Many people have experienced stress at some point in their life. People generally sense that modern life is becoming more and more stressful. Leading a stressful life has led to many health issues facing contemporary society. People who experience daily tension and stress will eventually damage their health.
18 resourceful ways to help you relax and reduce tension and mental stress
1. Talk openly and honestly about your problems
It is essential to discuss any troubles you have with a trusted friend or therapist. This way, you will avoid bottling up your problems, which may lead to inner stress, anxiety, and eventual ill health. Finding a trusted person who will listen to your concerns will provide a way of obtaining relief and support via objective insight and guidance.
2. Laugh often
Healthy laughter is an excellent way to eliminate stress and a pleasant way to vent. It has been said that smiling as much as possible will prolong your life by 10 years. So when you are experiencing stressful or tense situations, you should seek relief through comedy.
When you watch a live comedy show or movie and read books or listen to podcasts, laughing will help alleviate your stress and anxiety. Once you are relaxed, you will likely find a clear and logical solution to your ordeals.
3. Listen to music
Relaxing music can help reduce your stress levels. Playing a musical instrument and listening to calm music are ways to deal with anxiety or emotional tension.
4. Read books and newspapers
Reading is another way that will help reduce stress. Choosing books that increase one’s knowledge may inadvertently help solve a problem. Books can be entertaining to read.
5. Take a holiday
Traveling with family or friends is a beautiful way to de-stress. Going to a new destination, meeting new people, and looking at the beautiful scenery will mesmerize you and help you to leave your worries behind. Indirectly, this relaxed state can also lead to finding solutions to any problems you may grapple with.
6. Changing occupation and location
Appropriate changes in your place of employment can reduce psychological pressure. This doesn’t have to be viewed as a negative thing. It is beneficial to “jump ship” to leave behind unchangeable situations causing unending stress. So seeking a new position or residence can help create a more stress-free environment that will enable you to self-reflect and possibly enlighten to what lessons you had to learn.
7. Be good to others
Avoid stubbornly holding onto self-righteous views, opinions, and grudges. Prices to pay for holding onto these negative traits are tremendous. You will punish and imprison yourself by the emotional tension and mental turmoil you’ve created. Proving a point only becomes self-serving and fails to produce a win-win situation with the other party.
8. Avoid criticising others
Everyone makes mistakes! As individuals, we shouldn’t expect too much from each other. It would be beneficial to look for other people’s positive aspects and merits and avoid being too critical of their behavior.
No one is perfect! When you are stirred by negative traits in others, could it reflect those elements existing within yourself? It may be wise to examine yourself when you are critical of others.
9. Leave room for others
Avoid being a winner in every situation and constantly forcing yourself to present a good image. Living life like this is tiring and not natural. People around you will feel uncomfortable and tend to avoid you. It’s best to leave room and think about others in your life. This will help you to act calmly and naturally, and others will enjoy your company.
10. Learn to say no
Master the art of saying “no” to any unnecessary and complicated activities that do not serve you and are asked for by others. Learn to declutter any unused material items. Free yourself from being a slave to them and becoming fatigued by their maintenance.
Remaining silent when there is no need to speak and listening to others can also reduce psychological stress.
11. Avoid trying to be Superman
Refrain from always thinking that you must be able to do everything well. It would be best if you understood which things you have a natural talent for and concentrated on doing these things well.
Being content and happy while trying to achieve things can reduce psychological pressure and avoid the tragedy of “dying young.”
12. Slowing down the pace
When you encounter an uncontrollable situation, it is wise to slow down and take stock of it. Take charge by pushing back against the irrelevant things so you can deal with what is truly relevant to you.
13. Make some concessions and learn to step back
If you find yourself in a situation where you know you are right, it is wise to offer some benefits to the other party; this will not lower your status. Any person who can step back in a conflict will find that the other party has no one to rebuke him, thus changing the direction of the outcome.
A saying: “Only by taking one step back will the sky become brighter.”
14. Maintain a calm composure
Serenity is one of the signs of a person’s maturity. Calmly dealing with all kinds of complex problems can help to relieve tension and pressure.
15. Be organized
An unorganized person will become overwhelmed with essential tasks that need to be performed. Such a person will be overcome by the many tasks requiring attention. His busyness leads to heightened nervousness and a sense of overwhelming loss.
For such a person to become organized, they need to choose the most urgent tasks to complete and then, one by one, deal with the rest in order of importance. Everything will thus be accomplished in a more relaxed manner.
16. Master the emotion of anger
Whenever things go wrong in life, you must restrain your anger. You will inevitably experience irritation when things go wrong. The degree and duration to which you allow anger to control you is always in your control. You can learn techniques to help control anger’s intensity. For instance, walking away from the situation to allow yourself to calm down will enable you to handle the problem more confidently, calmly, and rationally.
17. Do something good for others
If you become self-absorbed and distressed about your affairs, it may be in your interest to reach out and help those around you who are experiencing difficulty. Doing something good for others can alleviate your worries and uplift your spirits, knowing you have added to the wellness of others.
18. Gaze into the future
People can become restless about their lives and often focus on the end. When you gaze into the future, remember that yesterday and previous days have passed by, and equally, today and tomorrow will also come to pass. So in times of restlessness, recognize the present time is all you have — so make good use of it!
