Simple ways to relieve stress

By Nurul Syafiqah

Have you guys ever felt stress before? I think almost everyone will answer yes. At least once in your lifetime. Having a little bit of stress in your life is normal for everyone. 

Stress is a feeling under abnormal pressure. This pressure can come from different aspects like having an argument with your friends or family, financial worries, increased workload, final exam, or changes in the mood. 

Stress can be very harmful or helpful for certain people. It will depend on how you look and manage your stress and feeling. 

For some people stress is so common in their life. Sometimes stress can be helpful in your life because it can be positive like keeping us to stay focused, or motivated ourselves to become better and achieve our goals. 

Stress is the key to survival. But serious stress can be harmful to health such as high blood pressure, eating disorders, mental health issues like depression and anxiety. This is the reason why we need to cope with stress in the right way. 

First and foremost, we need to identify the sign or symptoms of stress. In the beginning, you will feel familiar or normal with the symptoms like having headaches, constant worrying, loneliness or isolation, insomnia, or eating disorder. It is important to be aware of your level of stress before identifying the right way to handle your stress. Either handle yourself or seek help. 

So what can we do to improve the manner you respond to stress and avoid creating negative stress? 

Firstly, getting enough sleep will help you to reduce stress. A lack of sleep at night is also a key cause to stress. Because it can ruin your morning mood and make you feel tired.  Recommended sleeping to adults is seven to eight hours. Try to make sure all your TV, smartphones are turned off during sleep hours.

From the National Institutes of Health, 90% of people with depression complain about their quality of sleep. It is because a sleeping disorder like insomnia will disturb their brain function and lead to stress or depression.  Give yourself some time to relax your body by having enough rest. The next day, you will feel fresh and calmer. Plus, your energy level will be charged. When your energy is increased, life’s little challenge won’t annoy you because you can handle it briefly. 

When you’re suffering from stress it is normal to have someone to listen to your problems. You need a listener to express your feelings. When you’re feeling stressed, take a break and call your friend or family member whom you’re comfortable sharing your problems. Let them know about your feelings and what’s going on. Having someone to listen to your problems will reduce your stress and sorrow. It is important to find the right listener to avoid negative people bringing you down. When you can’t find someone to listen to your problems it will be painful for your soul. You might feel lonely, useless, or isolated and it will increase your stress level. 

Getting enough exercise is also one of the ways to control your stress. Why can exercises help you reduce your stress? Physical activity such as jogging, cycling, or running can improve your body’s ability to use oxygen and improve your blood flow. Both of these benefits can improve your direct effect on your brain. Physical activities also can help your mind to reduce worry. By concentrating on your body your brain will forget about stressful things in your life for a while. We can improve our mood after doing some exercises. If you can’t do it regularly at least spend 15 to 30 minutes per day. 

Exercise doesn’t necessarily require you to go to the gym but you can take a short walk around your house or workplace by looking at the greenery. This will reduce your anger, fear and stress, and make your mind peaceful and increase your pleasant feelings. 

Hence, stress is an unavoidable part of life, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Try to manage your stress well to overcome it from becoming worse. With patience and useful tips, you can reduce the stress that comes in many ways. 

Here’s a meaningful quote “ الصبر من الإيمان “ which means patience is half from iman. As good Muslims, we need to handle stress or problems with patience and techniques not just simply follow our hearts. It is okay to have a bad day sometimes because it will make you know your own potential and make you stronger than you think.***

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