Is your daily stress and anxiety getting out of hand and affecting your health and lifestyle? If you've answered yes to this question, you are not alone.
Stress is reaching near epidemic proportions in our high-octane, instant gratification culture. Originally developed as a defense mechanism to help early man deal with danger, modern stress has stopped being about fight or flight, and become a normal and pervasive emotional state.
If you suffer from daily stress, it's important to your health that you lean to manage this complicated feeling, through forethought and techniques. So what are some tips for managing stress?
Firstly, you need to learn effective time management. This doesn't mean scheduling yourself to within an inch of your life, it means learning to prioritize the tasks that are on your to do list so that you deal with the ones that cause the most anxiety first, thus getting them out of the way. Make sure to do difficult, complicated or upsetting tasks early in the day, leaving smaller, less important ones for later.
Next, you need to counteract the physical effects of anxiety on your body by making sure you have a healthy lifestyle. This means eating well - particularly foods containing calming B vitamins, getting adequate rest, and having an exercise regime that helps you deal with nervous energy and releases endorphins in the body.
It's also important to be aware of your limitations. Taking on too much work - especially if it's done out of a need to please others - will land you in trouble. Be aware of how much time things will take you to complete, and even overestimate when you're planning a schedule. Be realistic - you'll be happier.
Lastly, make sure to put aside time for interacting with friends and loved ones - they can help you see your problems and concerns in a different light. And steer clear of quick fixes like nicotine, caffeine and alcohol that only amplify anxieties in the long run.
Put yourself first - you'll be glad you did!
