13 Stress Kicking Habits
Don't let stress take control of your health & how you want to live. If you let it, stress will creep in and start destroying your relationships, sleep, productivity, and your physical, mental, and emotional health. Learn these 13 stress kicking habits to break free. Take control of your life and don't lose YOU.
13 Stress Kicking Habits
Stress Causes Health Problems
Stress is highly destructive to your whole being - starting with your mind & emotions followed by your body. Common health problems that stress causes: frequent sickness, serious illness or disease especially heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, teeth grinding, pressure, isolation, helplessness, frustration, addiction, lack of sleep, weight gain, and loss of self, etc.
You might need to seek professional help. And, you may even need to leave the stressful situation entirely.
Stress Sneaks Up and Takes Control
Stress, especially chronic stress from highly stressful jobs, will slowly creep in and begin to control you, pressing in on all sides and wearing you out physically, mentally, and emotionally. Stress can affect your relationships, quality of sleep, productivity, gut/digestive health, happiness, and overall wellness.
So how do you control stress? Learn these 12 stress kicking habits to manage stress levels so you can take control of your life again. The good news is, most of the damage done by stress can be reversed. Of course, the longer you've been under chronic stress the longer it takes to recover.
If you experience chronic, long term stress, your very life can depend on what you do to minimize it. For example, heart disease is one of the major results of chronic stress. If you're not able to tackle this on your own maybe I can help.
I Lost My Control
I speak from experience - almost 12 years of chronic stress left me feeling like my life's essence was draining out to the point of feeling like I had nothing left to give.
To take control - I had to release all of it which took over 2 1/2 years to recover. YAY, I finally got "me" back.
Common Causes of Stress
The top causes of stress are: job or job loss, relationships, marriage, divorce, money, debt, imprisonment, chronic illness, death of loved one, and moving especially to a new city.
Learn to Recognize Stress
1. Be aware of your body at the onset of stress.
Be self aware of your mind, emotions, and body the moment you feel stress creeping in. If you focus for a minute, you’ll notice changes that you want take acknowledge. For example:
Feeling frustrated or agitated. And, stressed or anxious.
Feeling your muscles and maybe your jawline tense up.
Increased heart rate and blood pressure, and feeling like you’re on high alert.
2. Determine the source of your stress.
This should be easy to figure out. It could be a person's behavior towards you that's stressful. The common stressors come from: your job in general, a condition like money problems from mis-management or smaller income, or from life events. Life events are usually temporary in nature, like a marriage, divorce, or death.
However, if you're having trouble coping with a condition or event, especially for people with PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, I recommend getting professional help as well as using my stress kicking habits.
If you learn to recognize your symptoms, you can take immediate action. If you're at work - it might be a 10 minute break to pray/meditate and use a breathing technique. If you're at home - you can take a longer break, and choose from one of the stress kicking habits below.
3. Small Adjustments Help Manage Stress
Make small adjustments to manage stress and keep it under control…. daily.
Stay committed for the sake of your sanity and quality of life. If you're already experiencing long term chronic stress, you may want to see a doctor to get a little help at the beginning. Once you're more at ease, continue with these stress kicking habits.
However, if you start taking prescription medication - do it temporarily because medication is usually toxic and does more harm than good. Plus, almost all medications are band-aides - not a cure. To heal, you need to do it the natural way.
4. Adopt Stress Kicking Habits
To begin healing from stress - you need to take action. Learning the habits below don't require a lot of time and they’re fairly easy to incorporate into your daily routine. You'll love how most of them are so soothing and relaxing. Choose at least 3 or 4 stress kickin' habits that work best for you and practice them daily, even if you don't feel particularly stressed that day.
First, check in with yourself after waking and before bed. Do a self-analysis: Do you feel refreshed in the morning and relaxed in the evening? Make a note of anything that happened during the day that either frustrated you or caused you stress, so you can be prepared and address those areas when they happen again.
You can also talk with a Doctor if you prefer. It's interesting that my Dentist was the first to tell me I was in a high stress job just from my teeth - and that really SCARED me.
Habits to Break Free From Stress
1. Take 1-4 day Mini-Retreats
Take a couple mini-retreats every month - in your community or a few hours away. Just get away from your normal routine & stressful responsibilities.
If you stay home - try a new restaurant or park. Do things you don't have time for like reading a book in the sunshine. If you have a favorite place, then go there for quiet time. Even paddling down river or bicycling thru nature can relieve stress.
At least 25% of your mini-retreats should be just for YOU - no kids, spouse, or friends. Since pets are healing, they're always welcome unless you need just "you" time.
2. Get a Pick-Me-Up at Work
DON'T skip your lunch hour. For 3-4 days/week, take a walk or bicycle for 30-35 minutes. Find an area with the least amount of noise & traffic. If you're near the beach or forest - nature provides an added health boost. As you move along, focus on your senses: what you see, smell, and hear because it helps your mind de-stress.
Before heading back to work - breathe in/out slowly and deeply as you pray or meditate. Calm your mind. If you can't completely empty your mind then focus on your happy place. Refuse to think about things you need to do or the person who was a jerk that morning. Next: be thankful - it empties all the negative and helps lift your mood.
You're finally ready to go back to work. Save one day/week for lunch with friends or running errands. In addition, take a 10-15 minute break mid-morning and mid-afternoon. That's your legal right for an 8 hour day. Do something that clears your mind like standing out on the balcony and "be" in your happy place, or maybe read a couple inspirational verses for strength & encouragement.
