How to “De-Stress” Your Life In 7 Days

Indeed, there is more than one way to skin a cat. This also applies when you feel like tearing your hair out from anxiety, grief, frustration and even stress. It is a mental state of conditioning, much like that bittersweet pill sliding down your throat, causing you your inner sense of self and sanity. Merely considering it can drive almost anyone over the edge.

It is rumored that those who are proactive are already living on the edge.

As one stressed out individual to another, believe me, I know how it feels as well as the variations of stress. Coping with you own life, whether or not the problems belong to you, can tear away at what little joy and happiness, that you may carry once you are out the door. We cannot blame them, since they have their own reasons, much like we have our own reasons for permitting stress to weigh upon us. If stress is a mind thing, what is bothering you anyway?

Stress can be managed in various ways, and can eventually removed from your life. Here I will attempt to divide this into a 7-day course for you, however, it may be slightly taxing on the body and mind.

Day 1 – Acknowledging Good Stress

You can make stress your friend! Based on the natural fight or flight response, this burst of energy can enhance your performance at just the right moment. Many top sportsmen are not totally relaxed before a big game. Therefore, you can use stress wisely in order to push yourself a bit harder for those times it counts the most.

Day 2 – Avoid Stress Sneezers

You can become infected, by the indiscriminate sneezing of stressed out individuals.

However, you can protect yourself by recognizing the stress in others, while limiting any contact with them, as stress is contagious. On the other hand, you may want to play doctor stress and then teach these other individuals how to manage their stress better.

Day 3 – Learn From the Best

When everyone around seems to be loosing it, who are those who remain calm? What type of attitude do they possess and what are they doing differently? What language do they use and are they experienced or trained?

Figure this out from afar or sit down with them and chat. You can learn from the best stress managers and then copycat what it is they do.

Day 4 – Practice Socially Acceptable Heavy Breathing

Trick your body into relaxing, by using a heavy breathing technique. For a count of seven, breathe in slowly, and the for a count of eleven, breathe out. Repeating this 7/11 breathing technique, until your heart rate begins to slow down, things once again feel normal as your sweaty palms begin to dry.

Day 5 – A Red Light for Stressful Thoughts

You can possibly tangle yourself in a knot of stress, all by your lonesome, by thinking, if this happens, then this other may happen and then we are all sunk! Remember, many of these things may never happen, so stop wasting your energy, with needless worry.

Turning on a red stop light can stop stressful thoughts in their tracks. Sure, something may go wrong, however, how likely can that be, and just what can you do for prevention.

Day 6 – Know Your Hot Spots and Trigger Points

Interviews, meetings, presentation, offering negative feedback, tight deadlines, the list could go on, however, my heart rate just increased while writing these out.

Make you very own list of stress hot spots and trigger points, while being specific.

– Are you only stressed when in a particular audience?
– Is one type of project more stressful than another?
– Are you drinking too much coffee?

You gain powerful information when you know what causes your stress. You can then take action to make life less stressful.

– Do you need more resources?
– Do you need new skills?
– Is it time to switch to decaf?

Day 7 – Burning Your Candle At One End

No exercise, a poor diet and lack of sleep can make a mess of your mind and body. Sure, it is kind of obvious, however, it is well worth mentioning, since these things are most often ignored when you think of stress management techniques. Mind your mom and do not burn your candle at both ends.

Being stressed is a bummer, however, it should never hinder us from finding our inner peace of mind, that we all search for. On the other hand we could all load up and go to the Bahamas and then bask in the sun of summer.