What Stress Means to You
Everyone experiences stress. Some people experience a lot of stress, but do not let it get to them. Then there are people that get too stressed out — everything gets to them.
A case in point: I’m a very anxious person. I can stress out easily. I’ve learned a few techniques (which I’ll share a little later) for dealing with this, but my body can still tell me I’m stressed when I’m not conciously aware of it.
Now, given that everyone experiences stress — it is a perfectly natural reaction to certain circumstances — what does this mean for you?
If you don’t deal with your stress in a productive manner, it can cause many negative effects, including:
- hair loss
- digestive problems
- weight loss
- weight gain
- heart problems
- issues with your relationships
and so much more.
So how do you deal with it? You can avoid or prevent stressful situations, but that is often not an option. Here are some things I do to reduce my negative reactions to stress:
1) Breath
I take long, slow, deep and deliberate breaths. It is very difficult to be excited and stressed when you breath deeply and slowly.
2) Think Happy Thoughts
This is also known as positive thinking. I try to see the good side of the situation and dwell on the benefits.
3) Stretch
I do yoga-like stretches. This enhances the breath work I mentioned earlier and helps release the muscle tension that often accompanies stress.
These three techniques often work to calm me down, which in turn helps clear my mind to deal with stressful situations appropriately. Maybe they’ll help you, too.
