Stress is a natural part of life. I have a brother who is as cool as the fresh air. He never seems to stress or be stressed. Myself on the other hand, I am the opposite. If stress was a WhatsApp emoticon, my face would be it. When stress puts a little pressure under you, it sparks a fire within you that allows you to get on top of what you need to have done. In this case, it acts as a reminder or a motivator and this is good. When stress consumes your every being, breaking you down mentally and causing you to break out into hives, then it is not so good. We need to manage our stress to be able to deal with it and our everyday tasks. As a student I always find myself in conversation with other students about how stressful the workload is and how stressed we always feel. In fact, I have noticed that I spend so much time talking about how stressed I actually am, that I never actually do anything about it, except complain. This is so unnecessary, because there are so many different ways to deal with stress.
Get physical
I realise that being active and doing physical exercise is not for everyone and that is okay. I am not a physically active person myself, but whenever I feel stressed I go to the gym, do some cardio and afterward I feel so refreshed and ready to tackle anything life throws at me in that moment. In fact, it has been proven that Dopamine (which is a chemical that plays a role in happiness), is increased in our body when we exercise. So whether this is jumping on the trampoline, doing the dishes, running a 20km race or even just having a swim in the pool, whatever looks good for you: do it. It will reduce your stress levels and increase your happiness levels (and fitness at the same time).
Play that funky music
Music is a universal langauge. Although we all have various music tastes, we all (at some point in our day or week) listen to, or encounter music. Music is like a magic power when it comes to helping you reduce stress. What music does is; it taps into your emotions. It demands your attention, and helps you to connect with what you are feeling so that you can deal with the emotions and stop them from stressing you out. It also relaxes your soul – depending on the type of music you are listening to – which helps to calm your body of the stress you feel. So pop on your earphones, turn up the volume, and blast your favourite tune.
Go on an adventure
Sometimes distancing yourself from what is causing you to stress is a good thing. I have a friend, who goes on little adventures every time she is feeling stress. Sometimes this could be a walk alone in the park, a walk to the shop, a mission to the zoo or even a train trip with a friend. Whatever your adventure is, it is something that can help you to clear your mind and gain some perspective on your situation (and stress).
Connect spiritually
Maybe you do not have a spiritual side but perhaps your stress can open up a door for you to become spiritually invested. One of the ways that this can be done is through prayer. This allows you to talk about what is causing your stress, to someone who is always listening (like God). If you are not into talking and more into being silent, then you can read some scriptures in the Bible, to help you get some perspective on your life and also help you to find some more ways to deal with your stress in a way that is beneficial to your soul. In fact, you could even dive deeper into the book of scripture and get to the root of what is causing you to stress in the first place. Ultimately, when you are stressed, your spirit can feel it and it becomes drained. Connecting and reaching out spiritually is one way to revive your spirit and reduce your stress.
Ultimately, stress is not meant to break us down or tear us up. We are perfectly capable of rising above it. So the sooner we do this (by trying some of these techniques out) the better life will be and the less grey our hair will be.
So here’s to stressing less and being blessed.