Can you fix it?
We all want to reduce stress in our lives. Easy to say but hard to do, especially if you’re the worrying type.
Very often the solution to reduce stress lies in how we deal with a problem.
For example, you worry about your family, about the aftermath of the pandemic, about your job, your relationship, or even the smallest thing like making dinner.
You already know that worrying isn’t going to fix anything. So to reduce stress, try a shift in your thought process and concentrate on your reactions.
For example, say you’re worried about your job or a relationship. First, try to really understand what exactly it is you fear and what you can control.
Only then is it possible to outline the necessary precautions towards a solution.
Continuously repeating that you’re worried (or ignoring the problem completely,) well, it just reinforces your stress levels.
Simple exercise:
Write a list of questions you can rely on when the worry avalanche comes tumbling down.
What’s my real fear? What happens if? How can I approach the problem differently? What advice would I give a friend in the same situation? Will the problem disappear if I worry?
How will my worrying help me fix the problem?
Once you clearly understand that worrying will not move you forward, you can start working on real solutions.
Real solutions to reduce stress include how you go about solving a problem or accepting it.
To reduce stress Go with what’s possible
Even if you implement self-care and are an extremely positive person, it’s still possible to let fear drive your emotions at certain times.
However, if you’re always reacting to all your underlying tensions, then you’re robbing yourself of solutions to reduce stress in your day.
We all have problems, and some are worse than others, but no matter. What counts is how you deal with them.
Do you endlessly loop the problem in your mind with no way out? Do you avoid the problem altogether hoping it goes away?
Facing our problems is never easy.
But facing a problem the right way makes them smaller and easier to deal with.
The right way is a shift of perspective.
For example, if you keep saying that this situation is impossible, but you do nothing to change it, the situation will continue to be impossible.
You are reinforcing something you wish to do away with.
Let’s say you’re apprehensive about a certain situation. You keep rehashing the problem in your mind, and basically, you want things to change for the better.
How does repeating the problem in your thoughts help you? Every day you think about this problem and every day, nothing changes.
Of course, you can’t get magically make the problem go away. But you can change your reactions to the problem, which will make all the difference to reduce stress in the long run.
See this as an opportunity to change things in your home, in your mind, in your body, in your relationships.
It’s beneficial to understand what’s important and your priorities for today and the future. In other words, what do you want for yourself?
Put your energy into what’s possible. Not into what you can’t change.
Reduce your stress with care
Physical self-care is the easy way to reduce stress. Plus it feels good!
- Try Taking a Walk
Go outside even if it’s cold! Bundle up and breathe the fresh air. If it’s too hot, then go for a walk early in the morning or late evening.
Look at the sky, go in the woods, walk on the beach, or just around the block. It doesn’t matter as long as your heartbeat is up.
- Cook Up a New Recipe.
Cooking helps to reduce stress by taking your mind off your worries and focusing on something new to learn. So find a dish you love and a simple recipe and go for it!
- Write in a Journal or Create Art.
Writing is extremely liberating. No pressure here.
Just take a notebook and start writing whatever you’re feeling.
Or use an unlined sketchbook and make a collage of how you’d like things to be like a vision board. Or draw a doodle. You don’t have to know-how.
Just follow your instinct and your imagination.
There are so many types of journals you can try!
See the Other side
In Relationships
Stress can often creep into any relationship, be it with a partner, a family member. Or a close friend. If not attended to, the stress rises to points of no return.
When you take a step back from the problem at hand and try to react differently, the situation becomes clear, and only then can you start searching for a solution.
Stress in relationships, among many other reasons, can come from staying with your partner out of guilt or fear of being alone.
It can also be a lack of vision for the future or just that you’re having a hard time dealing with their personality type.
Whatever the reason, it’s important to reduce the stress for your mental well being.
Simple Exercise:
You keep going around in circles thinking about this stressful situation and know your problem by heart, so try to see the other side.
Try to flip it over.
Imagine… what ideal changes should take place to reduce stress in the relationship? Is that even possible?
If yes, what type of things can YOU do for yourself to gain some distance from the problem at hand to see things clearly?
If not, then learn to let go and move on.
What would happen if…
- If you left the person or put a healthy distance between you
- If you change your reactions
- If you give yourself permission to make things different
- If you think of yourself, your needs, and wants without guilt
Identify your pain point. What’s really the problem? Why do you feel responsible for the other person and stay in a bad place for yourself?
Keep asking those questions !
You can start to reduce stress and unlock your happiness when you realize that even the smallest changes must come from you.
When it comes to relationships, seeing the other side of a problem means stepping out of the ongoing stressful thoughts you keep having and rewriting the script without guilt.
Gather your Tools to Reduce Stress
No matter the situation causing you so much stress, gather simple tools and change things for yourself.
Try physical activities to shift your focus and release tension, also write in a journal, cook up a storm or anything else that brings you joy.
In addition to physical movements, reduce stress by asking yourself the right questions and learning to change your reactions.
We already know we can’t change other people, no matter how wrong or different they are from us.
But you can change yourself and learn to make decisions based on your well-being, even when it’s difficult.
Be your own friend and move forward.
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