How to Reduce Stress with 8 Effective Stress Reducing Techniques

Stress may affect individuals in many ways, and these may pose an effect on their personal and professional life. Regardless of the things or event that stresses you, it is more important to have the willingness and determination to overcome them. It is essential to understand what stresses you because it is only then that you will be able to move forward and avoid these stressful things or events completely. You can avoid many problems by taking action instead of letting stress get you down. Now is the time to plan your way to stress less and live more!

With a good stress relief plan you will be able to manage stress. Sometimes there are easy things that you can do routinely to keep bad stress away. Here are some basic Stress Management Techniques and fundamentals that you can incorporate right away. Make these anti-stress strategies a part of your life. Putting them into practice can help you effectively manage stress.

Here is the breakdown of what we’ll cover:

• Effects of Stress
• What is Stress?
• Identifying Stress
• Adapt a Stress Reducing Lifestyle
• Replace Bad Habits
• How to React to Stress
• Routines to Reduce Stress
• Learning to Live with Stress

How is Stress Affecting You?

Stress may affect individuals in many ways, and these may pose an effect on their personal and professional life. Regardless of the things or event that stresses you, it is more important to have the willingness and determination to overcome them. It is essential to understand what stresses you because it is only then that you will be able to move forward and avoid these stressful things or events completely.  You can avoid many problems by taking action instead of letting stress get you down. Now is the time to plan your way to stress less and live more!

For many of us, stress is the single biggest blight on what would otherwise be a happy and healthy lifestyle. Stress has a host of negative effects not only on our bodies but on our minds – and it’s something almost all of us experience too much of.

Look at yourself right now and answer honestly:

Do you feel stressed?

Do you feel as though there isn’t enough time in the day to do all the things you want to do?

Do you feel constantly as though you’re just about managing to stay afloat?

Are there deadlines and events looming on the horizon for you like black clouds?

Do you feel as though it could all come crashing down at any moment?

Perhaps you also feel as though your heart-rate is higher than it should be. Maybe you’re not getting the quality of sleep you need because you’re lying awake listening to it thud and thump?

If this is the case, then your lifestyle is compromised. If you have constant chronic stress, then you will also find that your immune system is suppressed, that your blood pressure is high, that you aren’t sleeping properly and that you’re more likely to become distracted and/or have an accident. Even your digestion will be negatively affected by your stress.

This is what it means to be living constantly with stress and this is what many of us now consider to be ‘normal’.

So how do you break the cycle and get your life back on track?  I am going to provide you with a complete blueprint for stopping stress in its tracks and escaping it once and for all.

What is Stress?

Let’s begin by defining Stress.  It has been defined in several different ways and each definition has relevance, but we shall shortly speak about the definition that should matter to us the most.

A popular medical website defines stress as:

“The physical and emotional strain which is caused by our response to the pressure from the outside world.”

This definition is good and seems correct. But there is something very important missing. Let’s see some other definition and the missing element will become apparent.  The definition of stress according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is as follows:

“The physical, chemical or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and which may be a factor in the cause of disease.”

All of these definitions again have the same element missing, and that makes them inadequate.  Now, here are the definitions that we really like:-

“Stress is the response that the human body provides when it is met with circumstances that induce it to behave, alter or modify in some manner to maintain their comfortable state of balance.”

“Stress is the body’s way of reacting to a challenge and getting prepared to face with tough situations with concentration, determination and strength with a state of total alertness.”

Did you realize already why we like the last two definitions and not the ones mentioned before? Here is what worked for us… and what should work for you as well.

With the previous definitions, the problem is that stress is defined just as the influence of outside negative factors on the body. These definitions consider the body as a latent object, which can be easily manipulated by outside forces.

But, with the last two definitions, the big difference is that stress is called as a ‘reaction’ or a ‘response’. These definitions consider the body as an actionable force; and it considers humans as beings who can do something about negative situations that they encounter in life.

Most people have the whole idea of stress pegged on wrong. They think that stress just happens, and they can do nothing about it, except complain and brood. They think that they simply are meant to wallow in stress and do nothing about it.

