Stress impacts almost everyone, some more than others. Some know how to deal well with stress whereas others may really struggle and find it hard to cope. There was a study carried out by Statista (link to site here) which found that out of 1,815 people, the most common form of stress was work stress (79%) followed by financial stress (60%) and then family stress (40%).
The amount of stress that people have and feel throughout their lives is crazy! It can have so many negative impacts on your life and so I wanted to share with you some recognisable signs that you can identify so you know if you or someone you know is feeling stressed along with some techniques on how to best manage it.
Recognising the Signs:
Feeling Signs
Irritable
Nervous
Can't Switch Off
Unable to Enjoy Things
Lost Sense of Humour
Sense of Dread
Behavioural Signs
Can't Make a Decision
Worried
Avoid Situations That Trouble You
Picking Your Nails or Skin
Unable to Concentrate
Physical Signs
Tired All The Time
Muscle Tension
Clenching Jaw
Chest Pains
These are just a few of the signs that can relate to the feeling of stress. For further advice, I have linked the Mind website here and I would also recommend speaking to your GP should you have any concerns regarding your health.
So now we have recognised some signs that can identify as stress, I wanted to share with you some techniques that I learnt in my Life Coaching Course that may be able to help break down this stress and make it more manageable.
Stress Management Techniques
Identify Your Stressors -
By being able to pinpoint and identifying what situations, thoughts, people or environment(s) create the most stress for you, it will put you in greater stead to be able to recognise these signs in the future and learning how to best deal with them.
If you realise that you are getting stressed about the future and what events will happen or take place then remind yourself that the future hasn't yet happened and it's not anything you can fully control. I saw a great Instagram video which I will link here which put this into great perspective.
Change Perception -
Once you know the causes or factors that create the most stress for you, now it is time to change your perspective. If you are worrying about work and whether you are good for the job or good enough, change your perspective to "I'll do the best I can." Simply flipping your thought from negative to supportive, you will instantly feel better and it will help relieve that stress.
Physical Factors -
Believe it or not but looking after yourself physically can have a massive impact on how you manage stress. If you are getting the right amount of sleep, eating a balanced diet and doing regular exercise then you are helping your mind and body alleviate some of that stress
Emotional Factors -
Another way you can manage stress is working on your mindset. When confronted with a stressful situation, try and develop a more positive and less judgemental approach. Choose to believe you can cope.
Behavioural Factors -
Choose to react to stressful situations calmly and thoughtfully. Rather than shouting, try lowering your voice and speaking more slowly. This will help ease the stress you are feeling as when we shout we can build up more anger and unwelcome emotions which doesn't help calm the situation.
Focus on Needless Stress Prevention -
There a few other factors that you can do to help reduce stress such as having a dedicated time where you can think or release the things or thoughts that are stressing you so it doesn't impact the rest of your day. You can also plan ahead your week but bare in mind that plans can change and to be prepared for that. Also try managing your time. I went on an online course for Time Management and it really helped change my perspective and strategies when it comes to prioritising and planning. I've linked the course here.
So there you have it. There are 6 ways in which you can help yourself manage stress more efficiently as well as some signs that can relate to stress.
Let me know in the comments if you found this post helpful....