Rise and Exercise

Everyone gets stressed out at some point during their lives. Whether it’s finals week at college or you’re budgeting your finances, stress comes from a variety of sources. However, stress can cause several physical problems, like headaches or back pain. These problems can interfere with your life! Learning how to cope with it can be a challenge, but it is possible.

Sometimes if stress is causing aches over a long period of time, a doctor will prescribe an extremely mild anti-depressant to help. These work great on helping reduce your stress, but it’s not always necessary. Some people don’t like taking pills, or they can’t afford to fill the prescription.

Thankfully there are other ways to deal with stress! These 5 methods are all simple, free, and don’t take too much time.

Most importantly, get enough sleep each night. The amount is different for each person, so make sure that you get the amount you need. Generally, 8 hours is a good amount for the average adult.

You also need to be getting enough exercise. Even if all you have time for is running on your treadmill for 10 minutes, every little bit helps. Exercise releases endorphins that make you feel better, but it does more than that mentally. Pushing through your obstacles and reaching your goals are great things for your mental health. Doing these things will help you to feel accomplished, giving you the feeling that you can tackle your problems and reduce your worries about them.

I also recommend turning off your radio. Most everyone listens to music while driving, but this alone time is a great opportunity. For just 5 minutes a day, turn off your music and use your alone time to think. Your emotional health is greatly benefited when you take a little time to think about and sort through your problems, feelings, and ideas. Don’t worry about how slow everyone is driving, or how bored you might feel. Just think about what’s going on in your life and come up with some creative solutions.

You might also want to consider lightening your load. If you are working 3 jobs and going to college full-time, you are too busy. When you don’t have time to spend with your family or read a good book, you are over-scheduling yourself. This is definitely a source of stress for a lot of people, but it’s difficult to modify because these things are important. However, learning to live on a little less and quitting one of your many jobs will do wonders for you.

Another way to handle stress is to fix your fixable problems. This one seems like a no-brainer to me, but many people struggle with this. Some people get so caught up in the problems that are out of their control, they neglect to deal with the ones that are. Just fix the problems you can, and accept that some things are beyond your control. I know this is harder than it sounds, but mastering this skill will help you out in the long run.

There are numerous more ways to deal with stress. What is one way that worked for you? Leave me a comment and share your ideas! If exercise has helped you (or any other of these tips), share your story with us. We’d love to hear about it!