Stress can affect all spheres of life. This article explores the best ways to beat stress.

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1 SAY GOOD BYE TO STRESS Feeling stressed out and exhausted? Here are the ways to beat stress

2 Mr Sen, marketing manager in a leading electronics manufacturing company, who works for 12 hours a day, 6 days aweek says, I always have targets to meet at work and I have a family of five to support. With rising demands from growing children, mounting inflation, and a stressful job, I find it increasingly difficult to cope. I have been feeling restless and irritable for quite sometime. My concentration has come down and I have frequent headaches. Listen to Mrs Manisha Malhotra, Manager HR and administration, and a mother of twin daughters: Both my work and family responsibilities are demanding. Of late, I have started feeling exhausted and worn out. My threshold seems to have drastically come down and I feel irritated even for trivial things. Very often, I find myself telling my daughters Not today honey! Later please and end up feeling guilty. She adds that even a minor inconvenience or extra hour at work can throw her entire day off! Both Mr Sen and Mrs Malhotra are trying to cope with stress. Do you want to know how to beat stress? Read on Stop Look... Proceed three magical words taught very early in life, when we learnt to cross the road. Are you feeling too anxious, irritable, exhausted, and unable to concentrate? You could just be stressed out. How often would you have heard this phrase? It is time to apply these magical words to enable you to continue with the journey called life and not get knocked out by all the vehicles that can cause stress. Stop to look at your life and ask yourself, what is causing the stress? Look at all the factors that could cause stress and ask yourself, why you feel stressed out? Proceed with the solution of what you can do about it. Analyze, identify, and address these issues, and march ahead in life armed with solutions. Just do it before it is too late, lest you may be looked upon as somebody who has the burnt out syndrome. Stress can affect all spheres of life. This article explores the best ways to beat stress. Are you asking yourself Why me? Don t worry. You are not alone! There are millions around the world who struggle to cope with stress. In India with changing work environment, jobrelated stress is spreading to different sectors. Indian doctors say that stressrelated problems occur more often now than it was a decade ago. Things you need to know Stress is something, we all experience in life. Stress can be positive or negative. A little bit of stress is in fact good, as it helps you to work better, be a little more focused, and perform better. It is only, when you allow all the stress to start

3 affecting you physically, mentally, and emotionally, stress becomes an issue that needs to be addressed. It is necessary to find positive ways to cope with stress and not be overwhelmed by it. Everybody has different tolerance levels to stress and their own ways of handling or not handling it. Only you can decide the level of stress, which you can tolerate. It is up to you to take control of the situation and tell yourself if it has to be done, it is up to me. Different types of problems can cause stress. The cause could be your work, your relationships, your support system, your health, your finances, your circumstances, or just your own attitude. Now let us see the not so wonderful ways in which stress can affect you. Stress can make you to feel restless, anxious, nervous, irritable, distracted, or even depressed. If the stress levels are higher, you may also have headaches, excessive fatigue, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, bowel disturbances, dizziness, breathlessness, or a faster pulse. If these symptoms continue to bother you, it is time to seek help. Help yourself First of all, identify the source of all your problems. Remove the cause or move away from it, if possible. Create a plan or decide on a series of steps that you need to take to get out of the situation. This itself will make you to feel much better and sometimes may be the only thing that is required. Discuss your problems with whoever you are comfortable with your friends, family, or even your family physician. Do not feel shy or embarrassed by doing so. If all these do not help, you should seek medical assistance to rule out and treat any medical problems that you may have. If your doctor rules out any specific medical problem, you need to make a few lifestyle changes and take preventive steps to manage stress. Energize with enjoyable activities Take up activities that you enjoy doing and set aside time to do them on a regular basis. Allocate sometime for watering your plants, playing with your pet dog, listening to music, or even to spend time on a rocking chair/swing. Manage your time A person, who manages his/her time, badly ends up very harried at the end of the day. Plan your day, plan your work, and organize yourself. Delegate your work You just cannot keep doing everything by yourself. Learn to be flexible. Set realistic goals Set goals, which are doable and learn to prioritize them. Break up your goal into small tasks. Know your limitations and do not hesitate to ask for help.

4 Change your attitude yourself feel good about what you have done for the day. Do not get upset about trivial matters and do not let them to continue to bother you. Make a conscious effort not to get angry. It might be your attitude that makes you to feel exhausted and stressed out. Deal with it. Have a positive outlook Look at the problems as opportunities. Do not take criticisms personally. They may actually help you to improve yourself. Communicate effectively Communicating effectively with people around you family, friends, or colleagues will help to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and relieve buildup of stress. Take part in interactive discussions. Maintain a work life balance It is not easy to balance the demands of work and personal life. Get your priorities right and you can restore harmony in your life. Reward yourself Give yourself a chocolate, candy, or even a pat on your back, to make Take care of yourself Get adequate sleep It is good to create a harmonious environment before slipping into a good night sleep. Take up relaxing activities like listening to music, reading a book, playing with children, or watching a humorous show or movie before you go to sleep. Learn to let go of any stressors bothering you before falling asleep. This will help you to relax and get up refreshed in the morning. Eat a balanced diet This will help you to handle stress effectively. Do not drink too much of caffeine or alcohol. Natural unprocessed foods are effective in managing many stress induced diseases. Avoid eating a very heavy meal before going to bed. Stress busters Laugh your stress away Laughter produces a sense of wellbeing, reduces your stress hormones, reduces your blood pressure, and improves your blood circulation and immunity. When

5 you laugh, the body s natural painkillers called endorphins are released. Do not bury your sense of humor. Managing stress, the Indian way Exercise to beat your stress Yoga and meditation Walking can recharge you and relieve your tensions. Walking is a good form of stress relieving mechanism. It improves your confidence, keeps you healthy, and also helps to release negative energy. Learn breathing or meditation techniques. Practicing meditation, yoga, or even the right breathing techniques will help you to relax and remove stress from your system. They help to clear the mental clutter and make you to feel calm.