15 WAYS TO RELEASE STRESS

Are you stressed?
Do you have ongoing bad mood and you feel like the whole world is your enemy?
Do you feel under tremendous pressure that is hardly bearable?
Do you hear your family and friends complaining of the bad treatment they receive from you?
It is now time to act.
How?
Look at the following tips:
1. Learn to say no. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed and stressed because we take on everything people ask from us. Be selective and think over what is what you really want to take on.
2. Express your needs. How often does it happen that we are angry that things don’t happen the way we want. And then we realise that we did not even tell what or how we want. Don’t be shy, tell to others your needs and wants.
3. Relax. Find out what helps you relaxing. It could be yoga or meditation, breathing or massage for you, everyone has different methods for this.
4. Give yourself a break. How? Go away for the weekend to somewhere nice, treat yourself to a bath, a nice film or candlelight dinner. Decorate your home with flowers, read a good book in a park. The number of possibilities is illimited.
5. Make time for your hobbies. Sometimes focussing on one matter contributes to having a high stress level. Put aside some time for your hobbies and see how this will fill you with energy again.
6. Talk to people. Surround yourself with positive people, talk to them, or just listen to them. They might inspire you or help you out, even if just as a sounding board.
7. Give out your feelings. Find a way to express your feelings. Talk to others or write a diary or just hit your pillow.
8. Prioritize. When you are overwhelmed with lots of things on your to-do list, find out what is important and urgent and deal with those things first.
9. Keep to a regular schedule. Habits can help you reduce your stress level.
10. Have a constructive self-talk to yourself. Don’t talk negatively of yourself and stop with negative beliefs like “I am not worth anything”, “Even for this job I was rejected” etc.
11. Do some sports. Sports are a very good way of decompressing yourself, you can use the energy here that you would spend on dealing with your stress for other purposes. And it is also healthy!
12. Eat healthy food. Make sure your body and mind receives what it is ought to receive and that it has the right nutritive intake.
13. Ask yourself: is it really worth? Is the subject really worth upsetting yourself or stressing you? Will stress help you? Probably not, so why do it?
14. Get professional help. Talk to your coach or therapist to help you move out from your negative mood.
15. Take note of positives. Even if you feel you have the worst day of your life, there is always something positive happening as well. Make a list of positives, even if just small and remind yourself of these rather than on negative outcomes.

“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.”