5 Tips on How to Deal With Chronic Stress

The constant pressure of anxiety is the feeling of not being in control of

your environment. This removes the safety net of security because you

believe that you are constantly in danger. The danger-feeling that you

experience can be either physical danger or emotional danger, such as in the

case of public humiliation or embarrassment.



5 Tips on Dealing With Chronic Stress



Exercise Regularly



Think of stress as pure energy inside your body that is building pressure

inside of you with no where to go. Eventually, if you allow this energy to

build up enough, it will explode out of you in the form of an emotional

outburst. Physical activities such as walking, jogging, swimming, weight

lifting, racquetball, dancing, biking, or sports serve as a outlet to vent

that stored energy out of your body and lower that pressure within you, thus

removing the potential for an explosion to happen. Exercise is by far the

most effective method of relieving stress and a regular exercise routine

should be incorporated into you're weekly routine as, not only a fitness

regime, but also a stress maintainance one as well.



Let go of Your Control



One of the keys to reducing your anxiety is simply by relinquishing control

of your environment. Realize that you can't control every situation and you

can't control the willpower of other people. Life is unpredictable. Like

is dynamic and always changing. You can do your best to plan and anticipate

on what will happen in the future, but never will you be able to control the

outcome of it. The one thing you have control over in life is yourself and

how you respond to life. There is no point in worrying about something that

you have no control over so when you start to feel stressed about a

situation simply take a step back and ask yourself, "Do I have control over

this situation?" If you don't have control over the situation then RELAX

because its out of your hands. Always remember that the one thing that you

have control over is yourself.



Stay Away From Self-Abusive Behavior



In our quest to self medicate ourselves from stress, we sometimes resort to

using excessive alcohol, drugs(prescription or street drugs), reckless

behavior, over or under eating, or social withdrawal. The intent of all of

these is to make yourself artificially feel better, however these

self-abusive behaviors are only addressing the symptoms of stress and not

the stress itself. Think of these types of behaviors as using a credit card

without having any income--you get to spend a little in the short term, but

in the long-term you end up paying a far greater price. Stay away from self

abusive behavior and channel your stress-energy into more productive,

self-benefiting behaviors. Self-benefiting behaviors could be things such

as having a massage, a hot bath, meditation, yoga, or what ever hobby or

thing you enjoy.



Maintain a Healthy Diet



Your body requires proper nutrition in order for it to be able to supply the

muscles with energy and to make essential hormones necessary for your body

to cope with stress. Therefore, it's important that you consume plenty of:

water (8 glasses daily), foods rich in zinc and magnesium, foods rich in

vitamin A and folic acid, whole grain breads and cereals, fresh fruit and

vegetables, and low-fat milk or soy milk. You want to avoid excessive

amounts of caffeine, alcohol, sugar, salt, saturated fats, and skipping

meals. Skipping meals throws off your blood sugar levels throughout the

day, which lower your body's ability to handle stress.



Avoid Stressful Situations



You'd be surprised how much stress you can eliminate from your daily routine

through simple planning. Simply analyze your typical day and pick out those

reoccurring situations that cause you stress on a day-to-day basis. Use

creative planning to come up with better ways of either handling those

situations or avoiding them altogether. By avoiding situations which are

stressful to you, you can successfully reduce the amount of chronic stress

that you suffer from.