Here’s Medi-Readi’s 10 simple and proven ways to release and break free from stress!
Did you know that around 75% of Americans reported to the American Psychological Association that they experienced a physical or mental symptom of stress in the last month?
And even more alarming, approximately 5 million deaths worldwide are attributed to mood and anxiety disorders each year, that is a lot of deaths! This thing called stress has also been linked to America’s five leading causes of death: cancer, accidents, heart disease, respiratory diseases, and stroke.
Now that we know just how common and serious stress is, now let’s figure out how to break free and release the stress that is draining us of our peace and happiness.
Daily life will have its natural stressors, for example let's think about the iconic stop-n-go traffic while we are in a rush to get to work, and the guy who loves to cut people off in traffic. But what about the other factors in life that can be somewhat controlled when it comes to how we let it affect us? Like relationships, our finances, our lifestyle etc. The point here is that there are things that we can control in life and things that we cannot control. The things we cannot control, we must learn to let go and let life. Meaning, if we can’t do anything to prevent a situation from occurring or predict a certain outcome, then we are better off just letting it go and moving on with life.
Let’s take for example the guy who loves to cut people off in traffic: Well, when it does occur, instead of becoming overheated and letting our stress levels rise, and our blood to start boiling simply take a few deep breaths in and out, mentally count to five and move on in traffic unbothered. Trust me, what goes around will soon come around for the guy who loves to cut people off in traffic. Let go and let life deal with that guy.
But then there are the stressors of life that are controllable, these are the areas where we must put some work in to release the stress and break free from it to allow us to live a more peaceful and happy life.
Break free from stress with Medi’s 10 Stress reduction techniques:
#1: Live in the present day
This is the most powerful way a person can be stress free, live in the present, current day. Unfortunately, most people tend to hold onto their past, regretting their past and holding onto the negative thoughts for past mistakes. Then there is the future, the fear of the unknown or not knowing what is going to happen or what is to come.
The past is the past, rather good, or bad, it is still the past. We can remember the bad things that have occurred, but those things are not in the present so why put all your energy and thoughts into something that is over and already done? Mentally move on from those negative thoughts, replace them with present-day positive thoughts. For example, think of a present-day happy event or accomplishment you’ve made whenever a negative thought comes into your mind. And remember, previous mistakes we made in life are not necessarily bad mistakes. A lot of those mistakes taught you something didn’t it? You learned from those mistakes, so that is a good thing. Life is about living and learning as we go along. And in regard to the future, it is correct that the future is unknown, but again why put all of our energy and thoughts into worrying about what is to come? Let what is to come, come naturally. Meanwhile, live life one day at a time. Live life to the fullest everyday with joy! What we can do in the present day is plan and prepare as best we can for the future, for whatever the future brings to us. Always keep a positive outlook regarding the present day and the future.
#2: Take care of yourself first!!!
Say it out loud, “You are the most important person in your life!” and mean it. This is probably the most important way to break free from stress in your life, by truly taking care of yourself first. In the current state of the world that we live in, if we don’t take care of ourselves first, trust and believe no one else will! We all have various family situations that include our mates, children, our parents, family, friends etc. We usually are pulled in various directions to meet the needs of everyone else involved. But all too frequently we forget about the needs for ourselves, and our physical and mental health suffers because of it. Make time for yourself often, let it be your ME time, do something that you enjoy doing – something that makes you truly happy. Think more about your physical health, and your mental wellness and take steps to improve them both in some way. Enjoy life, be kind, eat good nutritious food and treat yourself to something nice often, you deserve it very much! Love and take care of yourself first!
#3: Do a Mind Declutter and relax your Mind
Mind decluttering and Mind Relaxation, those are 4 very important words when it comes to relieving stress. First let’s understand what Mind clutter is. You ever feel like your thoughts are like a camera, flashing from thought to thought, idea to idea, things on the to do list, to appointments you must keep, to decisions you must make – it seems to be just a constant camera flashing! Well, that is mind clutter in a nutshell. Let’s think of our brain as a hard drive, from time to time we need to free up some space on our hard drive. Not only do we need to free up space, but we need to also recharge our minds like we recharge our cell phones. A very useful thing to do is to start writing things down physically on paper, it can be journaling of some sort. Instead of keeping all those thoughts bottled in your mind, put those thoughts on paper, then once it is on paper prioritize those thoughts and come up with a plan to resolve them, thereby decluttering them. Think of it like you are filtering through them to weed out the unnecessary thoughts, especially the negative thoughts, get rid of them entirely and replace them with thoughts that boost your self-confidence, always think positive thoughts!
