Relieve your stress quickly

Relieve your stress quickly

Analysis

• What is the stress that I am feeling now? (write down or describe):
• What is the source of the stress (work/boss/relationship/health/money/family/..)?
• Why am I feeling stress (causes)? Is it recurring or persisting? Is it controllable or not?
• What is it signaling? Does it mean that some corrective actions are required?

Choose the approach you are planning to use

• Divert your mind
  • Physical exercises such as a brisk walk
  • Do some routine activities: drink water, enjoy a cup of coffee/tea, arrange your desk or computer files.
  • Take a few deep breaths; when breathing in, imagine peace coming in and filling your being; when breathing out, imagine stress and problems leaving you.
  • Do some yoga exercises that stretch your body muscles.
• Engage in some entertainment activities
  • Listen to your favorite music
  • Chat with your friends/dear ones
  • Read jokes on the web, or watch some fun clips online
  • Look at beautiful things – sceneries, children, cute animals, inspiring people. Change your desktop image into a beautiful picture. Do a Google image search on landscapes or beautiful nature.
  • Just smile; look at some pictures of smiling faces and imitate the smile; laugh out loud; recall some funny moments.
• Write down what you feel, vent out all emotions, relax and then tear the paper.
• Feel gratitude: Just pen down a list of positive things that are going on in your life or a list of things that you are grateful for.
• Letting Go: Detach the stress from you and let it go; imagine throwing it into a dust bin. Imagine disconnecting from the source of stress; connect to sources of positive vibrations – inspiring books, words from scriptures, .. (Have you not downloaded Word4me app?)
• Reframe the situation or the context; try to see it in a positive and beneficial perspective.
• Focus on the present: Past is gone and doesn’t exist anywhere; future is yet to come; what is in your control is the present moment. You have everything you need at this moment!
• Plan and organize
  • Remove clutter from your table, work place, ..
  • Simplify your life. Make a to-do-list; prioritize. Delegate or eliminate whatever possible; take action straight away on the pending actions, the most difficult one first.
  • Identify the demon stressor (the most significant one at the moment) and take action.
• Spiritual Techniques
  • Listen to relaxing spiritual/meditation music; or use guided meditation.
  • Meditate & pray. Read ‘The Serenity Prayer’. Sit still, breathe rhythmic, think beautiful thoughts. Think beauty, love, peace…. Read the scriptures.
  • Surrender all to God (including your stress/anxiety/fears/hurt feelings and the causes of stress; detach from them). Trust Him to take care of you. Feel powerful because you are connected to the infinite source of power, love and compassion.

From the list, choose one activity that you feel like doing right now; go ahead and do.

THE SERENITY PRAYER

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardships as the pathway to peace. Taking, as Jesus did, the sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.

Trusting that You will make all things right, if I surrender to Your will, so that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.

More…