Four Practical Ways To Reduce Stress

Stress in simple words can be described as a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.

These adverse situations or stress are of two types i.e physical and mental. Both are interlinked as they are part of a single human body.

We get stress due to various reasons like work pressure, hectic lifestyle, arguments, financial instability, serious relationship problems or any other reasons.

Well, whatever the reason may be, we all might have faced this situation at least once in a lifetime.

Now, let me quickly take you through some of the techniques that are helpful to de-stress yourself.

Although there are many signs of stress, I personally believe hectic work lifestyle in urban areas is the main reason. During my stay in Delhi, I observed that the primary reason for many employees to get stressed is massive work pressure.

Yes, I understand every company wants to make more profit; but due to this, they screw the lives of employees.

Many companies have some ridiculous rules like perform or perish. There is no fun in working in such stressful situations even if it is a corporate or multinational company. Because when these big companies go through a financial crisis they don’t hesitate to issue a pink slip to their employees.

Here is the list of a few common signs to know whether you are in stress or not.

1. If you stay worried most of the time

2. If you have difficulty in concentrating on the task

3. If you are losing your temper often

4. Less interest in having fun with friends or anyone you love

5. Everything looks lifeless and unexciting

6. Insomnia (inability to sleep)

7. Increase in alcohol or smoke intake

8. Increase in blood pressure

9. Low self-esteem

10. Prefer to stay away from socializing

Now we know the signs of stress, so let’s understand how we can deal with stress.

Meditation has its own benefits. To do meditation go to some quiet place and close your eyes. First, do deep breathing exercise for 2 minutes.

Then simply close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Let only peace, calmness be inside your mind. Even if you do this for 5 to 10 minutes, it will benefit you. When I started doing meditation, I also had difficulty in keeping my mind calm but with time I learned to stay calm.

And now let me share another form of meditation. What I wrote above is one form of meditation. There is another form of mediation and that is known as concentration.

Yes, when you focus and divert your all attention towards a task that is also known as one form of meditation. In this form of meditation, you just love what you are doing and you keep doing and following your passion. So, in this way, your whole life can become a good example of mediation.

Along with deep breathing, the second-best option is to try simple stretching exercises. One can stretch his arms and rotate body left and right.

One can try some other simple exercises. My personal advice is to do physical exercise at least 4 times a week. Devote at least 40 to 1 hour. It gives strength to the body and mind.

Stretching body will help to release physical tension easily. And it will also help the mind to calm down. For better results get up and do these activities. Don’t just sit and do this. Remember you need to move your body both physically and mentally.

Another best stress buster is going out with friends or family. Trust me when you spend quality time with your loved ones you will never know what stress is.

But my only request is when you go out, don't drink or smoke. Drinking or smoking is injurious to health. It can give you quick relief but in the long run, it is harmful to your health.

When you go out with friends you can watch movies, go for a long drive or biking. Or simply spend time talking with each other.

The best part is even if your friend or relative is far away you can use technology to connect. Now-a-days we can use Google Duo or even the Zoom platform to chit chat by sharing our face.

Watching your favourite show can be another great stress buster. I even recommend this if that is a comic one.

How much stress we might have in life we shouldn’t forget to laugh. Laughing can be the best medicine against stress. I even read somewhere - if you can laugh during your tough times, then you are a winner. And interestingly laughing is free and it doesn’t cost a penny.

Apart from funny shows, you can watch some motivational videos on YouTube. But I personally believe funny shows are more relaxing.

The best part is even though there are so many cartoon channels available now-a-days. And you can watch them while on the go.

Whatever techniques I have shared with you are my personal approaches to overcome stress.

I want to give some more techniques for reducing stress like spending time with pets. Yes, this can be another good method to de-stress yourself. But since I don’t have pets, I can’t explain much about it.

And the last method which I want to share is related to food. Try cooking your favourite meal by yourself and enjoy every bit of it. Go out and travel with your best friend or can go solo travelling to rediscover yourself. And at last, I suggest you listen to your favourite music before sleeping.