Life is a beautiful thing filled with lots of joyful moments. However, there are times when the very sweet life that you so cherish becomes overwhelming. One day you wake up, and everything you held dear to you feels all out of whack! You are filled with a mountain of debts; the bills keep coming, and family and work obligations are only increasing. You feel like you have lost all sense of balance. You know you should exercise, but you just can’t find the time. You begin to eat unhealthily, and there is simply no time to pause and take time for yourself. You finally recognize that you are totally stressed, and taking back control seems almost impossible.
We have all been there. The truth is stress that is left untreated can manifest in many forms of illnesses. One of the most common is Depression.
Persons who constantly undergo stress and do not manage it well can often be pushed into a very dark place. That place can come with feelings of hopelessness. Setbacks and disappointments are simply a part of life. It does not matter who you are or where you come from, at some point, you will experience a challenge. Disappointments can often bring about self-judgment, and sometimes self-pity. The sad part is, that some people find it challenging to recover, and they begin to obsess about the situation, not realizing that nothing truly lasts forever. In fact, it’s those very thoughts that have put them in the space of hopelessness. Left for a long time those feelings can turn into depression.
With the feelings of depression come impending doom, emptiness, restlessness, and sometimes even thoughts of suicide. If you think about it, all of this perhaps started with not dealing with the initial stressor. Many people fail to understand that whatever you give your attention to, you get more of it. You have the ability to choose what you think about, believe it or not. However, most people allow their thoughts to control them. It is important then to pay attention to how you are feeling and truly manage the way you think. If you realize you are highly stressed then, here are some great things to consider. They may just save you from heading into depression.
Become aware of your emotions.
Are you aware of how you are feeling? Depression doesn’t happen overnight. Take the time out to manage how you are feeling regularly. If something is not feeling right, address it early, in this case, delay can be dangerous.
Be clear about the source of your stress. Often times when we gain the clarity we can better deal with the challenges ahead. Pinpointing the actual stressor can help you to have a more effective strategy to address the stress.
Manage your reaction
Assess your typical reactions and see how you can modify your reactions to him/her, or it. Sometimes our reaction can even exacerbate the situation.
Learn to Relax
Hearing relax when you are stressed can be quite annoying, however, it’s quite a necessary reminder. Practice meditation, and breathing exercises. In fact, just taking a deep breath helps to release anxiety. The breath actually helps to control our physical state, so use it. It’s the quickest way to get calm by taking deep breaths and slowly releasing.
Help others
By helping someone else, you can minimize your own stress. It helps when you shift your attention from the issue at hand. This is not a bad thing when you are absolutely overwhelmed, and it can bring well-needed relief.
Work if off
Physical activities are a great way to reduce stress. It releases the endorphins that cause you to feel happy and upbeat. Try running, jogging, skipping, gardening, yoga, and so much more. Just choose something you like and go for it.
Use the situation to power you.
Sometimes through our greatest adversities comes our greatest achievement. Use it to fuel you to accomplish more. Decide on what you could use it for and do that. Ever notice the success stories are from some really tough and challenging circumstances?
Get professional help
If you have tried several things and nothing seems to be working. Seek the help of a professional. There is no shame in it. Select the appropriate professional based on the nature of the stress. You may seek the help of a psychologist, life coach, psychiatrist, acupuncturist, or energy healer, whatever resonates with you. They are more than equipped to help you.
These 8 steps are just a few of the many things you can do to alleviate and minimize stress, to ensure you do not end up in depression. Don’t forget to simply have fun and count your blessings.
Good luck, and know that the universe is always conspiring on your behalf.
