, practice for a few minutes here and there throughout your day.

My technique of choice is always yoga. However, when I don’t have much time, I practice mindfulness before going to bed for no longer than 5 minutes.

Tip 2: Choose a physical activity you will easily incorporate into your daily routine. You can adopt walking, running, hiking, dancing, weightlifting, or any other medium to high-impact routine exercises. The idea here is to have your body moving to release endorphins and boost your mood.

What helps me is joining a Zumba class in my community. It never let me down.

Tip 3: Find an activity that calms you down. Do you like reading a book, listening to music, cooking a meal, painting, drawing, colouring, volunteering, cleaning, swimming or connecting with nature? Commit to the activity you like. The idea is to find an activity that brings you joy and that you can do alone. Ensure this activity help you unwind! Here are 15 self-care activities to enjoy alone that you can choose from.

The choice is up to you! You can do this daily for a few minutes throughout the day. This will help you clear your mind and build resilience. Finding the right technic will allow you to form long-lasting habits and improve your well-being.

What helps me is going for a walk in nature with my music on. It never fails me! Your turn; what helps you unwind?

Tip 4: Choose to nourish your body with balanced meals. If you are part of a group of people who binge eat when stressed, I hear you! It’s up to you to change that, though. Incorporating a balanced diet into your routine will improve your mood and energy levels throughout the day.

Make the intentional choice to cook your own meal if you can. Always include proteins, vegetables, healthy carbs, and fats in your daily meals.

This will give you a sense of balance and control in your life.

Tip 5: Speak to someone. As humans, we are social beings. Sometimes speaking to someone is all we need to feel better. You can open up to your close friend, a family member or a professional about your stress to relieve some of the emotional burden you are carrying. Don’t be afraid to reach out and start the conversation about your struggles. You never know; you may end up speaking to someone with some helpful insights or solutions to your problems.

You want to create a routine that’s balanced with relaxation techniques, physical activities, a balanced diet and social interaction to manage your stress effectively. All these tips are overwhelming, so it would help to incorporate them one step at a time.

3. Challenge yourself

Life can be stressful; there’s no denying that. However, if you constantly deal with stress-inducing situations, it’s time to act now. How? By taking a step back and evaluating what’s really causing the issue. Then, deal with it by following the below easy tips:

Tip 1: By now, you’ve identified the stressor or the source of your stress. Who is it, what is it? Please write it down whether it’s a problem at work or your personal life keeping you up at night.

Tip 2: Take the initiative to find a solution or address it head-on, whether or not you have control over it. For example, you may need to plan and prioritize some responsibilities over others. Do this in an achievable way, too. For instance, if you are stressed by a project at work, break down the project into small achievable tasks to complete every day. If the deadline is unrealistic, find some help from colleagues or advocate for a change of deadline to a later time. Remember, you build resilience by challenging yourself and getting out of your comfort zone.

You want to make a plan and address your stressors one by one. However, remember that sometimes the solution is to remove yourself from the situation that is constantly stressing you out to lead a happier life. It’s difficult but empowering.

Challenging yourself this way helps you to grow as a person and live a more fulfilled life. Next time you feel overwhelmed by stress, remember that you have the power to take charge and make positive changes for yourself.

In essence

Coping with stress can be incredibly difficult, but with the proper techniques, it can be managed. Life will always be stressful. It’s up to us to manage and reduce stress for a happier life!

Next time you are feeling overly stressed, follow these tips! Remember, reaching out to a professional for guidance will always make a difference. So don’t hesitate!

I hope these tips help you manage your stress!