Combatting Stress
Combatting Stress
Stress is a natural part of life, though at times can be overwhelming and leave us at a point of not being willing to decide on something, even if it is important. When the decision is finally made, massive anxiety can be the result. Becoming resilient can be a life-changer. What is resilience? It is the ability to recover from illness, depression, and anxiety.
Why should we become resilient in our lives? Life is going to hit you hard at times, and no one likes feeling stuck in a depression, living with fear every day is no picnic. Living this way can also impact your physical health. For some people, resilience is second nature, however, it can be developed. Just like exercise, it is something needing to be developed by practice for the rest of us.
Becoming more optimistic about things that go on in life is a step in the right direction. Optimism is not simply faking it until you feel better, it is a real intentional process of changing our mindset about the way things are. Challenges are going to come, and gaining that sureness of overcoming them is vital. Most people have faced challenges and overcome, remember these times when other challenges present that seem overwhelming and remind yourself of the previous success.
Getting a solid rest will also help to clear your mind of the stress and help with the process of becoming more optimistic. Exercise is another factor, regular physical activity is a good way to release endorphins and feel better. Exercise will also take your mind off the problems for a while, not to worry though, the brain will still be working on a solution in the background like a computer application.
Become more flexible, physically with the body, it is healthy for the muscles the more flexible we are, and in your schedule. Allowing time in your schedule to take care of the physical side will help to reduce the stress. You are not married to your schedule, though it may feel like it, you just need to take control. We can cause ourselves to feel guilty about things when they do not go the way we feel they should, have some mental flexibility as well.
Support in your efforts is important; family and friends play a role in your success. If you need to, have a mentor and a personal trainer to help you stay accountable to your goals in both areas. You can have a friend workout with you, take part in a fitness class, find those who will be involved with you in the healthy lifestyle habits you need.
Be intentional in what you do, both at work and with exercise. You cannot be successful if you are floundering around with no destination in sight. Take a look at your values and strengths, use those when defining which direction to take. Do you want to look like a bodybuilder? Do you want to have the money of Bill Gates? Make sure your values are in everything you do, it can be easy to get off track, and then there will be more stress. When you are intentional based on your values, it eases the stress and it will not feel like work.
Growing your spiritual health can also help reduce your stress. When you develop your faith more strongly, the cares and desires of physical life get easier. We tend to add stress to ourselves with our timing and agendas. When we understand the timing is not solely in our hands and trust God will bring it when appropriate allows us relief from stress. Part of becoming more spiritually resilient involves meditating on God’s word and allowing the principles to be active in your everyday life.
There are many ways to combat stress, these are just a few suggestions; improving your spiritual, physical and mental health are the key components to fighting stress and winning. Do your research into the multiple ways to combat stress, there are more out there.