That is hardly the case. The truth is that our bodies are very well capable of dealing with the negative situations that will inevitably crop up in our life. And it is these reactions that are termed as stress.

What we see here is the overall lack of knowledge people have about stress. Maybe you have the completely wrong idea as well. You are thinking about ‘being stressed’ as a situation where you do nothing and are simply worried about the circumstances in your life.

The truth is that ‘being stressed’ means being NOT DEFEATED from the various negative situations that present themselves in your life. Being stressed means fighting those challenges. Being stressed means coming up a winner whenever you indulge in these fights.

And that is what we are going to tell you… how to fight against the stressful situations in your life. Let’s first look at some statistics, how widespread it is, what creates stress, it’s symptoms and who it affects.

Stress Statistics

Just how widespread is this stress related problem?

According to The American Institute of Stress:

• About 33 percent of people feel like they are living with extreme stress.
• 73 percent of people experience mental stress.
• 48 percent lie awake at night due to stress.
• 72 percent feeling stressed about money most of the time.
• 77 percent of people experience physical stress symptoms that affects their physical health.
• Those that experience physical stress experience the following symptoms.

Irritability or anger	50 %
Feeling nervous	45 %
Lack of energy	45 %
Headache	44%
Muscle tension	38%

Unfortunately, for most Americans, the levels of stress are increasing getting worse.

The Global Organization for Stress reports that:

• 75 percent of Americans experienced moderate to high stress levels in the past month.
• Stress is the number one health concern of high school students.
• 80 percent of people feel stress at work.
• Well, to highlight the severity of stress, it’s worth noting that work-related stress causes 10% of strokes (via raised blood pressure). 3 out of 4 doctors’ visits are related to stress and stress can raise your risk of heart disease by 40%.
• Stress is also ruining our diets. We eat for comfort but also when our body uses up blood sugar (which it does when we’re stressed). Cortisol makes us store more fat and as such, 40% of stressed people will overeat or eat unhealthily. Another 44% of people lose sleep due to stress.
• And if you thought stress was making you more productive think again: stress blunts creativity and even physically shrinks the brain. It’s thought that stress related problems cost the US a whopping $300 billion every year. That’s $100 billion more than obesity.
• 44% of Americans say they are feeling more stressed year on year and 1 in 5 say they experience ‘extreme stress’.

So where is all this stress coming from?

The top causes according to Statistic Brain Research Institute are:

• Job pressure
• Money
• Health
• Relationships
• Poor nutrition
• Media overload
• Sleep deprivation
• Global disaster such as the coronavirus

Biologically, stress is a healthy and normal response to any ‘stressor’ (defined as a trigger that causes stress.) The purpose of stress is to prime our body for action in the face of a physical threat. In other words, this is a kind of ‘action mode’  that our body kicks into and the more difficult stressors would have been things like predators, fires or aggressive members of our own species.

What happens to us physically then is that our sympathetic nervous system kicks in and triggers the pituitary glands to release several hormones and neurotransmitters such as adrenaline, nor-epinephrine, dopamine and cortisol. These chemicals in turn trigger our bodies to direct blood away from less immediately necessary functions (such as our immune system and our digestive system) and to our brains and muscles. Meanwhile, they increase focus, awareness and bring on feelings of anxiety and danger. Our heartrates also increase and ultimately, we end up far more on-edge and ‘wired’. Even our feeling of pain is reduced, and our blood thickens to encourage clotting in case of injury. This is what is known as the ‘fight or flight’ response.

Factors that Create Stress

Now that you have a better idea of what stress is, it is a good time to understand what causes stress. What are these factors that should precipitate you into taking a particular action?

These factors are called stressors. You may already have some idea about the things that can cause stress, but you should know that there are a lot more factors out there.

Stressors are not so simple that they can be fitted into a single category. In comparison with that, you can see that stressors aren’t something that you can have a uniform fight with. Each of these factors have a different way of dealing with them.

