The Best Methods To Combat Stress In A Hurry
If you’re set on improving your health and fitness level, chances are you’re been taking the time to read up on various articles on the best dietary techniques to use and how to design and structure a proper workout program.
You figure that if you can get these two things taken care of, you’re all set – all you need to do then is put your plan into action.
But, could you be missing out on taking into account one of the most health-destroying factors out there?
That factor is stress. So many people completely overlook how stress fits into the picture, but if you’re on a mission to improve your well-being, you need to consider it.
High levels of stress have major impacts on the body including increasing your risk for diabetes and other diseases, increasing your chances of depression, increasing the chances that you accumulate excess body fat, and sapping your energy levels.
All in all, stress must be dealt with if you hope to feel your healthiest.
So, what can you do to combat stress? If you take the right steps, you can work to put stress behind you so that you can lead the lifestyle that you desire.
Here’s where to start.
Use A Stress Journal
The very first thing that you should be doing if you’re looking to combat stress as best as possible is to start utilizing a stress journal. This is going to be a journal where you can write down your thoughts and feelings about what is stressing you, getting them down on paper rather than running around through your mind.
Often the act of writing down these thoughts and feelings brings a new level of clarity to many people and they’ll easily be able to figure out ways to work through their stress once it’s down on the notepad.
Take ten minutes each and every day to just write freely about whatever is on your mind. Make it a mission to start writing and don’t let yourself stop until the timer is up.
You will be amazed at what comes out if you do this exercise.
Consult With A Trained Professional
Next, also consider consulting with a trained professional. At times, the best way to combat stress is to talk to someone about it who can help.
While calling a friend will help in many instances, in some cases you need to go a step further. If you’re dealing with serious issues that have impacted you for years, you will likely need some counselling to get through it.
Know when you need to consult with someone for your own health’s sake. Don’t try and fight deep feelings alone as chances are, they will continue to trouble you.
Delegate
Moving along, if lack of time is often what causes you stress, it’s time to start delegating. Look over all the different things on your ‘to-do’ list and figure out which you really could do without.
Remember, there’s no shame in getting help when you need it. Far too many people, especially women have a strong tendency to try and take on far more than they can handle and before they know it, they’ve got sky-high stress levels.
Pass off tasks that you really don’t need to do yourself and that someone else may actually be better at anyway.
Remember that down time is important for overall well-being. Make sure that you have some of it each week.
Find Something You’re Passionate About
Another excellent way to help combat stress is to find something you’re passionate about. It’s easy to let life pass us by, going about our careers, workouts, and spending time with friends and family. And while there’s nothing wrong with these activities, it’s good if you can find something that you’re really truly passionate about.
For some people, it could be drawing. For others, baking. And for others, perhaps photography is what gets them going.
Whatever the case, find whatever it is that brings you great joy and that you get lost doing and then strive to do that at least once a week.
If you can do this, you’ll find it works wonders for combating stress and helping you feel revitalized and re-energized.
Most women don’t take nearly enough time for them and as a result, they’ve lost their passions over the years. It’s time to bring those back into your life so that you can be as happy as you possibly can be.
Perform Intense Exercise
Finally, the last way to combat stress is to start performing intense exercise whenever you feel your stress level creeping up.
Intense exercise is great because it’ll cause your body to release a series of endorphins, which put you into a state of natural high that will bring a sense of calmness and feeling of control.
Intense exercise could be a kickboxing workout that you’ve seen others doing at your gym or going for a fast paced run with your favorite music on high.
Whatever the case is for you, turn to this form of exercise when you’re stressed rather than sitting around feeling sorry for yourself. It’s a much more productive method to deal with these feelings and will also offer great health benefits as well.
So there you have some of the top tips to help you relieve your stress levels in a hurry. Keep in mind that each and every person is unique so what works for one person may not necessarily work for the next.
The trick is figuring out what works best for you so that you can then implement these strategies moving forwards and put stress behind you.
The important thing is figuring out a plan and taking action. Far too many people miss out on doing this and instead just let their stress build and build until it’s almost too much for them to handle. Avoid doing this and you can reach a much higher state of health and fitness.
Another great stress reduction tool is also great fun – Extreme Jumping Stilts. Nothing like an hour on these to get the blood pumping!