Managing Stress

 I got a message on the reality of life from a friend. This message was about a man who spent his old age in regrets. What regrets, you may ask. This man made all the good grades in school, made the billions of dollars, became so popular, but after it all, he still had regrets; he never enjoyed all those good things he worked for. 

Stress is a normal, physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. The stress response is a way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. Stress helps you to rise to meet challenges. It is what keeps you on your toes during presentation at work; it is stress that helps you read to pass your exams.

But beyond a certain point, stress becomes harmful and causes damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, and your relationships.

POSSIBLE CAUSES OF STRESS

We have the external causes of stress such as:

Major life changes

Work

Poor planning and management of ones life

Financial problems

Relationships difficulties

Children and family

Busy schedule

And the internal causes, such as;

Perfectionism

Lack of assertiveness

Negative self-talks

Pessimism

Unrealistic expectations

Inability to accept uncertainty

EFFECTS OF CHRONIC STRESS

Sleep problems

Heart diseases

Pain of different kinds

Depression

Digestive problems

Eye bags, puffiness, and premature wrinkles

Obesity

Skin diseases, such as eczema and acne

Troubled relationship 

WARNING SIGNS OF STRESS 

Aches and pain

Diarrhea or constipation

Dizziness

Chest pain

Loss of sex drive

Rapid heart beats

Frequent colds

Nail biting

Eating less or more

Sleeping too much or too little

Using alcohol or cigarettes to relax

Moodiness

Sense of loneliness or isolation

Seeing only the negative

Poor judgment

Inability to concentrate

You may feel the stress in your life is out of control, but you can actually control the way you respond. Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your environment, your schedule, and the way you deal with problems. 

A good number of people find themselves stressed when they should be enjoying their life just because they failed to do something positive and plan their lives when they were young. Many misuse their youthfulness only to start living in regrets at old age. If you are young, do something to enable you spend your old age enjoying yourself. 

Stress management involves changing the stressful situation when you can, changing your reaction when you can’t, taking care of yourself, and making time for rest and relaxation.

STRENGTHEN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

A strong support network is the greatest help out of stress. I know exactly what I am talking about because I have been there, when I felt fourteen years of my life was lived in futility. Friends rallied around me, they talked me out of that mindset. They got me to believe in myself again, made me realize I have greater potentials within. And guys, here I am today, a pillar of support to others around me. Here I am today, excelling and doing things I never thought I could do. If you don’t have any relationship, or your relationship is the source of your stress, try building stronger or more satisfying relationships. In doing this, stay away every from naysayers.

Hmmm; wondering how you can start building stronger relationships? Here are a few tips

Go for a walk with a workout buddy

Schedule a weekly dinner date with someone

Join a club. Fitness club remains the best

Call or email an old friend

Have lunch with a co-worker

Volunteer to help someone else and a put smile on faces.This has always worked for me. I have discovered me to be someone who derives happiness simply by helping and making others happy; take this part of me and you have a walking corpse.

You can’t completely eliminate stress from your life but you can control how much it affects you. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, deep breathing, and even having your mind blank for few minutes will help. Also work on your emotional health. 

After my first marriage came to an end, it was a bit tough forgiving, but I had to let healing come in. I made sure I released myself from every bitterness and anger. I can stand boldly to tell you, there is nothing as soothing as you letting go. When you forgive in entirety, you will discover that while you were holding that person down, you were actually the one down. You can decide to give a distance, but for your own sake, forgive. 

Remember, stress management is all about you controlling things when you can, and changing your reaction when you can’t. Stop parking all those chemicals into your system. Stop allowing manufacturers of drugs use you to enrich themselves. I see people swallow ten tablets at once as stress pack. There is nothing much to be achieved by choking yourself up with drugs. God has given you the ability to bring healing to yourself. 

You can live your life again, nobody owns your life, and it is yours. You can make whatever you want to make out of your life. God has given us that power, we are co-creators with Him. 

Recreate your life