Managing stress can be one of the biggest challenges in life, and dealing with anxiety typically makes it extremely hard to gain control over the direction your life is going! Everyone who has ever dealt with anxiety and stress will most likely agree that it feels like you are the only person in the world who has these problems. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Anxiety and stress are common issues that everyone deals with to some extent. Learning how to manage anxiety and stress successfully will allow you to live a happier life, improve relationships and be more effective and successful at work.
Stress Happens To Everyone
Stress often feels like something that nobody else is going through. Anxiety is the same way. It can feel extremely lonely when you are anxious. However, it is important to realize that you aren’t alone. You aren’t different, weird or less worthy for going through these kinds of struggles. Maybe you are anxious about a new project at work. Or maybe you are stressed thinking about changing careers. Whatever you are going through, other people are feeling it too. If you were to talk to other people you’d find that their experiences are similar and relatable.
Figure Out What Makes You Calm And What Brings You Joy
We all need time to relax and unwind. Figuring out positive ways to do so is key to your mental health. Plenty of people use negative vices (such as cigarettes, alcohol, gaming or social media) to alleviate stress. These ways of coping can create more problems than they solve. Instead, think about starting up a daily light exercise routine, or a creative hobby, such as painting, cooking, or writing a blog. Exercise as well as creative expression trigger chemicals in the brain, which make you feel happier and more relaxed.
Stay In The Present Moment
This one can be pretty hard. Staying in the present moment is a meditation technique. But it allows us to shed fears or shame from thoughts of the future or the past. Instead of worrying about what might happen in five days, or months or years from now, staying in the present moment allows us to stay focused on the here and now, so that we can accomplish the task at hand. Staying in the present moment is harder than it sounds because our minds naturally wonder off to specific moments and possible futures. But staying in the present allows us to maximize our potential and avoid worried thoughts about what could happen.
Practice Autogenic Training – A Deep Relaxation Technique from Europe
Autogenic Training, or AT, is a century old stress reduction technique to quiet the mind and reset the stress response in the body. AT is widely used in Switzerland and practiced at schools, universities and corporations to reduce stress and enhance well-being. Everyone can learn it in just a few guided meditative sessions provided by a certified teacher.
Realizing that you aren’t the only one who has to deal with stress and anxiety will make you feel less alone, and figuring out new ways to respond to stress will make you happier, healthier and more effective at work and in life. Staying in the present moment and avoiding negative thinking will keep you grounded and focused on what is most important. While we cannot completely eliminate stress, we all can develop a solid plan to get the upper hand so stress is not controlling your life!
Feel free to email us or give us a call if you’d like to learn more about the power of the mind and how to beat stress once and for all!
* Sunset image credit goes to: Mikkel Jönck Schmidt.
* Open Book image credit goes to: Ben White.