3. Get a Pick-Me-Up at Home
At least 4-5 days/week, set aside 30 minutes just for YOU in the evening - no interruptions from kids or spouse. Choose a favorite relaxing activity - a yoga stretch routine, a hot bubble bath with essential oils and your favorite tunes, or reading a book curled up with your pet. Also, 1 day/week have a romantical date night with your loved one, at home or out.
No excuses now…. it’s just 30 minutes. If you have younger kids, they’ll be in bed by 8 or 9 pm and you’ve got date night planned to properly take care of your spouse! Remember, you NEED this time.
4. See Friends Weekly
Friends help reduce stress & keep you healthier. Friends keep you from isolating which creates more stress and they give you a support system.
Friends make you laugh and feel loved which lifts your mood and minimizes stress.
While it's important to have alone time.... friends often just make things better.
5. Minimize the Problem
Minimize the problem by doing 3 things. First, thank God or your higher power for the problem. WHAT? That's absurd. Yes it is, but give it an honest try anyway. Having a "thankful" heart minimizes the stress created by the problem. By shrinking the problem and focusing on the big picture and what you do have - you remain in control and less burdened.
Second, it's very important NOT to hold onto past problems or enlarge potential future problems. You can't change the past and stressing over it makes the problem grow, causing you more pain & grief. The same goes for potential future problems. Don't borrow from the future, we have enough troubles for today. Pray for strength & wisdom for a future event, but then leave it where it belongs.... in the future.
Third, no matter the size of the problem, don't let it consume you. Praying is always a great option at the onset of a problem. You could also ask advice from your trusted circle of family/friends or a counselor. Just don't allow the problem to control you - there's always a way out.
6. Change Your Focus
By changing your focus - the big picture - it becomes easier to manage/minimize stress. The more your focus is negative, the more you hurt yourself and the people around you. What we "think" and "believe" will shape our feelings and behaviors. Negative thoughts create destructive feelings: bitterness, anger, frustration, and a bad mood.
Focus on the positive.... think happy thoughts. A thankful heart for all the good in your life is super helpful & healthy. Even if you hate your job - there's a couple positives like a coworker friend and don’t forget your paycheck. Positive thoughts create good feelings: happiness, calming peace, mental strength, and uplifted mood.
Habits to Keep Stress Under Control
7. Laughter is the Best Medicine
Find ways to laugh every day. It's proven that laughter creates happy hormones which reduces stress. Things that make you laugh come from a variety of sources, like friends, pets & comedy movies or shows. To keep your life interesting, choose different options & venues to get your daily dose - just get your laugh on. Make Happy Hormones and also Kids, the Fun Medicine.
8. Therapy to Relax Your Mind
There are various therapies you can indulge in that are proven to relax the mind, helping you reduce stress levels. These therapies are enjoyable and oh so relaxing- I mean, who doesn’t like a great massage? For optimum results, combine the techniques or alternate them for the best calm.
Enjoy these self-indulging, stress releasing therapies. For more details about laughter, water therapy, breathing, aromatherapy, and massage therapy techniques, read: Relax Your Mind or Go Cuckoo.
9. Hobbies & Volunteering
Not only do hobbies boost your happy hormones, they relax your mind and help you control stress. Hobby ideas: singing, playing an instrument, knitting, gardening, painting, crafts, antique restoration, outdoor activities, dancing, photography, and more.
Volunteering is also a great way to heal from stress. I started volunteering at a horse therapy facility just because I wanted to learn more about horses. For the first few years, I didn’t even ride. It was about establishing relationships - and the horses helped me heal from my chronic stress problems. It's now one of my favorite happy places.
10. Visit Your Happy Place
Make a list of the top 5 places fairly close to home that really make you happy. This place can also involve physical activity or quiet meditation.
Visit a different place every week for a fun escape. Rock your happy vibes as often as possible.
11. Stress Damages Your Skin & Digestive System
Stress causes your digestive system's bad bacteria to take over. This causes poor digestion & poor absorption of the food & nutrients your body needs. When your gut's good bacteria is not being replenished - your skin will age up to 7 times faster than normal. UH…. SUPER BAD. Who wants to look like their grandmother at age 45? No offense to grandmothers.
Lower stress and boost your digestive system's good bacteria. FYI: Most manufactured probiotics are a waste of money due to various factors. Eat certain foods to boost the good bacteria your gut needs. See: Fix Your Unhealthy Gut.
12. Prayer & Meditation is Great Therapy
If you make prayer & meditation part of your daily life - it becomes a powerful tool especially when done before your day starts. It has several health benefits: mental strength, the peace to control stress when it occurs, and the knowledge to reduce stress when it starts to attack. Prayer & meditation also works immediately after a stress incident, and again at the end of a stressful day. Don't forget, minimize problems by focusing on today - not yesterday or tomorrow.
13. Vacations are Proven to Kick Stress
It's a proven fact: vacations are a great way to reduce stress, re-set your body's natural rhythms, and restore overall wellness. Consider a long, 2-3 week vacation 2 vacations 1.5 week long.
Don’t skip your earned vacation because of workload. If you always step in to save the day - your boss will take advantage of you. Remember, your health depends on getting time off. Also, be sure to take lunch breaks and at least 2 mini-retreats every month for 1-4 days.
Studies have shown the health benefits from a 2 week vacation can last 21 to 43 days. It varies per individual and their stress levels. Here's the health benefits you need that mini-retreats and vacations provide: stress relief, mental, emotional, and physical health, quality of sleep, and the health of your immune system and digestive health. See: Vacations are Health Bombs.
Reduced Stress for Better Quality of Life
Don't lose yourself to stress like I did.
Break free and take control.
Be happier, healthier, calm, confident, productive, energetic, friendly, and thankful.
You’ll feel so much lighter…. and pretty awesome without the heavy weight of stress.