How To Deal With Stress

Life is full of stress: Whether it’s in your personal, social, or work life, we all have to deal with it. For me, writing this post has been stressful. I found out I had to pay more money to this website so that I could continue these blogs. As a young adult with little to no money, this has resulted in me stressing about it. If you are seeing this blog, then I obviously took the jump to pay for it, haha.

Stress is something we all have to get used to. We all need to come up with ways to cope with it so that when we do feel its grip, we know how to loosen it. It can be a very useful emotion, it can indicate when you aren't happy or when you are outside your comfort zone. Stress itself isn't a negative emotion, I believe it's the situation that you are stressed about is what defines whether it's positive or negative.

I deal with stress in a number of ways:

1. I try to distance myself from the issue. A lot of problems can seem overwhelming when you first encounter them. They appear like a huge brick wall with no way around. I try to relax, take a step back, and break the problem down into smaller mini-problems. What can you achieve now? What small things can you fix? Once you start to slowly chip away at the problem, it becomes a lot less threatening.
   
2. You might be wondering, “yeah, it’s all well and good saying to relax and take a step back, but how do you actually do that?”. Well, for me, I like to exercise. Whether it’s the gym, a walk, or a run, I like to release all the tension from my body so that when I am finished, I feel relaxed with no built-up energy left. If exercise is not your thing, then just do something that distracts you and calms you down. Art, gaming, movies, baking—the list goes on. Once you’ve taken some time to relax, you’ll feel so much better when you come back to the problem.
   
   
3. Confide in others. So many people are scared to share their problems, but usually telling someone can MASSIVELY reduce your stress levels. You know what they say, a problem shared is a problem halved. It’s not embarrassing, annoying, or weak to share. It’s asking for help, and there is no shame in that. A lot of the time, an outside perspective can really help you work through a challenging situation, so don’t be afraid to ask!
   

Remember: 

Everyone deals with stress. We all cope with it in different ways, and I am sure that you will find a way too. Here's one more scenario to finish on.

Imagine you are on a plane, you look out the window to see miles and miles of sun, cloud, fields, rivers. The curtain of stress that has been suffocating you just seems to peel away as you fly further and further from all your problems. You are off to new lands, to meet new people, and see new horizons. Your old horrible manager from back home is miles away, the bad memories sinking further and further into the past as you glide over the pure beauty down below.

When you are stressed, think about how you would feel if you were miles away from it all. Sometimes all you need is a change in perspective to feel so much better.

I challenge you, the next time you feel stressed, try one of the above methods. See if it works, and if not, that's okay! Try something else.

Never give up.

Let me know how you get on, just send me a message!