There is no quick fix for stress, but there is this
Like I always say, when you have a problem, you need to analyze it, figure out its sources, and what causes it to happen, only then you’ll be able to find a way to deal with it.
Stress seen as a problem
Me and my father have different views about life, and we don’t find ourselves on the same side of an argument so often. However, one day he told me something that has been stuck in my mind since. He said: “Son, any problem has a solution, any problem, whatever it is, you just have to find it! ”
Any problem has a solution, and so whatever is stressing you has a way to solve it. Even if you see stress as a problem itself, it becomes solvable.
What you need to do is to define your stress triggers. I want you to grab a piece of paper and write down what is causing you to stress.
Once you know what is stressing you, you’ll be able to deal with it.
Is it your work? Then look for another job, if that’s not an option, then get good at yours, train yourself, own your job until it becomes easy, until it stops stressing you out.
Is it your family? Then talk to them, find a middle ground with your husband, wife, father… At least let them know that you are stressed, and you wouldn’t be if you didn’t care.
Is it money? Then think about creating other income streams. Stop losing money on useless stuff, save it, invest it, don’t spend your money as long as not having enough is stressing you.
If you search online, you’ll find a lot of suggestions on how to deal with stress, from meditation till adult coloring books. For me, I don’t see this as very much practical. It can be helpful, I’m not forbidding you from trying them, it’s just that I don’t feel like they get to the point.
“What is really stressing you out, is not having control over your environment. Once you have that control, you will feel safer, and stress will fade out.” — Me
Stress seen as an asset
Stress also has its benefits, if we look at it from an evolutionary standpoint, stress is what helped our ancestors survive, making them more alert and careful. Under stress, your body produces hormones that make you more focused, and more enduring to outside influences. As long as stress doesn’t develop into panic, it can be an asset. So you can look into that as well, you can use stress to your benefit counter to seeing it a liability.
It happened to me once, I remember when my thesis was due, and I felt an immense stress that helped me write x3 faster than in normal state. I was able to finish in time.
At last, let me tell you this, you will not find a defined set of actions to perform in order to reduce or completely eliminate stress from your life. That’s impossible! And I know that when people look online that’s what they have in mind, and they usually don’t find what they’re looking for. The reason for this, is that the way we get stressed is different from one person to another, so as this is a very personal question, the answer lies within yourself, you can just look for the tools that’s going to help you find it within you, and not solve it for you.
Summary
The way I see it, if your life is stressful right now, it means that you are at a stage in life that is much harder than your current level. So either you stage down, or you level up. It’s up to you.
“Use your stress as a way to improve, or use it as a warning to not hurt yourself.”— Me
Hoping that was helpful, and as always, many thanks for reading.
