Got Stress? Here Are a Few Tips to Bust It All!
Stress is a bitch, isn’t it? But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Author E. Joseph Cossman wrote, “If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today.” Not that easy, is it?
Aluxers, today we’re going to share 15 ways to be less stressed and we share how a few words can change the way you view stress forever.
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If reading this article is going to be a small addition to the pile of stressful things you have to do, here’s a quick video on the same topic:
With this made easy, let’s hop right into the first stress-busting tip.
1
Equip Yourself With the Right Gear to Tackle Stress
If I told you that it was really bad weather outside and you must go out to do a ton of garden work, what would you do? You would put on a rain jacket and hat, right? You wouldn’t try and change the weather. In our pursuit of managing stress many of us try to change the weather.
Instead of developing techniques to manage stress and simply apply them like you would a jacket, we stress more about how to reign in the situation and then have a mountain of stress to summit.
Like the ‘father of stress research’, Hans Selye explains: “It’s not stress that kills us; it is our reaction to it.” The first way to be less stressed is to realise that by developing techniques to handle stressful situations you will have a wardrobe of outfits to protect you from it, when it hits.
2
Understand That Stress Is Unavoidable
Stress it natural. Yup, that’s right. Stress is part of our inherent animal instinct, and it is a healthy level of stress that keeps us alive. If we didn’t have a survival level instinct of stress in us, we wouldn’t ever mobilise and stay alive.
What is avoidable is spinning out at the first sign of conflict, or a challenge.
Life is one big struggle, this planet is molten magma populated with billions of bacteria and a fragile ecosystem that must be maintained to sustain its current inhabitants all while maintaining a perfect flight path while rotating around an exploding star based in an unexplored infinite sea of unpredictable space soup and dark matter that we barely understand.
<Leanne- as you say this sentence get more and more exasperated. Then give a beat and then friendly into the next sentence>. So, by now we’re sure what to get your mother in law for Christmas is no longer your biggest stress…you’re welcome!
But basically, what we’re getting at is sometimes our stress can be misdirected, and sometimes no matter how much we stress it can’t change the odds. So, although unavoidable, overstressing is pretty pointless. I mean, unless you know how to solve global warming while ensuring the planet never migrates from its magnetic polarity. <Leanne – said in a fun tongue in cheek way.>
3
Understand That Stress Can Be a Tool If Used Properly
One thing is for sure, nothing great was achieved from a comfortable stress-free point of view. Even something like creating the LazyBoy chair was probably, ironically stressful.
Stress shows us what we value most. It also gives us the motivation and edge to always give our goal our greatest effort.
U2 lead singer, Bono, still gets stressed about a gig even 40 years since he started performing to packed stadiums. According to Bono: “The morning before a show I get nervous. I can wake up with a sick feeling.”
It’s that stress that gives him the edge to deliver pitch perfect performances time and time again.
4
Take a Step Back
When you get a stressful email, or the neighbour above you calls to tell you that your geyser burst, or your kids school requests a meeting, it’s easy to go into immediate stress mode.
Rather take a moment before you let your stress spiral out of control. This is that opportunity to recognise the kind of “stress” or weather that this is and put on the right “outfit” for the occasion as it were.
Being calm and collected in the face of stress doesn’t mean that you are ignoring what is going on. It just means that you are resisting the urge to react. And taking a moment to respond with the kind of action that will resolve the situation, not make it worse.
5
Disconnect
The subtle art of not giving a f*ck is a fine art indeed. It requires a good amount of headspace and a refined approach. And by the way Aluxers, you can listen to the book – The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson on Audible.
If this is your first time, go to www.alux.com/freebook and get it for free.
Often to get to this plan of action you need to allow yourself a little breathing room. A minute to stop and smell the roses before you tackle the situation head on.
Physical activities work wonders for this. They give us a natural boost of happy hormones, and a confidence boost to boot. Try something like a brisk walk, play with your dog, do a short yoga or stretching routine, crank up your happy dance or take a shower.
With this recharge you will be ready to handle things better. Like Anne Lamott, American novelist and non-fiction writer said, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…Including you.”
6
Identify What Stresses You Out
Stress can hit you like a Tsunami of 1000 rushing thoughts swirling in your mind all at once. It is hard to know which way is up, what is solid ground, and everything seems to be moving all at once. Remember that this is just the perception of a stressed mind.
“You should never trust a stressed mind to determine the real scale of the problem.”
Take time to write down what is stressing you out. Break it down into actual actionable tasks. Then assign those a time frame that is manageable. That might mean making a phone call to talk to your boss, planning a family meeting to talk about getting your house routine on track, or cutting back on spending until your finances improve. When you see it written down you will realise that there are solutions, and that the problem can be resolved.
Out of all places we spend our days in, the office contributes most to our stress. Here are “10 Ways To Make Your Office Stress Free.”
