There is always stress and pressure around us, in our lives. There always will be. (Unless you decide to retire to a tropical island – and even then, you might have the stresses of local politics, money, the weather, isolation…).
At times, the stress feels like it increases because change happens, or we lose something, or we feel worse off. These are the times that we may need an additional helping hand – whether it be a friend, family, or professional help.
In day-to-day life, however, there remains pressure and stress. It is always there. But the degree to which we react to these things, or even whether we perceive them as difficult, varies from person to person, day to day.
The thing about stress is that it grows in proportion to our reaction to it. One person could lock themselves out of their house, shrug their shoulders, call the real estate, cancel their appointments and go grab a coffee while they wait. Another person could go into paroxysms of emotional turbulence. (Or the same person could have these very different reactions, on different days).
I used to be a fairly stressed out person (and of course still am at times!). Inwardly I worried about nearly everything. I found it hard to relax, and I was often paranoid about what people thought of me.
The truth is, most of the time no one probably even notices what you look like, what you’ve said or how you’ve reacted. They’re too busy worrying about themselves.
Most of the stress that I have personally experienced was due to a lack of knowledge about how to handle it. I was worrying needlessly, and 90% of what I worried about occurred only in my mind. the other 10% I blew out of all proportion internally, so that when I actually was faced with the situation it seemed much more significant than it actually was.
The ways I have found to manage stress in a far better way (not that I don’t experience it any more; I just have techniques to reduce its impact), include:
Mindfulness
There’s a lot of highly analytical and psychologically-researched methods of prescribing mindfulness and its benefits. A lot of evidence points to the positive impact mindfulness has on mind, body and spirit.
Above all else, mindfulness is simply focusing on the present moment. It’s about putting aside the past and the future (which most of us think or worry about constantly) and simply allowing ourselves to be immersed in the present moment – the time in which we actually live our lives!
I have found that since I have started focusing on the present moment, my life has not only changed astronomically for the better, but my problems have shifted. No longer am I concerned with past behaviours or future pursuits (well not always), but I’m really more interested in my actions and habits today, and how they are impacting my life. Due to this, I have shifted several habits that really, desperately needed a revamp.
Yoga and meditation
I talk about yoga and meditation on Daily Inspiration Board constantly. Both yoga and meditation have created the biggest shifts in my life. Read my thoughts on the benefits of meditation and infusing your life with bliss through yoga.
It’s so easy to classify both as hippy nonsense, or simply just put it all into the too-hard basket. However, I would ask you this: how much emphasis do you put on having a practice of health? How much do you value feeling calm, in control, and feeling secure in the meaning in your life? How much do you value your inner self?
If you are someone fortunate enough to feel 100% happy, fulfilled and secure within themselves, with the knowledge that they are on the right path and are feeling wonderfully on track, then forget the meditation. For everyone else, go for it. What have you got to lose?
Self confidence
This may be a given for some people, but it wasn’t for me. Although I was always confident in myself, I wasn’t necessarily confident in my skills and abilities. There’s also so many things that can shake this along the journey – you have to be someone very, very strong or at least secure in what you are doing, not to feel these tremors.
Having self confidence in what you’re doing; your values; your skills and abilities; your future pursuits; those around you – this is key to having a strong endurance when it comes to high levels of stress and pressure. When we feel alone, not that confident, taken advantage off, unsure of our way… These are the times when pressure can really takes its toll.
At other times, when we have confidence and feel we are highly skilled, and when we have the support of those around us, that’s when we truly know we can cope with stress and pressure.
How do you cope with stress and pressure? We’d love to hear your thoughts!