How to Manage Stress (How I Deal With It)

Feeling stressed?

Feeling overwhelmed by your work? Nervous about your upcoming exam? Living costs getting higher and it is getting difficult to get by each day? These are all stress and I personally also facing them myself. Everyone experience stress differently in terms of intensity but still we all experience stress and stress can drive us crazy, not just figuratively but also in terms of mental health. Being stressed constantly over a long of period of time also will weaken your body and caused you to be ill easily. Thus, knowing and applying the proper methods to managing and reducing stress is essential in leading a healthy, quality life. 

7 ways I deal with stress

Meditate 

Now, if you have read my previous posts, you will realize how I pressed on the importance of meditation as it helped me in many ways and managing my stress was definitely one of them. Contrary to what I believe initially that it is impossible to keep a cool head to meditate if I am feeling stressed, meditation can really release the tension we are feeling only if we know the proper way to meditate. Through meditation, not only that you are able to let go of the tension but also create a clear mind to see and think through your problem. With that, you are likely to solve the issue once and for all and rid of the stress that is haunting you. You can read on my page here to learn my way of meditation afterwards.

Listen to music

Now, there is always a music that can somehow connect with us emotionally that allowed us to immerse into the music and forget about the stressful situations that we are facing. Thus, you should find the music that can soothe your mind whenever you are feeling overwhelmed. For me, I have a wide taste for music and I listen to many music genres but Lo-Fi music is my favorite when it comes to dealing with stress. If you do not know them, you can try listen to them on YouTube for example and who knows, perhaps it will make you feel relaxed?

Dance

Yes, dancing is shown to release stress by releasing happy hormones like dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. You do not need to be a professional to dance, everyone can dance and nobody is judging! I dance in my room and I usually pair it with my music. If you have a partner, loved ones or friends, you can also dance with them which allowed you to release your stress and bond with them at the same time. Let the music carries your body and let the movement flows! Dance away your stress and be happy! 

Exercise

Similar to dancing, exercising or working out also release similar hormones as mentioned before so it can help in lowering your stress level. Doing some basic exercises like jumping and running is enough make you feel happier. I generally do weightless exercise like push-up, sit-up and squat whenever I have the chance to do so as I like the feeling of sweating and exerting efforts in pushing my body to my limit. You can run around the neighborhood and feeling the wind that is blowing on you and also making you forget about your stress. Vary your exercises and you may just find the right ones that provide you with the greatest effect.

Talk to someone

Talking to someone you trust is essential in releasing stress too! Know that you have someone to rely upon and talk to allowed you to temporarily pour out the stress accumulated in your mind. Your listening partner might also offer you some valuable advice that may solve your problems. Just do not forget to he or she also has their own problems to face so be understanding as well. You may exchange roles with them as communication should be two ways, not just one way. Sometimes, listening to people's problems remind you that you are not alone and will make feel better about a situation.

Watch videos

There are a lot of videos out there that are waiting to make you laugh and forget about your tension, at least for a moment. You can watch your favorite series to relax for a while or you can opt for short videos on social media to reduce your stress. There is nothing in releasing stress through this method but just remember that it should be done in moderation and never binge on it. Watching them with someone you loved may further reduce your stress so bring someone if you like!

Play games

This is my favorite way of releasing my stress and I would recommend it to you too! Playing any games especially some intense ones require us to be fully focused on them which will allowed us to put our stress behind just for the moment. Story-based games also allowed us to immerse ourselves while playing them so it would help in making us forget our tension. Of course, it should be done in moderation too and playing too much also can caused stress too. You would not want to be more stressed just because you cannot passed a level so be careful!

Conclusion

And that is how I deal with my stress daily and get by just fine. I am quite an optimistic person so no matter how hard the situation I am facing, I always think of a way to reduce my stress and keep a clear head to solve the issue I am facing. Regardless, stress is stress and it is important  that I acknowledged it before even thinking of methods to manage it. There is no escaping of stress that is why having the crucial skill to manage stress is valuable and everyone should at least learn one or more ways to manage stress. Once you can do that, life is not so bad after all!