Life throws us lemons up until it doesn’t. Stressing times may arise, and the difficulty that comes with them may often be overwhelming. Most of us go through constant conflict – within and with others. Finding peace and fulfillment is tougher than we expected when we were young and free of responsibilities.
Life is tough, right?
Carl Muck, Psychologist and HR Executive at a cheap essay writing service EssayWritingLand, threw a great piece of advice for those of us who are struggling to live peacefully and happily:
“Nowadays, the strongest (and the most successful) people manage to stay in control of their emotions and actions. These people find ways to manage the stress, the problems, and the hustles that come in their way, and as a result, they manage to find themselves and the happiness that most of us are seeking.
Stress is a killer. This is a fact that’s been proven many times by many sources. Therefore, the most logical thing for us to do is to reduce it up to the point where it doesn’t affect us anymore. That is indeed a difficult task.
Let me ask you – how are you dealing with your stress? Are you consciously and actively working to reduce it? Or you’re just hoping that life will eventually get better? Are you working on your emotional skills? Or they rule your kingdom every time they please?
1. Acknowledge the Need to Relax
The most important part of relaxing your body and mind is to be self-aware of your condition. If you’re stressed out and you’re not realizing it, your condition is similar to the one of an addict who doesn’t understand his problems. It is also similar to sleep deprivation – people think that they’re functioning normally, yet their cognitive abilities are reduced without them realizing it.
Here are some signs that you’re stressed more than you actually realize:
- You encounter difficulties when you have to make simple decisions
- You feel impatient
- You tend to criticize others while focusing on their flaws
- You have either lost your appetite or you eat more than usually
- You can’t focus well
- Your memory is giving you trouble
- You feel physically weak
- You can’t get out of bed, or, quite the opposite, you can’t manage to sleep
- You have lost confidence in your own powers
- You can’t meditate
- You tend to enjoy your favorite activities less than you normally do
- You feel the need to consume substances such as alcohol or drugs
Each of us is different, and we react to stress differently. Unfortunately, nobody can tell you what’s actually going on in your own mind, so you’ll have to figure that on your own. When you detect that you might be stressed, it’s time to start thinking of constructive solutions.
2. Learn to Stop Thinking
Is your mind constantly filled with thoughts? Do you ever stop thinking?
Constant thoughts are a frequent cause for stress, anxiety, and depression. The more you think the faster you’ll run into trouble. Our minds, just like our bodies, need to relax. If that doesn’t happen, negative consequences may arise.
My suggestion is simple and clear: acknowledge that your thoughts are not always a positive effect on your mental and physical condition and start assessing your internal dialogue.
The moment you become the observer, you will have the power to reduce or eliminate your internal talk. Then, you’ll feel peace and relaxation. If you ever want to meditate, you cannot let your thoughts control you. Meditation requires internal silence, and that’s a skill that you must work on consistently!
3. Understand that Everything’s Temporary
Life is both short and long, depending on how you see it. As you may notice, you’re always changing. Your thoughts change, your body changes, your energy changes, your emotions change, your actions change, and basically, everything around you changes every moment.
If you have already realized that you’re stressed and overwhelmed by life due to various reasons, relax and simply acknowledge that better times will come. You can’t always be stressed – sometimes are rough than others. But, the more self-aware you are and the more steps you take towards eliminating the negative states the faster you’ll “get back to normal”.
4. Give Yourself a Break
During rough times, we often tend to forget that life shouldn’t be a constant hustle. We also tend to blame ourselves or others for the negative states that we’ve gotten ourselves into.
Take a few deep breaths and let go of the “blamer”, let go of all responsibilities, and let go of all the expectations. Simply be. Give yourself a break and do whatever you want as long as your actions won’t bring something amazingly bad.
If you take a break while you have to work and you make less money, that’s totally okay. If you want to be alone for a few days but responsibility calls, break the rules and do whatever helps you to get out of the stressful state. Otherwise, with a stressed mind, you won’t even be doing what you’re supposed to do in the right way!
5. Exercise Regularly
Exercising regularly doesn’t just help your body relax but also your mind. Studies have shown that physical exercise is a holistic approach that can dramatically improve your life (both physically and mentally).
If you’re not a regular sports person or you haven’t exercised for a long time now, take it step-by-step. Start with some regular walks, then go for a jog, or perhaps hit the gym. Do whatever you can to “put your body at work” on a regular basis and you’ll feel way better than you do now.
If you’ve experienced the calmness swimming brings in its wake, you’re not alone. Swimming bestows a certain kind of tranquility that elevates the mood. This being ‘one’ with water while swimming calms the frayed nerves and de-stresses the mind. This is the reason why swimming lessons for kids are a must.
However, for complete relaxation of the body and mind, learn to submerge completely underwater and experience total peace. Then move your body ever so slowly in measured strokes, just enough to keep the body afloat and nose above the water. Following these steps and breathing regularly while swimming is sure to get you relaxed.
6. Live the Present Moment
Are you living in the present moment? Or, perhaps, you like to keep your attention focused on the past or future? Here’s what I mean by that…
If you’re constantly influenced by your past, you’re allowing your former experiences to shape your present state of mind. For example, if you failed at something, your next attempt may be influenced by the conclusions you’ve drawn (I’m not good enough, I’m hardly going to make it, It’s been so hard, etc.)
However, if you do not allow your past to influence your present moment, you’ll give it another try without being limited by your past. Therefore, as a consequence of focusing on the present moment, you’ll shape a better future.
Moreover, when you pay attention to what surrounds you, when you start caring about the simplest joys in life (such as witnessing a beautiful sight, smelling the scent of a flower, or paying attention to your breathing patterns), your internal talk will stop and you’ll be able to enjoy your existence without stressing about expectations.
Living in the present moment is probably the best thing you can do to diminish or completely eliminate stress from your life. Do it for a day, a week, a month, and you’ll be completely healed!
Takeaways
Finding your unique ways to relax your body and mind will take you far in life. Regardless of your life goals and near future objectives, learning to cope with rough emotional states such as stress, overwhelm, anxiety, depression, and whatever may bother you will make you a complete person.
Acknowledge our strategies and make use of them whenever you need to relax and cut off the negative stress and issues. Good luck!
Author’s Bio: Susan Saurel is a passionate writer from Texas. Also, she is in love with traveling. Teacher of higher category, PM in an IT company, lovely mom, and wife. She is ready to share her experience with her readers, and she has something to say, for sure. Get in touch with her via Twitter.