Did you know that there are two kinds of stress? Eustress is the type that’s okay to have because it’s beneficial. It is within the bounds of what is normally experienced, often leading to positive experiences and memories. Distress, on the other hand, is extreme anxiety, a gateway to very negative feelings. At its worst, distress can make hormonal glands go awry, causing everything from skin breakouts, immune system problems, and mental illness.
Whatever type of stress you experience, it is important to give yourself time to rest and resources to cope better. Here’s good advice you might like to try:
Sleep
Stress means your perception of the demands on you exceeds your perception of the resources available to you. As a result, people tend to overexert themselves, power through without sufficient sleep. If you keep living like this, it’s only a matter of time before you crash and burn.
Use your work leave credits
You can take a day off to pamper yourself at Grand Spa or fly off to an exotic destination. Living near the water has been found to keep psychological distress down, so you should hit the beach as often as you can.
Practice mindfulness
When you put so much energy into thinking about the future or the past, both of which you can barely control, you’re going to end up feeling helpless. Be present and stay focused on what is happening right now.
Lift yourself up
People are very often the least kind to themselves. Do you engage in negative self-talk? Do you beat yourself down for a mistake you made? Letting go of distress involves learning to forgive yourself, laughing at your own mistakes and giving yourself praises and rewards when you’ve done well.
These are just four of so many positive changes you can make to improve the way you feel every day.