Has Life Really Become More Stressful?

Stress is a common issue that we all face at one time or another. You, me and the guy standing 1.5 metres to our left, feel stressed–it’s the way of the world. We’re overworked, unpaid and constantly living our life by the clock. What time is it? Far out, I’m late again are becoming familiar chants. But has life really become more stressful? And, if it has, how can you resolve this, so you feel more relaxed and content? 

Has Life Really Become More Stressful #1 Are We Doing Too Much? 

You’ve got a lot to do. Trying to keep up with everyone and everything is becoming too much. You keep turning up to appointments late. You feel exhausted at the end of the day. And you just can’t seem to get on top of your ‘To Do List’. Surely, there has to be a better way?

There is. It’s called slowing down.

Rather than trying to fill up your life with too much. Work out what you like doing. Then make a couple of hours every day all about you. If you like walking your dog, then do this. Make time for sitting around your pool, if this is what you enjoy. If you love the gym, then put this in your calendar.

Don’t let others rule your life. Take control. And learn to say ‘NO’. You cannot do everything. It’s impossible.

If you continue to spread yourself too thin. And try to go in ten different directions at once. You may find yourself becoming overwhelmed. This situation can lead to you finding it hard to cope. Before you know it depression and anxiety creep in and you become distracted.

Ask any car crash lawyer and they will tell you that one of the biggest causes of accidents are distractions. Another is fatigue. All because you’re doing too much.

So rather than pushing yourself to the brink of burnout do something about your stress. You don’t want to fall asleep or be distracted while driving. This scenario could harm you and others and reduce your quality of life.

Has Life Really Become More Stressful #2 Not Prioritising Our Lives

Rather than letting yourself feel overloaded and burdened talk about your concerns with a friend or loved one. Share the load with others, ask their opinion and for their help. You’ll be surprised at how willing others are to lighten your load.

Once you load is less, then it’s essential for you to look look at how you can prioritise important tasks. Have you heard about focus or purpose?

Rather than trying to do everything ‘focus’ on what has a ‘purpose’ so that you can achieve the most in the shortest time. By applying the Pareto principle where you focus your energy on what delivers purpose to you. Following this principle, 80% of the results you desire can be achieved by letting 20% of those that are causing you anxiety go.

Has Life Really Become More Stressful #3 Not Knowing How to Release Stress

When you become overwhelmed it import to release the negative energy that’s in your body. You can do this by stopping what you’re doing. If you’re driving, pull over and park safely. If you’re walking, stop and stand still for a moment. Then take a slow, deliberate breath in–make this deep and controlled. Hold it for a moment, and then slow release it. Keep breathing like this until you feel all of the bad energy drain from your body.

Also, remember that stress is not necessarily all negative. It can motivate you to do something about issues rather than let them manifest. But when this stress becomes too much and you cannot release it, then this can push you over the edge and to a breaking point.

Combating stress is about understanding the basic building blocks of why we get stressed. This can mean: 

• Addressing the root causes. 
• Learning how to calm the symptoms of stress. 
• Understanding the best ways to increase your resilience.

For the sake of your mental health, find techniques that help you to de-stress. If you are finding modern life too much because you are doing too much and not prioritising, then make changes. Find a stress release that works for you.

Has Life Really Become More Stressful: Key Takeaways

Stress is all around you. It’s in every act that you do daily. You control its power by how you choose to think. If you feel rushed, this can make you anxious. So, by controlling your sense of urgency, you reduce your stress.

Here are some other key points to keep your stress minmal:

• You are under stress constantly. It only becomes a problem if you let it.
• If you feel anxious or overwhelmed stop what you’re doing immediately and take slow, deliberate breaths.
• If someone is yelling at you or you don’t feel comfortable in a certain situation, then take time out. Make room for yourself to gather your thoughts. Don’t let others pressure you or make you feel that you’re inadequate.
• You are in control of your thoughts, reactions and feelings. Learn how to manage these well so that stress is no longer a problem.

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