How to take your mind off things and destress yourself?

According to a number of studies, in the United States about 90% of the population experiences stress. Of these, 60% experience stress at least once or twice a week, and 30% almost every day. The causes of stressful conditions can be very different — from failures at work and in personal life to completely ordinary phenomena, such as a broken refrigerator or a broken mirror in your car.

There are several distinct symptoms of stress:

• muscle tension in the neck, shoulders and back
• anxiety and irritability
• low working efficiency
• apathy and dejectedness
• poor sleep, absent mindedness, memory impairment, low concentration.

The symptoms may come on gradually or completely suddenly. And if nothing is done, the situation can only get worse.

Today we want to share some tips on how to deal with stress on your own, and not exacerbate your stressful state. We recommend that you read the following guidelines.

10 tips for dealing with stress

Tip 1: Take up a sport

Physical activity is a great help in dealing with stressful conditions. Almost any sport is suitable: running, cycling, push-ups, strength training, etc. Many people find the best way to cope with stress is through extreme sports in all their manifestations. They reboot the brain, stimulate the metabolism and help distract from the negative.

Tip 2: Try yoga and meditation

Yoga helps you relax, strengthen muscles and understand yourself. You can practice yoga and meditation on your own at home, or with other people. There are many lessons and training programs on the Internet that you can use for free. The easiest way to meditate is to close your eyes, relax, breathe slowly and deeply, and repeat a pleasant phrase or word with each inhalation and exhalation. You can meditate almost anywhere and anytime.

Tip 3: Read books primarily fiction

Books, especially fiction, help you escape from everyday problems and plunge into a completely different world, at least for a while. Science-fiction, fantasy, adventure and the like work especially well in this regard. But non-fiction books are not so useful, as they often force the reader to delve into themselves, look for new internal problems or ponder the world’s problems and think about how to fix them.

Movies and TV shows work in a similar way, but a book is more engaging. Because while watching a movie, you’ll quite probably be distracted by a smartphone, talking with someone, reading the news, and so on. And in general staring at a screen doesn’t help you relax.

Tip 4: Chat with friends offline and online

The worst thing you can do in a state of stress, anxiety and depression is to be alone with yourself. Lack of communication only exacerbates the situation and can provoke severe emotional exhaustion. Try to keep in touch with friends and family as much as possible. If you have the opportunity to communicate offline, use it. If not, chat online. To do this, you can access social networks, instant messengers, live cam chats and much more.

Tip 5: Make new friends

It’s not necessary these days to try to meet offline. A diverse range of online platforms are quite suitable for you, from social networks and instant messengers to dating sites and applications. We advise you to pay special attention to camchats. They allow you to meet new people in just one click, find interesting people to talk to every day, and communicate via video — almost like in real life.

Web cam chat is a great stress reliever and a real antidepressant. We can recommend several cam chats: chatspin.com, tinychat.com and videochat.chat/camchat. They have proven themselves well and have gathered thousands of active users.

Tip 6: Normalize your diet

It’s well known that a good assistant in the fight against stress is the hormone serotonin. The following foods contribute to its production: bananas, almonds and chocolate. Meanwhile it’s best to avoid sugar, coffee and fatty foods as well as frequent snacking if you are not hungry. Also try to eat on the same schedule, and not when you feel hungry.

There’s a perception that healthy nutrition is expensive. Actually the truth is quite the opposite. A normal diet often saves you money. After all, fast foods are not only harmful, but also quite expensive in comparison with fresh vegetables and fruits.

Tip 7: Get enough sleep

An adult should sleep 8-9 hours a day, but many sleep only 5-6 hours, and their sleep schedule is completely inconsistent. Lack of sleep leads not only to stress, but also to increased fatigue, decreased performance, irritability and other negative manifestations. Try not to sit up at your computer in the evenings and avoid looking at your phone for several hours before going to bed, as many like to do. If you just don’t feel like sleeping at night, try increasing your physical activity during the day.

Tip 8: Spend more time outdoors

Walking outdoors at least once a day is a powerful and completely free stress reliever. It’s not always achievable, but rather than a small and crowded park near the house, you should experience real nature — a forest, a lake, mountains. Many psychologists confirm that being in nature and contemplating the natural beauty of the world around you contributes to faster recovery after severe stress. It’s not for nothing that many kinds of rehabilitation centers are located near forests and other natural objects.

Tip 9: Try to get rid of the source of stress

Anything can be a source of stress — routine work, noisy neighbors, relationship difficulties, and more. If you have the opportunity to get rid of the source of stress, do it. Perhaps a change of residence, a new relationship or a new job will help you. Yes, there are sources of stress that cannot be easily eliminated, such as health problems.But many are possible to remove.

Tip 10: Visit a psychologist

If the tips above do not work and you feel that the problem is only getting worse over time, we recommend that you visit a psychologist. The therapist will be able to analyze your problem in detail, find the best solutions and a way out of the current situation. It’s completely normal too — many of the most successful people in the world see a therapist regularly.

Don’t let your stress own you

There are three phases of stress:

1. Mobilization — when the body begins to respond to stress factors and mobilizes its forces to counteract them.
2. Confrontation — when the body throws its forces into the fight against stress factors and looks for ways out of a stressful situation.
3. Exhaustion — when the body is exhausted, unable to cope with stress and becomes vulnerable to secondary threats, including diseases.

The tips described above help in the first two phases. But if you missed the moment and went into the phase of exhaustion, we still recommend that you do not postpone going to a specialist. If necessary, they will prescribe suitable therapy, as well as carry out the necessary psychological actions. Your main task is not to be alone with stress, and to be kind to yourself.