Home Dealing with stress and anxiety: Facing your fear and being happy
Local

Dealing with stress and anxiety: Facing your fear and being happy

Contributors
stress anxiety business
Photo Credit: denis_vermenko

Life isn’t easy and as happening always as you’d expect. So it’s completely justified for you to feel stressed out, depressed, or anxious. You’re not alone in this, millions of people are dealing with stress and anxiety these days, but there’s so much that you can do to feel better and fight stress.

Always remember, feeling stressed out from time to time and experiencing ongoing anxiety are two different issues. If your stress or anxiety has started taking a toll on your health and lifestyle, and you’re tips on how to treat stress, you should consider talking to an expert.

Want to know more about coping with stress and anxiety? Keep reading!

Tips for Coping with Stress and Anxiety

1. Talk!

By simply talking to someone you feel close to about how your current condition can take the burden off your shoulders. Make sure you are discussing your mental state with  someone you trust, and then express whatever you have to say to them.

2. Let Go Off Your Past.

You might not have noticed but feeling anxious and stressed has a lot to do with your past. If you’re still living in the past or worrying about the future, then you’re doing nothing good. Focus your mind on the present moment to feel a little more relaxed and chilled out. You can also divert your mind from things that increase stress and anxiety by doing something exciting.

3. Step Outside!

A hectic schedule can leave anyone stressed out. So always ensure you do at least one thing every day that you love. Your favorite show, a hobby, or simply chatting with a friend – do something that lightens you up. If you feel burdened and wondering how to treat stress and anxiety, you need not fret to say ‘NO’ to things you don’t enjoy doing.

4. Control Your Thoughts.

At times, people aren’t even aware of the reason they are anxious or stressed. You can pen down your thoughts to determine the actual cause. Once done, you can start working on challenging yourself and changing your thought process. Maintaining a personal diary or an app also works well.

5. Challenge Yourself.

If your head is stuffed with only negative thoughts then how are you going to feel relaxed! Even though our thoughts feel true, it doesn’t imply they are what’s really happening around. Try using your brain practically to support or disprove each thought you have written. You would be surprised to see so many of your negative thoughts are merely exaggerated or aren’t real.

6. Work Out, Eat Well, & Sleep Better

Exercise is known to lower stress, decrease anxiety, and uplift mood. Given that, it’s recommended that you make time to work out a bit every day. No need for hardcore workout! Plan a 30 minutes exercise each day to feel the difference.

Apart from exercise, your diet and sleep schedule also play key roles in your well being. A healthy diet will keep you healthier and stronger. As a result, you dealing with stress and anxiety becomes easy!  Make sure you get enough sleep to keep your mood positive and stress levels reduced.

7. Fight Your Fears

Stress can make you coward, or resist from doing things you should or you want to. If you often avoid situations, or people that make you anxious or stressed out, it might keep you from enjoying things you want or need to do. While it may sound absurd, but facing and fighting your fears can actually reduce your anxiety and stress levels!

If the situation is as bad as you’d already expected, you can plan your way to face and manage your fears. Walking away is never going to solve anything! So it’s better to prepare yourself for coping with stress and anxiety. If you feel nervous, you can always get help from a professional. An expert like a counsellor or psychologist can guide you through the process of living a healthy and stress-free lifestyle. Apart from anxiety, they can assist you with more tips and insights on managing anxiety.

What Can You Do Now?

  • Follow these self-help modules on dealing with stress and anxiety.
  • Find out more about anxiety, stress, and other lifestyle-related problems.
  • Consider visiting or consulting a professional for guidance.

Contributors

Contributors

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.