There’s little wonder as to why stress is so rampant in modern society. Between professional burnout, complex interpersonal relationships and financial anxiety, keeping one’s stress levels in check is liable to seem like an uphill battle. Although stress relief may seem like a difficult concept to those of us who have grown accustomed to living with chronic stress, showing stress who’s boss is much easier than you may think. While we all feel stress at some time or another, your entire life becoming dominated by stress is not something you should stand for.
Consistently Getting Enough Sleep
There are a variety of reasons for which people fail to get enough sleep. Overwork, too much stimulation and chronic anxiety are just a few of the things keeping many of us up at night. However, considering how important proper sleep is to basic functionality, consistently getting enough sleep should be among your foremost priorities. In the absence of proper sleep, you’re liable to have considerable trouble performing your job duties efficiently, maintaining interpersonal relationships and keeping a clear head. Furthermore, poor sleep habits have been linked to depression and other mental health issues.
In the interest of getting enough sleep, take care to develop a nightly routine. This entails turning off your various screens and engaging in relaxing activities an hour before turning in for the day. Such activities include reading, journaling, meditation and deep breathing exercises. Additionally, make a point of going to bed at the same time every night and getting up at the same time every morning. If you’ve grown accustomed to going to sleep and getting up at inconsistent times, this is liable to take some adjustment. Still, after a few weeks of adhering to your new routine, keeping consistent hours is likely to become a lot easier.
Taking Part in Relaxing Hobbies
In addition to being a lot of fun, hobbies can also function as effective stress-management tools. Not only can the right hobbies keep us entertained and fulfilled, they can also serve as gateways to new friendships and lifelong passions. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of hobbies from which to choose. From video gaming to stamp collecting to physical fitness, there’s something out there for every hobbyist.
Certain hobbies can also prove highly conducive to unwinding and clearing our minds. For example, if you reside in a state in which recreational cannabis use is legal, indulging in marijuana and marijuana-based products can provide you with ample stress relief. Washington state residents with questions about cannabis would do well to contact a Seattle dispensary.
Maintaining a Healthy Work/Life Balance
It’s easy to see why work-related stress is so common in the U.S. For one thing, we exist in a culture that celebrates working oneself to exhaustion and getting ahead at all costs. While there’s nothing wrong with hard work or dedication to one’s job, people should work to live, not live to work. After all, what’s the point of working to maintain a good quality of life when you’re never able to enjoy that life? So, if job stress has become a consistent problem, you should strive to maintain a healthier work/life balance.
For starters, instead of accepting that you’ll always be on call, make a point of adhering to set work hours. If the workday ends at 5:00, it truly ends at 5:00 – no bringing work home or answering work-related calls or emails on personal time. Secondly, if you have small children or simply can’t handle a demanding commute or frustrating office politics, talk to the relevant parties about switching to a remote work setup. You may be surprised by how effectively and efficiently you can perform your job duties when the various stressors of a formal office environment are nowhere to be found.
Stress is a problem that many of us are all-too-familiar with. Whether your stress stems from a demanding job, hectic family life or other obligations, it’s imperative that you find effective ways to manage it. When stress is allowed to increase in perpetuity, problems with both physical and mental health are likely to arise. So, if persistent stress has become an issue for you, you’d do well to nip it in the bud. Putting the measures discussed above to good use can help you keep your stress levels in check and pave the way for lasting calm.
