Calm your Stress

Almost everyone experiences stress once in a while. Do you recognize the feeling that more is expected of you than you can achieve? Whether at work, at home or, for example, on social media. Children and family can be a lot of stress, but there can also be persistent pressures at work or in your free time. Maybe you are sick or you have a loved one who is sick. You may be struggling with a relationship that isn’t going well. Or maybe financial problems are keeping you awake or living in an environment of war or violence. There are so many circumstances that can cause tension in our body.

Physical and mental problems

Everyone goes through stressful periods. If you can calm down afterwards, then there is not much to worry about. But if you live too long under stress and get too little rest, your body will protest.

You get complaints such as headache, muscle pain and sleeping problems. You become irritable and still feel tired when you get out of bed. You may also feel gloomy or sad. You can become unkind to other people and you may also withdraw because contact with other people costs you too much energy. Your work takes more effort and it is often difficult to concentrate. Sometimes life just doesn’t seem so nice anymore and the prospect of improvement seems far away.

Not everyone is equally sensitive to stress. Especially if you want to do things right and pay little attention to the things that are already going well, you are more likely to become stressed.

Doing more than you can actually handle will eventually make you less effective. Research shows that people who work many hours under pressure, end up getting less work done per hour. It can also lead to feelings of depression and anxiety as well.

What can you do against stress?

Relaxation against stress

Relaxation is important when you experience too much stress. Try to set aside more time for yourself. Even if that sometimes seems impossible. But remember that you are less effective, and therefore end up getting less done when you are stressed. Sitting on the couch and scrolling through your phone or watching TV is not the best form of relaxation. Movement is better for reducing your stress. Go for a walk or exercise and try to enjoy your surroundings.

Focus on what’s important to you

Say “no” more often to other people who want something from you. Try to make a list for yourself of people and tasks that are really important to you and of things that may not be so important at the moment. Try looking at the things you do as an outsider. How would you look back on this in 10 years? How would a close friend look at it?

Try to give your time and attention to the people and tasks that are really important to you. Make a conscious decision not to do things that are not important. And to spend less time with people who aren’t that important to you. Sometimes that can feel like losing face or giving you an anxious feeling that you are not in control. But if you are clear to others, it can also be pleasant for them. Focusing more on the important things will have a positive impact on your relationship with those people who are really important in your life.

Let go of the less important things

It can help you to leave certain tasks to someone else. Sometimes that gives the feeling that you will lose control. That things don’t get done the way you want them to. But if you try to do more than you can actually handle, you will have to learn to let things go. So you will have to ask other people for help. This can be difficult at times, but you still need to take bold steps to overcome your pride and fear of letting go.

Talk to others about your stress

It can help to open your heart to your partner or a good friend. It gives relief to look together at what is really important and what is not. And maybe your partner has very different expectations of you than you always thought. It can also help to share the concerns you have. You often come up with much better solutions together or the other person would like to help you solve a problem together.

To get more exercise, you can join a sports club. Go to a masseur if you regularly have muscle pain. If all this does not help enough, you can also visit a doctor or psychologist.

Also set aside time to do things you enjoy. For example, a hobby, reading a book or anything else that gives you energy.

Watch what you eat. When you’re stressed, you quickly turn to unhealthy food with a lot of sugars that give you some energy temporarily. But in the long run it just makes you lifeless and fat. Try to eat more vegetables and fruits. You know that restless feeling when you drink too much coffee? That greatly increases your stress.

Why do we get so worked up?

You can reduce stress with these tips. But to really move forward, it’s important to think about why you’re so concerned. What are you doing all this for? Also, take the time to think about what is really important in life. Not just for today and tomorrow, but what does your future look like?

I would like to help you to find the basis of true rest. Join us on a journey to discover what is really important in your life.

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