The deadline for your project at work is tomorrow. The children are fighting and the milk is about to boil over. You’re tense, your shoulders and neck hurt and your head is pounding— welcome to the world of stress!

Find the time

Finding time to relax can be difficult, but it’s never too late to stop and take control. Pause a while and think about whether you suffer from any of these problems:

• Do you have trouble sleeping?
• Are you unusually irritable?
• Do you get headaches?
• Are you depressed?
• Do you have bouts of uncontrollable crying?

These are just few symptoms of stress. If you answered yes to any of them, you are probably suffering from some levels of stress.

Learning to balance the time you spend with others and the time you set aside for yourself will help you become happier and more productive. Here are a few suggestions that will help reduce your levels of stress:

1. Breathe

One of the best ways to combat stress is to take a moment and breathe deeply and slowly. The way you breathe can have a significant effect on how you feel.  So when you are stressed, you can help yourself if you try to control your breathing pattern. Attempt to eliminate negative thoughts and energy about other people and situations, so that it does not affect you. Repeat the positive thought as you breathe and allow your face to reflect tranquility. The breath tends to be shallow or rapid when body and mind are in ‘guarding state’ under stress or pain. Controlling the breath so that it is slower and deeper, reduces the amount of electrical energy in the body. This gives you the chance to ‘calm down’. Deep breathing can also relieve headaches and backaches.

2. Exercise

Another great way to deal with stress is to start an exercise program. Aerobic exercise strengthens your heart and lungs and improves your overall use of oxygen. Activities such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling and swimming are excellent aerobic type exercises.

3. Move

Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body— climb stairs, walk your dog, toss balls with friends and chase your children. Think ‘move’ in small increments of time.

4. Quit

Studies have shown smoking to be harmful to health, so give up those cigarettes… one at a time.

5. Music

Listen to soothing music, which calms you down when you are stressed out. Spend some leisure time with family or friends who you enjoy being with or watch a funny movie with them.

6. Delay

Think twice and keep quiet before getting aggravated and losing your temper.

7. Do Something

Spend time doing something you like. No matter how busy you are, steal some moments for your hobbies. How about adopting a pet? Watching a crawler fish aquarium is one of the coolest stress busters. How about growing a plant of your choice?

8. Think Positive

Think positive, be positive. There is a definite connection between being happy and having a cheerful outlook on life.

Live life better

They say “an empty mind is a devil’s workshop”. So, keep yourself busy but not over-exerted to the point of being stressed out. You may not be able to avoid all the stress in your life, but can certainly learn to live with less.

Cover photo by: Lucky Business / shutterstock.com

Author Profile:      

Maitreni Mishra is a part of the content team at Live Your Sport. A true fitness fanatic in fine fettleherself, anything and everything that contributes to one’s personality development and a healthy well-being, is her forte. Striving to unleash the fitness freak in her, she’s exploring further avenues to live fitness with her own flair. You can explore her work further at the LYS Blog.