“I’m so stressed!”

“I’m sick of my job!”

“What is going to happen in the future?”

Are you familiar with any of the statements mentioned above? More importantly, do you have use any of these in your life?

Well, you must have used at least one, if not all, of these, at some point in their lives.

What do we mean by the term “stress”?

Technically, there are two types of stress, namely “eustress” and “distress”.

Eustress, or “good” stress, is the minimum amount of stress we need to complete a task successfully. But when we allow ourselves to become susceptible to a greater amount of stress than is necessary, that creates the possibility of us falling into the other type of stress.

As a psychologist, I meet people on a daily basis who say, “Tarun, I’m so stressed that I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

When asked the reason for their stress, they give me one or more of the following reasons: –

• Job
• Career
• Exams
• Relationship
• Political reasons
• News
• Children’s exams
• Daughter’s wedding … and many more.

If we scroll through the feed of our beloved social media sites, we will find 10 things that we disapprove or hate, in the first 5 minutes, and maybe, 2 or 3 things that we love or even like, in the same duration.

There is a lot to worry about in today’s weather.

I am going to provide you with some of my personal stress management techniques.

They are as follows:

1. Fast news
   This is one of the most effective stress management methods you have ever used. Today, whichever news outlet you choose, more than half are filled with negativity and stressful news. Also not! A news fast doesn’t mean you put the news aside forever. You can start by ignoring the news for 7 days.
2. Selective social networks
   Yes, you read it right! I’m not asking you to quit social media entirely. I just ask you to be selective about it. Choose what is relevant to you and what is not. You can always turn your back on things that don’t concern you or that are inducing negativity in your life. You will not miss anything, as it does not concern you. There was wonderful dialogue in some Bollywood movie, which had come out a few years ago. It said something like this: “You can’t be in two places at the same time. That means you will definitely miss one thing at any given time. So why not make the most of it and enjoy the place, you are in that moment. ? ”
3. Using a stress ball
   Well, as old school as it sounds, it works! Always have a soft ball close at hand! A medium-sized sponge-like ball will help you in many situations. Whenever you feel stressed, just squeeze it and keep doing it until you start to feel a little better.
4. Deep breaths
   Remember: there is nothing you cannot solve with 5 deep breaths. Whenever you are in a stressful situation, sit down, if you are standing, and place the palm of your hand on your stomach, sit up straight, close your eyes, and take 5 deep breaths, feeling each of the breaths as you exhale. After each deep breath, repeat the following to yourself: “I can handle this!” and begin to make your tone firmer, with each breath.

Try these steps the next time you’re feeling a little stressed and think about your challenges from a third-party point of view. Also, think, “How is this problem going to affect me in the next 5 years?”

All the best!