It can be difficult in the current economic situation to stay positive. We worry about money, we worry how we will pay the mortgage, we worry about our job, and we worry about our children. It is easy to see how stress and anxiety build.
This can become a spiral into anxiety and depression as the stress makes us worry about more and more situations that might happen as we catastrophize about our future. Yet there are things that we can do to combat stress, easy steps to follow that will allow us to take a more balanced view of life.
Stress is not in itself a bad thing, it can keep us safe, keep us alert when we are under threat, yet if it continues all of the time there are very negative effects on our health so if you feel that you are stressed all of the time then you should try some of these steps to help.
Talking to someone is probably the simplest step you can take. While it can be difficult to admit that you have a problem, almost everyone finds that just talking it through with someone who listens helps to make them feel a little better. That person could be a good friend or a counsellor, just someone you trust to listen.
When we are under stress we tend to breathe too quickly and with shallow breaths. Monitoring your breathing to make you take slow deep breaths not only helps you to feel less stressed, it will often help in moments when you feel particularly stressed or anxious and will help control your symtoms.
Exercise, has been shown in study after study to help with beating stress. Perhaps at the simplest level it helps use up the hormones that are charging round your body when you are stressed, but many people feel it is the time that they have where their mind is free to look at the issues they face honestly and in a balanced way.
Observe yourself, notice what makes you stressed. Perhaps there are things you could avoid or do differently. Perhaps you need to have a break after that difficult meeting or something that lets you de-compress after the stress, letting your body return to normal.
Remember that stress is well known about in the modern world and not only can you get help from your GP or a counsellor, but many workplaces now have employee schemes where you can access help for free. So you can get on with that stress busting today.