Dealing With Stress

Stress is something that affects a significant amount of people all over the world, stress is also a killer. Stress can have an effect on your thoughts feelings and actions. In order to tackle your stress it is necessary to find out what de-stresses you, tap into what makes you feel relaxed and calm; free your mind.

When I am stressed and I have numerous things on my mind I tend to over-analyse, over-worry and lastly over-think. So what I like to do when I am feeling this way is to have a nice ginger and lemon tea, read a nice novel or listen to calming music. Lately, I have even tried meditating. I close my eyes and I think of paradise, I envision myself being on a beautiful warm beach somewhere with no worries, I free my mind.

Although I acknowledge this can be a difficult thing to do. Having the right mindset to overcome stress can be challenging because it has to be habit forming for it to be affective. These five simple tips can help you to combat stress.

(Stay positive. Laughter has been found to lower levels of stress hormones, reduce inflammation in the arteries, and increase "good" HDL cholesterol).

- Meditate (When we meditate we allow our mind to be more free rather than thinking negatively, we let go of our negative thoughts and invite positivity into our psyche which can be spiritually healing.

- Exercise (Excercise increases endorphins which can make us feel less stressed and more happy!)

- Unplug (Too much technology or even the use of various telecommunications can be negative, use computers, mobiles and tablets within moderation. It is advisable not to be in social media too much it can be demanding, negative and also seeing false representations of others lives in some instances can make you put down your own.'

- Do not smoke (smoking raises blood pressure and can actually heighten agitation/anxiety)
- take naps (this can help you to feel calmer and refreshed
- Go to bed on time

- Exercise (this will increase endorphins which make you happier and feel more at ease)

- Do not take recreational substances (Its well-known that people can look for substances that increase their serotonin and make them feel temporarily happy. But that happiness is short-lived to not invest in alcohol/drugs to sooth your mind as it can be eventually detrimental for your physical and mental health)

- Lastly **stay positive**
Pessimism is not a good habit. It is good to be optimistic and not assume that things will not go well for you in the future. This will make you self-prophetic and then you will be living up to negativity and become a negative person, this Is not good!
Watch your thoughts they become your feelings, watch your feelings they become habits, watch your habits they become your character.