Also, make decisions on things that you keep putting off, and then scratch that item off your list once you make the decision. This is the process of mind decluttering. Also, at night before bedtime, put this list away at least one hour before you go to bed. Then once in bed, take time to unwind by truly relaxing. A good way to relax the body is by practicing deep breathing. There is so much power in deep breathing techniques, and it is often overlooked by many. Not only does deep breathing relieve stress but it also helps to promote concentration and aids in strengthening the immune system. Try these techniques and start the process of mind decluttering!
#4: Get Rid of your debt!
Bills, Bills, Bills – we all have them in some form or fashion! Bills and Debt top the list when it comes to the stressors of life. So how do we tackle this debt to help get rid of stress in our life? We focus on paying down our debts by coming up with a plan to do so. Create a physical list on your laptop, iPad, or just with a good old notepad and pen, doesn’t matter how you create the list, just create a physical list of ALL your debts and things that you owe. Prioritize the balances from small to large, then start paying down the small debts first to be able to scratch them off your list completely. Then once the small debts are paid in full, come up with a plan to start paying off the larger balance debts. Now, what is the plan to pay off this debt? Well, everyone has a talent, rather it is being great with kids, or being a wonderful cook. Well, start freelancing on the side to make some extra money and take ALL the money you make from that side gig and pay it towards your debt only. Or you can simply get a part time job doing something that you enjoy and use ALL the money you make from that part time job to pay towards your debt only. Make a plan and stick with that plan until you pay off your debt, you can do it if you put your mind to it! In the long run, you will feel so much better once that debt is paid off and trust me, your life will truly become more stress free.
#5: Treat others the way that you want to be treated
That good ol’ Golden Rule! What is the Golden Rule you say? The Golden Rule means that if you want people to treat you with respect, then you should treat them with respect too. Another way to define it is putting yourself in other people’s shoes. The main way to be able to treat other people the way that you want to be treated is very simple – just be kind! Choose to be kind to everyone that we encounter daily, because one thing is for sure, you never know what a person is going through in life. Being kind doesn’t cost a thing, it is totally free to do, so why not just do it, be kind. Now I understand that sometimes it is hard to be kind when someone has that horrible energy, and you might feel that being kind to them would not accomplish anything. But I assure you, that if you return kindness towards negative energy, you will win every time. If someone says or does something to make you feel frustrated, take a minute to think about it before you respond back, remove yourself from the situation if you must to calm down then when you return simply be kind and keep your day movin’ and groovin’. Never let negatively win, kill it with kindness and meanwhile you will start to notice that your stress level in life will noticeably improve as well.
#6: Get Enough Sleep
Did you know that a lack of sleep can raise stress and anxiety levels? This is very true. Lack of sleep can cause the body and mind to react as if it is in distress, thereby releasing stress hormones. And on the other spectrum getting enough sleep helps regulate the immune system, therefore improving it which aids in relieving stress. Our minds and bodies heal when and while we are asleep, and that is why getting enough sleep is essential when we are trying to break free from stress. Getting between seven to nine hours of sleep per night is recommended. Stick to a schedule when it comes to bedtime, and make sure that your environment that you sleep in is very inviting and comfortable. If you have a mattress that does not provide the comfort level that you desire, then purchase a mattress that meets your requirements – it is worth the investment to get a quality good night’s sleep because your health depends on it. And about an hour before bedtime, start preparing for a good night’s sleep. Begin the process of turning your mind off by performing mind relaxation techniques. For example: put away the laptop, iPhone, to do lists etc. and start practicing deep breathing and positive, peaceful thinking and you will be well on your way to breaking free from stress in your life.
