Feeling stressed to some degree is normal. In some cases, it can even be healthy. Healthy stress is what you feel when you get excited and aren’t feeling fear or are concerned about a threat. This sort of stress can be empowering. When your stress is brought on by fear or a threat, however, it can quickly cross over into being detrimental. If that’s the sort of stress you’re dealing with, it’s a good idea to find ways to keep it down at a more manageable level throughout your day.
Avoid Your Triggers
For some people, stress is brought on by certain triggers. People with phobias and especially difficult in-laws know all about that sort of stress. In some cases, finding ways to avoid your stress triggers can help. There isn’t much sense in unnecessarily exposing yourself to a source of stress on purpose. That said, keep an eye out for avoidance behaviors that start to interfere with your ability to live your life to an unhealthy extent. It may be beneficial to seek professional help at that point.
Take Your Break
There’s a reason why employees are commonly afforded breaks during their shifts. It gives you a chance to decompress and relax so you can go back to work and be productive when your break is over. Breaks also provide you with the time to eat, which can replenish your energy and help you feel better when you return to work. Take advantage of the time you have to relax while you eat. If you sit down to enjoy your food, you’ll have fewer digestive issues. That’s sure to do good things for your stress levels.
Practice Stress Management Techniques
Sometimes we find ourselves in stressful situations despite our best efforts. In those cases, having some stress management techniques you can fall back on can be especially helpful. There are a ton of them out there, so find one that works for you and practice it regularly. The more you practice, the better at it you’ll be. Bonus points if your chosen technique is something you can safely do while you’re at work or during rush hour traffic.
While there is such a thing as productive stress, too much is just bad news. Stress isn’t likely to kill you directly, but the damage it can do to your body (to say nothing of the unhealthy coping mechanisms that some people use to deal with it) can lead to premature death. Do yourself a favor and find ways to keep your stress at a manageable level during the day.
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