5 Smart Tips for Successfully Managing Stress

Stress is one of the biggest problems in today’s world and it affects all of us from time to time.

Do you ever find yourself wanting a quick way to relax or to let go of your stressed feelings? Well, this article is full of helpful, tried and trusted tips for you to try.

They have been used by many people and I can tell you I have ‘road tested’ every single one myself, so I know they work.

A simple idea and in this simple article you will learn how you can change your life for the better.

Simple Tips to Relieve Stress

Tip One

On waking take a minute or two to notice your whole body lying on the bed before getting up.

Why: Very often when we wake up in the morning the first thing we do is think about what we’re doing or that we want something right now e.g. a cup of coffee, a longer lie-in.

We’re based in our thinking at that moment. But in order to stop ourselves getting carried away with thinking – because the very next thing on the ‘thought list’ will be something along the lines of ‘what am I doing today’ or thinking about all the things we’ve got on the agenda – if we come into our body and do a very quick body scan (don’t worry, I’ll explain that below), see which muscles are tense and just have the word ‘relax’ in our minds, then we can come out of our thinking grounded in the moment and it gives us a chance to start our day feeling calm.

And what a great way to start the day! A body scan is where we literally scan our bodies from head to toe (or the other way about, it doesn’t matter). By holding the word ‘relax’ in our minds, we’re effectively giving our body a clue as to what we want. Give this a try: hold your arm out in front of you and say the word ‘tense’ in your mind.

Do you notice a slight tension in your arm? Now, say the word ‘relax’ in your mind. See the difference? It might only be a slight difference, but that’s the difference that can make the difference. Seriously. Okay, I hear you say, but what if I need to go to the toilet in a rush? Well, it happens to all of us! In this scenario, please, rush out of bed and get to the toilet, but once you’ve done what you need to do, just sit on the toilet and do the body scan.

It works just as well sitting as lying down. And if you forget to do it very first thing, while you are waiting for the kettle to boil, do the body scan standing up. Calm start to the day, that is what you are aiming for.

Tip 2

Overwhelmed by what’s happening in the world? Don’t forget you can always use the ‘off’ button.

Why: It’s good to be informed of all that is happening in the world. Keeping up to date with news is an important part of that.

But have you ever thought about how much the news is geared to all the bad things happening and, in comparison, rarely the good or the lovely things that are going on? Spend an evening watching the news.

In just one programme probably 95% at least is devoted to all the negative and distressing things that are happening.

Try it out. How do you feel as you watch all this awfulness happening? Does it make you feel good about yourself? Calm? Relaxed? Secondly, think how many times in a day you read, listen to, or watch the news as it pours forth.

If you are on Twitter, Facebook or any other social media site you should count those in too. So here’s the thing: Make an evaluation. Do you need to watch or listen more than once a day? If you do, well fine, but even so, how many times would suffice for you to realise that you are aware of what is happening in the world? Once you have decided how much time you need to listen, stick to that.

Whenever you are tempted to switch it on again remind yourself not to. Remember, once you begin to feel tension in your body, you can always use that ‘off’ button.

Also read:- Important Tips For A Healthy Lifestyle

Tip 3

Make sure your posture is upright and balanced.

Why: We are not just a mind and not just a body, the two work together. And if one is out of balance you can be sure the other is. So, if your body is balanced then the chances are your mind can also be.

I’d  you sit at a computer, check in with yourself. Are you hunched over? Chin on your chest? Looking down a lot, or up? Shoulders rounded or tense? And what about when you are sitting watching television or reading? What happens to your body then? Or do you sit with your legs crossed? Take a pause and start by uncrossing your legs.

Now see if you can lift your head from your crown (not the front of your head, the very tip of your head, which if you drew a line from the floor right up through your body, would actually be the top-most point on your scalp).

Try thinking of a piece of thread that is fixed right through your body to the ceiling and feel yourself being pulled up by that thread.

Can you notice your spine elongates? Check that you are sitting square on the chair, which means that there is equal pressure on each buttock.

Allow your eyes to look ahead for a moment or two, relax your shoulders, let tension drain from your arms.

And what about if you are standing? Check that your feet are square on the floor, that is that you feel equal pressure on the ball of your foot and your heel… not so easy to do if you’re wearing heels, but give it a go.

You don’t need to move much to get that sense of equal pressure on the floor, it’s just a small movement. Soften your knees slightly. Check that your upper body isn’t leaning forward or back.

Nice and square. See if you can elongate your spine by doing the same exercise as in the paragraph above about sitting.

Then allow your eyes to look ahead and relax shoulders and arms. Body relaxed, mind can relax. Notice that I said relaxed and not sunken.

If you collapse your posture, this has as detrimental an effect as being too rigid. So go on, at least once every day, if not more often, check in with your posture.

Tip 4

Set a timer to go off every hour and when it does take a moment to relax.

Why: It is very easy to get caught up in whatever we are doing, whether that’s sitting at a desk at work, looking after children or even if you are stuck in bed feeling ill.

So setting a timer to go off every hour is a great way to remind yourself to take a moment and check in with your body to check for any areas of tension.

When you do this check-in, scan your body from either head to toe or toe to head and see if there are any points of tension.

This literally should take seconds. If there are, just focus on the word ‘relax’ in your mind.

The aim isn’t to force yourself to relax, because all that will do is build tension, but if you focus on the word ‘relax’ your body will respond.

If you do not notice any tension anywhere in your body, it’s worth focusing on the word ‘relax’ anyway as it certainly won’t do you any harm.

Tip 5

Are your expectations realistic? Take time to check. If they are unrealistic, redefine them.

Why: We often expect too much of ourselves and this can cause stress and tension in the body.

Stress can manifest in so many different ways, from physical symptoms such as headaches and digestive disorders to chaotic thinking and anxiety and depression. So this week, every day, take a look at your expectations.

Write them down if it helps, by making a list of your expectations and checking if they’re realistic by asking yourself the question, ‘Is this expectation realistic?’ If it is… great. If it’s not, rewrite it so that it becomes realistic. I

t can be useful to do this both in the morning and at night: in the morning, so that you can set yourself up for the day knowing that you can achieve what you want to; last thing at night, so that you can have a restful night.

About author

I am certified in addiction counseling, public health, health education, mental health and I am also an AIDS-certified registered nurse with more than 30 years of experience and founder of Hindi health point