Overall, we can classify these stress-inducing factors as external stressors and internal stressors. Both are equally dangerous if they are left to be as they are. And both need to be fought against with equal fervor if we want to ensure a happier life for ourselves.

External Stressors

These are the changes happening in the environment around us that pose adverse situations for us. These things are happening in our external environment, and hence we call them as external stressors. When these changes happen, our body begins to react in a way. We get a feeling of being threatened.

External stressors can confront us anywhere. They may come up at work… a looming deadline is a good example. They may relate to financial matters. A bill that must be paid, some payment that has not yet come, tax that is overcharged, a wrong credit card score, etc. are so many different things that can disorient your living.

There can also be such factors in relationships. In fact, most of the stress-inducing factors happen in relationships. This is because two people are involved… two people with two different ways of thinking. Things are going to make noise when opinions clash.

There can be so many other kinds of external stressors. The current political situation could be a stress-causing factor for you. If your home needs to be renovated, it could cause stress even if you have money. Someone close to you leaves you and goes away. The fact, that we must deal with unfortunate circumstances like this worldwide pandemic of the Corona virus. Again, that can cause a lot of mental, physical and spiritual stress.

Stress happens in joyful situations also. If there is a wedding in the family, the stress that is caused there is indescribable. Why just wedding, anything that you have to organize in your house can cause stress, even a small kids party! Also, something like an impending pregnancy can cause stress. You are happy about the little one coming to live with you soon, but maybe the anticipation is taking its toll on you.

Now, there are so many ways in which stress can meet you in your house itself. We have already pointed out some such factors above. Bills to be paid, pregnancy, etc. are stress-causing factors that happen in the home itself. Something in your house doesn’t work when you want it too… that can cause stress as well.

At the same time, you shouldn’t think that stress has to be caused by monumental, life-changing factors. There are so many trivial matters over which we can get so worked up. Don’t some people get stressed just because children playing outside make too much noise? Or that the dogs bark so loudly? Or that the vehicles honk incessantly outside their house, even if they really don’t? Or simply that the water for their bath isn’t hot enough? Or that they have missed their bus?

All these are external factors that can cause stress. The list is endless, but these examples are more than adequate to help you understand what they are like.

Internal Stressors

Some of the stress-causing factors come from within. Mostly these are the mental problems that we so often face in today’s world. These may manifest themselves in the form of depression, insomnia, ADD, and even more physical forms such as allergies, nausea and vomiting and digestive disorders, etc.

Internal stressors are usually more difficult to handle because they are working inside the body. They are related to your constitution and have a medical ground. Chronic diseases can also cause internal stress. People who suffer from heart-related problems or diabetes, for instance, are usually under a large amount of internal stress. Usually, the stress due to these factors also becomes chronic.

But the situation is not all that bleak. There is very little we can do about chronic ailments, but not all internal stressors are related to chronic problems. Some of these can be easily managed, and even eliminated.

A lot of internal stress stems from the way you look at yourself, or the way you deal with things. For instance, if you have high beliefs or hopes about something and then it doesn’t go your way, it can lead to stress. The solution here would be not to expect anything irrationally.

If you cannot focus on your work, that is internal stress as well. You can solve that by improving your concentration and finding new ways to motivate yourself. Other forms of internal stress come in the form of low self-esteem, low self-perception, lack of confidence and other similar personality traits.

Sometimes, too much of a good thing is also bad. Just as high expectations can lead to stress, perfectionism can also lead to stress.

If you always seek perfection in everything, especially to a point of obsession, then it is going to hurt you at one time or the other. At the same time, if you are too eager to please people, then that could be a big problem as well, because you are not going to be able to do that all the time.

If you have habits that are not quite accepted socially, then those could be a problem as well. For instance, if you try to put people on, or if you are dishonest with people, then sooner or later, this could cause your balance to get disturbed.

Some internal stressors are rooted in the past. These are very difficult to get rid of. A childhood-related phobia, for instance, is difficult to shake off. If you have had a bad childhood or an abusive relationship, then it could leave a scar on you for a long time and could become an internal stressor as well. Also, the habit of worrying too much, which could also have its origins in your past, can cause stress.

