Most of us feel stressed from time to time, but for some of us, stress has become a part of life. Stress takes a heavy toll on our health, and it certainly doesn’t make us happy or let us feel good. But sometimes it’s hard to avoid feeling stressed. Here are some tips on how to keep calm:
Practice being present
Unless you are literally under attack, the causes of stress are about the future, not the present. Even if you have a horrible boss, chances are that you are not under attack all the time. After a stressful situation, step back and take a breath. Remind yourself that your feet are on the floor, your seat is in the chair, the keyboard is under your fingers, and breathe.
Exercise
Seriously, it gets rid of lots of those stress hormones that are circulating in your bloodstream because of your horrible bosses (or dramatic coworkers, or endless traffic, or noisy neighbors…). It gives those hormones something to work for, and then lets your adrenal glands (the stress glands) get to rest. There’s nothing like a good workout to relieve stress and get the body back to a healthy state.
Tap
The body is filled with acupressure meridians and each of them has a treatment point. The treatment point for stress is at your kidney meridian (your adrenals live on top of your kidneys), just under the collarbones. The treatment point for anger is at the liver meridian, on the middle of your bottom rib (straight down from the nipple). And you can open your heart by tapping the middle of your chest. A great stress-busting tapping sequence is the collar bones, heart, and bottoms of your ribs. Tap each point about seven times and breathe while you think about your stress and feel it melt away.
Talk it out (but be careful who you talk to).
There are those friends who can talk us off the ledge, and then there are those who make us want to jump. I remember calling a friend when I was upset and, God love her, she loved me and felt just as angry as I did. We just got more and more upset and angry and indignant and …things did not end well that day. Better to call the one who stays calm and helps you get calm, too. A good therapist can be an invaluable resource when you are going through a challenging time.
Commit to make a change
How long are you willing to let your work (or family) stress take a toll on you? There is wisdom in the serenity prayer: Get the patience to accept the things you can’t change, the courage to change the things you can, and the wisdom to know the difference. You can change yourself and the way you react. You can project heart-centered kindness into a chaotic situation and help others become more heart-centered. But some situations are just toxic. If you have learned all you can from the situation, it might be time to learn how to leave it.
With patience, resolve, and practice, you can beat stress –instead of letting it beat you. If you have other tips on how to keep calm, I’d love to hear from you!