How’s your stress level these days? Do you feel like self-care after working, dealing with bills, household chores, and handling your kids? If you feel stressed to the max, don’t worry, as you’re not alone.
The good news is that you can find effective coping mechanisms for stress to make your burden lighter. Maybe you don’t know that you’re stressed out, and you need some help identifying the culprit of what you’re feeling inside.
Signs It’s Time to Start Developing New Coping Mechanisms for Stress
Here are some common signs that your stress levels are too high:
- Frequent headaches
- Sleepless nights
- Lack of energy
- Tired all the time
- Excessive alcohol or drug use
- Dizzy spells
- Episodes of heart racing
- Feelings that you can’t get anything done
- Moody or irritable
- Even small tasks seem unachievable
- Bowel upset
- Grinding teeth
- Muscle tension (neck, back, shoulders)
- Sweating
- Brain fog
- Poor performance at work
- GI disturbances
- Feelings of isolation and worthlessness
- Constant worrying or obsessive thinking
Are you experiencing any of these things regularly? While some of these symptoms can be indicative of another condition, many point to stress-related symptoms. Some people have a challenging time admitting that they need help as they fear it shows signs of weakness.
However, anxiety and stress are just outward expressions of people who’ve been vital for way too long. You need to find coping mechanisms for stress that can help to release some of the tension you feel inside.
Effective Coping Mechanisms for Stress You Should Utilize
If you are tired of being exhausted and run down and feeling like life is running over you, then maybe it’s time for you to stand up and do something about it. Life is always nerve-wracking, but you can learn coping mechanisms for stress that can put it in its place. Here are twenty ways that you can manage the angst you feel.
1. Accept That You Cannot Control Everything
One of the most powerful poems ever written was the Serenity Prayer. It would help if you learned to accept the things you can’t change, the power to change the things you can, and the wisdom to know the difference between them. Realizing you can’t control everything is the first step in managing stress.
2. See a Counselor
Counseling is a great option to help you unwind. Since a counselor is a third-party, unbiased person, you can say anything you want and not worry about hurting their feelings. They can help you with management techniques.
3. EFT Tapping
Tapping is a technique that helps to control stress by working on the pressure points in the body. It follows the ancient Chinese acupressure methods with a bit of modern psychology by utilizing the meridian points. According to The Tapping Solution, when you’re simulating certain areas in the body, you’re lowering your cortisol levels as well as forcing the brain to relax.
4. Limit Alcohol and Stimulants
The worst thing you can do for stress is turning to alcohol, tobacco products and consume too much caffeine. These can all stimulate the body, which makes sleep difficult. Additionally, numbing the pain with alcohol will not resolve anything, as you’re just adding another issue to the mix.
5. Eat Healthily
When you feel stressed to the maximum level, you probably do not feel like cooking a healthy dinner. You likely grab a burger on the way home from work. However, your body needs fruits, vegetables, and protein to function. Changing your eating habits can positively change how you feel; ask those who do the keto diet and have terrific mental clarity.
6. Practice Meditation With Tibetan Singing Bowls
You know by now that meditation is a good thing for you. However, doing meditation with the Tibetan singing bowls takes it to a whole other level. The powerful healing properties of these bowls have been used for centuries among Buddhists.
According to Shanti Bowl, these bowls should be placed near your chakras to help you enter a deep meditative state. It’s in this state that your mind lets loose of the stress and troubles and purges negativity.
7. Re-Balance Your Work and Home Life
If you are not spending enough time with your family and friends and working too much, you need to re-balance your life. You can’t work all the time, and you need socialization to help you relax and unwind.
8. Get Regular Exercise
One of the best coping mechanisms for stress is to exercise. When you’re doing a workout, you’re increasing the feel-good chemicals in your brain, lowering your cortisol levels or your fight or flight response.
9. Consider Supplements
Many people find that they’re stressed out because their body is deficient. You can take a supplement to help you balance things. Some of the best supplements are:
- Lemon balm
- Ashwagandha
- Green tea
- Valerian
- Kava kava
- Omega – 3 fatty acids
- B12
- Zinc
- Magnesium
10. Use Essential Oils or Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy has been used for centuries to stimulate healing. Did you know that lemon balm has powerful anti-anxiety effects that can calm you down? Try things like peppermint, lavender, bergamot, and sandalwood.
11. Learn To Say No
One of the most significant issues, why people are so stressed out, is because they do not know how to say no. Sure, it may seem like a good idea to put your kid in two sports programs, but have you stopped to consider the toll all that running will take on you? Learn to set healthy boundaries and know when to say no, as it can save you a lot of stress.
12. Maintain a Positive Attitude
Your attitude is everything. If you’re constantly negative and always waiting for the sky to fall, then your stress levels will be too high. However, if you learn to let things roll off your back and start looking at things through rose-colored glasses, it can change you for the better.
13. Practice Mindfulness
One of the biggest reasons people have stress is that they’re not present in the moment. They’re worked up because they are worrying about things that haven’t even happened. Please don’t pass by a beautiful flower without smelling it, and don’t let a gorgeous sunrise or sunset go by without a gaze either.
14. Chew Gum
A study cited by Science Direct shows that those who chew gum have lower stress levels. Could managing your stress be as easy as chewing gum? Experts believe that when you’re making the continual chewing motion with your mouth, you’re promoting blood flow to your brain and calming your brain waves.
15. Get Outside in the Fresh Air
Perhaps some of the simplest ways to control your stress are just by going outside. Have you ever experienced a panic attack but felt much better when you went out in the fresh air? There’s something tranquil about the great outdoors that tends to melt the cares of life away.
16. Don’t Procrastinate
Much of your stress can be self-inflicted. Do you commonly procrastinate? When you put off today’s work for tomorrow, you’re only making your outlook bleak. Stop putting off tasks that you can finish, and get them off your plate.
17. Try Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is a great way to purge the negativity within and clear your mind. The most observed styles are the following:
- Coherent
- Resistance
- Breath
18. Take on a New Hobby
Diversion is an excellent tactic for stress, and when you’re having fun, it’s hard to be stressed out. Why not attempt golf, swimming, croquet, or some other fun thing you’ve wanted to try? Bring a friend along and have a few laughs, and your stress levels will decrease.
19. Laugh More
Life is too short not to have fun and laugh. If you can’t remember the last time you’ve laughed out loud, then it’s been too long. It’s time for you to start enjoying life, and there should be at least one thing each day to smile and be happy about.
20. Take a Bubble Bath
There are few things as calming to the mind and body as a bubble bath. There’s something tranquil about bathing in the warm bubbles and letting the cares of life slip away. When you’re looking for coping mechanisms for stress, why not light some candles and emerge yourself in a tub full of fragrant bubbles?
Final Thoughts on Trying These Coping Mechanisms for Stress
If you were asked to rate your stress levels on a scale of one to ten, where would you fall? After reviewing this list, do you see anything that can improve your life by alleviating some of the constant mental pressure? According to the American Psychological Association, at least 45 percent of the population reports stress within the past thirty days.
Stop getting overwhelmed by the big picture and start living in the moment. Your entire life can change when you learn to put things into perspective. When your mental pressure is out of control, understand these effective coping mechanisms for stress to be a happier person.
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