These are the various factors that can lead you to stress. Most of them are possible to control, though the going may not always be easy. You must take stock of the situation. As we shall see in further on, you must first come out of denial if you want to conquer your stress.

Your body will react to stress-causing factors in different ways. What you must do is to channelize this response of your body so that it brings about positive results for you.

You must target the response so that it eliminates the stress-causing factor.

Whether externally or internally produced, it is possible to combat stress, however difficult. It all starts with how much in acceptance you are, and then depends on how much effort you want to put in.

Stress Signals

One of the most deterring factors in any stress solution is that the person suffering from stress is in denial. They don’t accept that they are going through any stress. Due to that, they do not want to react. This keeps them from finding the right respite for their problem and the problem keeps on aggravating.

Since we are talking about conquering your stress here, one of the most crucial things that you must keep in mind is that you must come out of your denial. You must understand the fact that there are situations that are disorienting you, and only then can you start to think what you can do about them.Understanding the stress signals is a very vital aspect of the stress-busting game. If you want your stress to react in the right manner, i.e. to remove the stressor, then first you must know that you are stressed.

The most significant aspect of combatting stress is that you must accept it. There are people who think that if they speak about their stress, their near and dear ones will begin to worry. There are also those stubborn people who believe that they can do everything needed to eliminate their stress factor all by themselves and hence they do not think they need to tell anyone about it.

Whatever be the situation, keeping your stress to yourself is highly counterproductive. Not only are you not going to come out of your stressful situation, but you are going to aggravate it.

To understand what you can do to remove your stress, the first and most important thing is to accept that you are stressed. You can do this by looking out for the signals. Here are the signals that you have watch out for.

Are any of the following things happening to you?

Here, we are going to classify the stress signals as indicators of short-term and long-term stress. Short-term signals of stress usually manifest themselves when the stress-causing factor has been recent, or if something has happened recently that has aggravated the factor. Long-term stress is chronic. This happens mostly due to internal stressors, though even external stressors that have tormented you for a long time can cause such responses.

Signals of Short-Term Stress

The following is a list of the bodily symptoms of short-term stress.

• Your heartbeat becomes quicker.
• You sweat more profusely.
• You experience sweat on the palms of your hands and the undersides of your feet. There is also a cold sensation there.
• You find different sets of muscles in your body suddenly go tight despite your attempts to control them.
• Your breath becomes heavier.
• Your mouth runs drier.
• You have a sick feeling in the stomach.
• You have to go to the bathroom repeatedly.
• Things like muscular spasms, extreme fatigue, headaches and shortness of breath happen to you.

Here are some ways in which short-term stress can affect your productivity.

• You are not able to think clearly.
• You find it difficult to make choices.
• You find it difficult to build strategies.
• You become disinterested in things that previously used to interest you.
• You feel guilty about entertaining yourself.
• You feel bad about the simplest and the most necessary things in life too; like, you may want to feel bad about eating your food.
• You become either very dejected or very short-tempered.
• You feel worried when you laugh.

If any of these signs start appearing, then it means that you are facing some stressful situation. But that situation is solvable; only you have to put in the right efforts once you have detected what it is.

Signals of Long-Term Stress

The signs of long-term stress are often quite radical. You need to be more worried about them, because it is possible that you have long forgotten what caused the stress in the first place.

People suffering from long-terms are usually prone to the following signs and signals:

• Several of your habits change. This refers mainly to food and sleep. If you are eating differently than before, or sleeping in any way that is different, then it might mean that you are suffering from stress, which may not be quite apparent at that moment.

• Mood changes happen within you. You feel disoriented and confused. You act in a very emotionally driven manner.
• Vices take hold of you. You start smoking and alcoholism, maybe even drugs.
• You neglect work and relationships, and spend more time doing nothing.
• You become careless of your looks.
• You become uncaring for the people around you.
• You talk more gloomy things as the days pass by.

These signals indicate that there is some long-standing stress within you. Something has snapped, and you must take stock of the situation as soon as you can.