Stress is a fact of life for everyone. There’s no way around it, no matter how hard you try. The key to managing stress is not in avoiding it, but in handling it in a way that allows you to keep going without a lot of the negative repercussions that can come from stress. 

So how do you do that, manage stress without letting it get the best of you? The following tips can help you become a stress master.

Don’t Down-Spiral

Stress often prompts a downward spiraling effect mentally. Suddenly, it seems like not just one thing is going wrong, but everything is. If you’re really good at the downward spiral, you can probably relate back to your childhood and see how nothing ever seems to go your way.

Obviously, this approach is not going to help you overcome stress, it’s just going to lead you deeper into despair and make it harder to climb out. Instead of focusing on the negative, keep it positive and in perspective. Whether it’s one thing or a number of things causing you stress, it’s all manageable. 

1. Mindful or Spiritual Approach

Whether you find that spirituality is the way you center yourself, or you opt for a mindful approach, both of these coping mechanisms help you manage stress. Believe in yourself as well as the support you feel from spiritual connections.

2. Turn to Others

Friends and family can be incredibly beneficial in times of stress, and you should never underestimate the power of talking and how it can reduce stress. 

That said, there are times when you are uncomfortable sharing your stress with those close to you, and times when you know they won’t quite understand. If this is the case, seeking advice from a professional can be a big step toward improving your psychological health now and in the future.

Connecting with Live Conscious on Facebook @weliveconscious and Instagram @weliveconscious can also provide some support and advice that will help you navigate those rough patches on your journey to a life in balance.

3. Exercise

Being active and exercising doesn’t always mean going to the gym, although it could. Open your idea of exercise to include a simple walk, a game of pickleball with friends, even cleaning or gardening can be exercise and cathartic. 

Being physically fit and active causes some stress on the body, albeit it within your control, but it’s good stress. This trains your body to deal with stress and not feel so overwhelmed by it when the stress is external and out of your control.

4. Be Flexible and Open

Being rigid in your approach to life can leave you feeling stuck without any obvious means to escape stress. It can also leave you following the same ineffective path out of stress. 

Try adopting an attitude of flexibility and openness the next time you encounter stress, and see if that helps you find more effective ways to manage the stress.

5. Face and Embrace Fears

There’s something really powerful about fear, not that it prevents you from doing things, but that facing your fears helps you overcome that fear, and it rewires your brain. It’s true, facing your fears strengthens your brain, so you become better equipped at handling future fears. 

If a stressor in your life is causing fear, do the following to work at overcoming it:

♦ Acknowledge that you’re feeling fear

♦ Try to determine what exactly is causing the fear

♦ Come up with different ways to combat what is causing the fear

♦ Select a method to remediate the problem and try it

♦ If it works–congratulate yourself on managing something you were afraid of

♦ If it doesn’t work, try again. Let yourself know that there are other solutions and that you will find the right one.

Whatever you do, when fear stress arises, try not to avoid the situation or tell yourself that it’s nothing. Fear is a legitimate emotion, and managing it makes your brain stronger.

6. Change Your Diet

Stress and food are intricately linked in so many ways that’s it’s impossible to deny the connection. When you feel overwhelmed, do you suddenly lose your appetite, or do you reach for the closest snack? 

Likewise, if your diet is healthy and you’re fueled by nutrient-rich foods, you’re better equipped to deal with stresses that come into your life. If you’re making junk food the basis of your diet, then you’re more likely to feel overwhelmed by stress.  

You’ve probably heard this advice before, and it’s one of the best things you can do for your mind and body. Eat better, and you’ll not only feel better, but you’ll actually be better, too.

7. ZenWell

Support your goals to reduce stress with ZenWell. This supplement focuses on stress reduction and neural protection with patented Alphawave® L-theanine Amino Acids. 

This is the highest concentration of ashwagandha root extract on the market. It works together with proprietary amino acids to make a potent supplemental blend that provides adrenal support, improves your sleep quality, makes your brain healthier, adds energy to your day, and reduces stress. Regular use will put you back on the road to living the best life you can with clarity, energy, and focus.

Waking Up To Wellness

Managing stress is something that everyone has to do, but not everyone does it the same way or with the same results. Some people seem to float through stress without much impact at all, while others get mired in it and can’t seem to come up for air. The difference is in your approach to stress and the tools you use to recover.

There are many different ways you can build your psychological resilience and recover from stress. The best news is that in doing that, you also strengthen your brain, so the next time you encounter stress, you’re better able to overcome it. 

Living a healthy life with proper nutrition, supplemental support, exercise, a strong support system, a spiritual connection, and openness to face fears and try new things will help you manage stress. Trying all of these things at once can certainly be overwhelming, but with gradual progress, you’ll see that it opens the door to a much happier, zen-full life.