Stressful experiences are inevitable in life. When stressed, you find it hard to cope with specific demands. These demands can come from work, financial pressures, and sometimes relationships.
The thoughts of these demands create stress every day of our lives, and occasionally, whether we like it or not, we end up being victims of stress.
At times we don’t even know we are stressed until it starts to show on our health; when this happens, we must monitor the biological changes that appear when we are stressed.
As much as stress negatively impacts a person’s well-being, it can sometimes motivate how we handle problems. Have you heard of people who do well in stressful situations? That’s when they achieve their absolute best.
Well, we are all built differently as some may stay and confront the challenge while others will run to safety. Eventually, how one reacts to these setbacks determines the effects stress has on them.
Imagine some experiences that appear to be positive can sometimes be the biggest contributors to stress. Incidents such as getting a promotion at work, better opportunities, getting a newborn, and even moving to a new place can contribute to a certain percentage of our stress.
We look forward to all these things, but it is funny that they can be things that weigh us down. Crazy right? You may wonder why, but as much as these experiences are good, they require a person to get out of their comfort zone, put in extra effort, have an uncomfortable change and new responsibilities, and sometimes learn and unlearn. That’s why we have people who are excited about their promotions at work but still question if they can handle the new responsibilities.
A mother can be happy to welcome a newborn but still stressed about keeping up with the baby’s needs. Now, there’s nothing with feeling all these sorts of things; that’s why we have management strategies when we experience such stressful times. Some methods are more practical than you can imagine.
Here are Some Practical Ways to Manage Stressful Situations;
- The most important of them all is to reframe your thinking. Thoughts are more significant to how we respond to stress because our thoughts influence our emotions and, in turn, influence how we react. Viewing stressful situations from a positive perspective can help reduce stress because it lets you realize that not all problems are problems.
- While stressed, it is important to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Ask yourself, does what you are going through matter in the long run? Is it an opportunity for something greater? These questions help you maintain a positive perspective.
- Most times, we get stressed because we have set unreasonable standards that end up frustrating us when we can’t meet them. Take it easy on yourself and do that which you can manage.
- Gratitude! Gratitude! I don’t know how many times I have used this word in my article, but this is one of the simplest yet the hardest thing to do when stressed. It is easier to complain and forget the good things in your life, but you can train yourself to be grateful for the small stuff while accepting the things you cannot change.
- Get moving- This should be the last thing to tell someone stressed, but yes, you cannot afford to be stuck. Stressful situations are not the end of the world, jog up your mind, think of other ways of getting out of it and start making small strides. Be proud of how far you have come.
- Allow yourself some fun and time to rest. Don’t get caught up with the hustles of getting yourself out of the situation that you forget to have some time to breathe. Rest can put you in a good space mentally and, in return, help you handle stressors in your life.
- Eat well and sleep enough. Bodies that are well-maintained cope better with stress.
- Finally, seek help. We find ourselves in stressful situations we can’t get out of and sometimes need a helping hand. An expert in stress management will help put things into perspective.
While all these things can help manage stress, it is important to note what is stressing you. Note that you can’t avoid stress but can eliminate things stressing you.
While eliminating those stress factors, you can change and adapt because not all stressful situations are changeable, but you can change how you adapt to them.
Accept the situations you are in because denial can take a toll on our minds when we stress about things we cannot change. These things may not be an answer to your problems, but they’ll help you manage them.