#7: Stop caring what other people think
Your life is your life, live your life on your terms how you want and desire to live it. Who cares what other people think of you, as long as you treat people in a respectful manner and have ambitions that will not bring detriment to your life, live your life the best way you desire and be happy. People are going to always have their opinions about everything, but that is exactly what it is, simply their opinion. It doesn’t mean that their opinion must be your opinion. Think about it for a minute, we all have different fingerprints, don’t we? Well, that is for a reason, because each one of us has our own story, our own blueprint of life, so forget about what other people think of your decisions, goals, ambitions and just live your life to the fullest each day. Live and let live, meaning live your life unapologetically and let others live their lives the same way. Life is about living and learning as we go along, so just live and be happy!
#8: Spend time with positive, like-minded people
A person’s energy is a real thing! And negative energy is even more real, I mean if someone has true negative energy, you can almost sense it as soon as you encounter that person. This is probably one of the most important ways to get rid of stress in your life, avoid negative, mentally draining people! When you surround yourself with negative people you are putting yourself in the position to draw the same kind of energy that they are attracting, you must guard your energy these days by avoiding and/or disconnecting yourself from negative people is a must to do so. A negative person rarely thinks good thoughts about anything and seems to thrive when they talk down to other people with a goal to discourage and stop them from moving forward in life.
Prioritize your self-worth and instead of draining your mental and physical energy, start surrounding yourself with positive, like-minded people. People who think and talk about positive things in life, and don’t focus on the negative aspects of things. If a person is encouraging and seems to always lift you up, they are kind, and their attitude is the same every time you connect with them, nine times out of ten they are positive minded. Being like-minded goes along with positivity, pick associates who have similar life goals as you do, people who want to do things in life that you find interesting. Most positive people do not mind sharing their knowledge with people who are aspiring to do great things in life and enjoy seeing others succeed. So, break free from stress and start the process of putting negative people on the do not call list.
#9: Adopt or get a Pet
Or should I say go adopt an addition to your family because that is what a Pet is, part of the family! Did you know that studies have shown that pets, dogs in particular, have proven to aid in reducing stress, anxiety, depression and not to mention loneliness? Yes, all of this is very true. Nothing can beat that unconditional love that a Pet can provide, which is one reason why the industry that provides emotional support animals is booming in the present day. People desire this unconditional natural form of stress relief and love by having a Pet as a companion. For example, after a long and stressful day at work, just knowing that your Pet will be there waiting for you (no doubt by the door) to cuddle and listen to you and show you how much they love you.
Animals have a gift to know when something is wrong with their owners and they are there to the rescue when an extra ear or hug is needed. There are various types of pets to adopt and/or purchase – it’s your choice, just consider getting a Pet to help aid you with breaking free from stress!
#10: Learn to say NO sometimes!!!
I get it, it is sometimes a natural instinct to want to please everyone around us. We are afraid that if we do not please them, it may offend them or hurt their feelings. So, what do we do? We just say, yes to everything that is asked of us. Yes, I can take on an additional project at work. Absolutely, we can meet for dinner on Monday evening. Sure, your kids can come over to hang out after school. Oftentimes we speak before we think, and we answer in impulse which often leads to dreading the way that we answered a question. For instance, if you are already swamped at work and behind on a few projects, when asked if another project can be taken on, stop and think first and don’t feel ashamed to simply say, “No I can’t take on another project right now due to my current workload.” Versus, taking on that project and adding more stress to your life which is unnecessary. The same goes for the dinner on Monday evening, if you know that Mondays are usually the most stressful day of the week, especially regarding work, so if you just don’t feel up to going, or don’t want to go, just simply say No.
We have to set boundaries in our lives in order to protect our peace and prevent unnecessary stress from entering into our lives. It is okay to say NO, and don’t feel bad about doing so. Everybody has different lives, different obligations regarding relationships, family, financial situations etc. So, you know what you have going on in your life, and you know what you have to do on a daily basis, so if you really don’t want to do something, just start saying No. If the person really, genuinely cares about your well-being, they will understand and not get offended. Say yes to the things that make you happy and to the things that you want to do. Never feel pressured to have to say yes to everything just to please other people, because those yes people are the ones who tend to be the most stressed out in life.
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