Stress can become a very powerful enemy in your life if you let it. We often avoid stressful situations in hopes that they will go away on their own. Usually they don’t, so it may be time to adopt a different approach. Let’s get your mouth working to relieve your stress.
Talk Therapy
Some people feel that talking is overrated. When you talk nothing gets solved. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Talk to a friend. We all have at least one person we can trust with our feelings. They won’t judge us. Schedule a time when you and this person can meet so that you can vent. They are your sounding board for lack of a better word.
We keep so much bottled up inside of us. Inside is not a good place for all of those frustrations and emotions to be because it starts to affect the way that our body works. Letting it out and giving it a voice can be a surprisingly good way to de-stress.
Use positive affirmations. This is not saying a mantra like “om” all day long. Instead it is a way to channel your negative thoughts. Unless we speak, many of us don’t realize how much negativity we are carrying around with us. It can be a result of stress or the reason that we are not coping well with the stressors in our lives.
Keeping a stress journal is not only to identify stressors in your life but also patterns of stress. Negative thoughts tend to flow out of us onto that page as well. Examine your journal for negative thought patterns. Taking one at a time, use them to create a positive affirmation.
Here’s an example. Let’s say that for some reason you think that your boss doesn’t like you. You may have had a reprimand once and now you are stressed being around him or her. Put a positive spin on that to say that your boss appreciates all of your hard work. Over time, you will develop a different attitude towards your boss and your work.
Talk to a therapist or trained counselor. This person has experience recognizing negative thought patterns. You won’t have to lie down on a couch and spill your deepest darkest secrets. You simply have a conversation about what is bothering you. That would be the stressful situations in your life.
Through your comments, the therapist can prescribe a type of cognitive therapy for you. This involves recognizing how you think and feel about certain situations and people. When your thoughts are negative, that can cloud the situation.
Like in the previous example, believing that your boss doesn’t like you can change the entire way you view them but also your job in general. Going to work each day becomes a stressor. With that in mind, a therapist can reveal this distorted way of thinking and how it has contributed to your stress. They can suggest ways to stop those thought patterns when they start and replace them with a more positive and realistic view of the situation.
Are you stressed? Talk it out.