7
Realize That It Won’t Kill You
In the long-term stress can be deadly, for sure. It kills your health, relationships, and your sex life.
But in reality, the kind of things we stress about daily can’t really kill us. Worrying about not fetching your laundry before they close isn’t a death sentence, not making your kid homemade cookies for the bake sale, whether your boss likes your presentation, or even a prang on your new car all won’t really dent your life expectancy. But ironically, worrying about those things will!
Of course if your biggest stress is the bear you find right in front of you while you are lost in the woods, then you’re shit out of luck, this is one stressful situation that might just kill you.
8
Regain Control
Sometimes when you have that overwhelmed stressed feeling you just need an easy win. This puts you back in a feeling of control. When you are at your most stressed or vulnerable, fall back on some simple routine tasks to help you gain control of your confidence and help your mind find its centre again.
Go for mundane tasks like making your bed, putting your room in order, washing dishes, or sorting out your handbag. Giving yourself something that can be fully under control by the time you are done. This will give you a more winning mind-set when you tackle the items that are stressing you out
9
Build Momentum
Whether you break down a big stressful situation into smaller more manageable tasks, or you start with a few simple tasks to regain control, you will soon see yourself picking up speed at tackling stressful things. This is because as you tick items off you gain momentum and become comfortable and confident with each win.
Soon you will be in a flow and in your comfort zone and the stress will seem like a thing of the past.
10
Practice Mindfulness
Aluxers, stress can be avoided if you begin to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is the ability to be completely present at any exact moment. If you’re washing the dishes and your mind is racing on a million that things you’re worried about, bring your mind back to the dishes.
Smell the dishwashing liquid.
Feel the warm water in between your fingers.
Let the bubbles sit on your skin and watch them pop.
Be completely aware of every part of washing the dishes. Do the same with each task at hand and your mind will learn to still itself.
When we are stressing – we lose touch with reality. Mindfulness brings us back to the present moment.
Most successful people practice some kind of mindfulness and meditation, and for good reason.
To keep themselves grounded and level headed.
That’s why we spent over a year building up our mind mastery course and we had such an amazing response from you, Aluxers.
Go to alux.com/mindmastery and join thousands of Aluxers who regain control of their lives.
11
Get Grounded
There are many other ways to cope with stress when it rears its head. We completely understand that it’s not always possible to do an hour of yoga, or go for a 3-hour hike, but there are plenty of time-effective ways that will bring you down to earth.
In our video, 15 habits to improve your life, we take a closer look into the concept of grounding. Here’s the concept in its basic form:
Grounding, or earthing, is the simple process of walking on the Earth’s surface barefoot. The benefits include the neutralization of free radicals, improved sleep, helps with pain management and stress, and improves inflammation and immunity.
As Gautama Buddha said, “The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.”
12
Speak About It
We tend to believe that if we share our stress or problems with people, that they will think less of us. As Eva Stubits, PhD, a Houston-based clinical psychologist states, “Venting helps take the feelings out from inside of yourself, it helps you to process them.”
Aluxers, don’t see it as a failure on your part to speak about how you’re feeling. It takes courage to do that, and you’ll find that the problems will feel more manageable when you get an outsider’s view on the situation.
13
Turn off the Noise
Both external and internal. A lot of our stress stems from a constant flow of noise – visual, auditory, and mental.
We’ve said disconnect – but it’s not just phones and PCs you need to disconnect from… turn off all the noise, especially those in your head telling you that things are stressful and making you panic.
The moment you head yourself thinking negative thoughts, stop and start a little mindfulness. Look at old photographs that bring back good memories, watch a tree swaying in the wind… anything that stills your mind and helps you switch off the noise.
Coming up – how a few words can change your entire outlook!
14
Give a Helping Hand
Spiritual leader, Dada J. P. Vaswani once said, “A good way to overcome stress is to help others out of theirs.”
Helping others releases feel good hormones, and significantly reduces stress. If you haven’t experienced that yourself, then trust the results of a study conducted by researchers at Yale University.
They did a 14-day study on 77 adults, aged 18 to 44. The results were clear – helping others boosted the daily well-being of the volunteers. They had higher levels of positive emotions and their mental health was better overall.
Aluxers, it doesn’t have to be a grand gesture – holding a door open for someone, letting them in front of you in the shopping line if they only have one item to purchase, buying a chocolate for the person working at the garage. All of these good deeds will help you feel less stressed – and remember – kindness has a ripple effect.
15
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
Robert Eliot once said, “Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.”
We’re not taking away that some things are stressful, but often when we’re in that flat spin, we have built a mountain out of a mole hill. It’s then that you need to just say, “f*ck it,” and do what you can without falling apart.
If you’re really battling Aluxers, we encourage you to seek help. We reiterate that asking for help is brave, and acknowledging you have a problem is commendable, and we have your back here at Alux.
On that note Aluxers, what really works for you to reduce stress? Do share your tips and tricks with us.
