Dealing with Stress
Written by: Bezaite Fantaye, Placement Student, The Gatehouse
Stress is a normal part of our lives. It impacts a large number of people. Our environment, our bodies, and our thoughts can all cause stress. Even positive life transitions, such as beginning a new career, returning to school, or having a child, can be stressful and also a negative life experience, such as childhood sexual abuse. The majority of individuals link stress with a bad situation. However, whether the stress-related problem is negative or positive, the important thing is how you respond to it.
Stress will have an impact on our lives. If we are unhappy, we begin to see things negatively, and negative ideas are always difficult and stressful. Stress also causes us to become separated from our loved ones, such as family, friends, and coworkers. When we are overwhelmed, we begin to argue or complain in our daily lives. This will have an impact on our social lives. It will be tough for us to communicate effectively with others.
Sometimes, all we can think about is negative experiences in our lives. It is important to pay attention to how our mind influences our reality. As human beings, we may be susceptible to the negativity bias or the ability to not only register negative stimuli, more readily but also to dwell on these events (Cherry, 2020).
We may do the following:
- Remember traumatic experiences more readily than positive ones.
- Think of times when we were criticized more often than when we were praised for something.
- Dwell on negative things more frequently than positive ones (Cherry, 2020).
There are numerous methods for dealing with stress. Our addressing our mindset and how we see ourselves and the world is important. First and foremost, we must calm our minds. When life gets rough, we need to relax and think about the next best strategy.
Some ideas are as follows:
- Make a list of your life’s priorities.
- Avoid spending too much time around negative people.
- Take a walk, get some exercise, and practice yoga.
- Make sure you get enough rest.
- Problems should be viewed as challenges.
- Always have a backup plan.
- Go on a picnic, listen to music, or watch a movie
If we do this on a daily basis, it will help us cope with stress, and it is critical for our minds to be calm in order for us to be able to handle situations.
References
Cherry, K. (2020). Negativity Bias. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/negative-bias-4589618#:~:text=Verywell%20%2F%20Brianna%20Gilmartin-,What%20Is%20the%20Negativity%20Bias%3F,feel%20the%20joy%20of%20praise.