A little stress won’t kill you but severe stress is damaging to your body and mind. High stress levels have been triggered due to a lot of reasons that were brought about by lockdown. A lot has happened such as being stuck in the house with nothing to do, kids deprived of their activities , loss of incomes, inability to do business normally or just to continue living with ease like before. Everyone has been under a lot of stress irrespective of age, gender, race, the working class, the rich or poor. We cannot stay stressed because it will affect our way of thinking, our progress and our health thereof. The corona virus has forced serious changes into our lives and we need to adjust to the new way of doing things. We need to release stress,  stay calm and adjust. Corona virus or not, adulthood is full of untimely stressful events & moments. Now check the following easy and affordable techniques for lower stress or stress-free days. 

BREATH
Yes, BREATH.  Repeatedly take a deep breath, hold it for a few seconds and exhale through your mouth. Concentrate on your breathing until you calm down and feel relaxed. When your mind is relaxed it can start functioning in its full rational capacity. It is a given that breathing will also help you stay calm when you hit that panic mode.

LAUGH
Laugh more, laugh hard and laugh long. Call or hangout with a friend or family member you know will make you laugh your lungs out. Watch comedy, hey anything to make you laugh!! Laughter will allow the heart to heal and boost the body’s ability to fight diseases.

UNLEASH THE CHILD IN YOU
Bringing out the child in you doesn’t mean doing stupid or rather “childish” things. If you have kids it is easier to bring yourself to their level. Do not just do indoor games, go outside, and be involved in all fun in the sun activities. Go ahead, free yourself, and get dirty & involved. Tune your mind to join in, in their silly talks to a certain limit because you are still the parent. All this will remind you how to have fun again without the burdens of adulthood’s stressful nature.

SING AND DANCE
Play the loud dance music then start dancing and singing along. Can’t dance? Oh well its not about that & you probably can’t sing as well!! Just kidding. The goal here is to get to that happy place and this is another great way to take your mind off things. If these doesn’t work for you then tune into the calming and uplifting music.

EXERCISE
Exercise raises the heart rate and stimulates the brain which will control it in how it reacts to stress & anxiety. If the normal exercise is not for you then the above two stress busters can be a great replacement for that because being playful and dancing is exercise enough for someone who never gets to exercise the traditional way.

DRESS UP
Another feel-good technique that can work wonders. Put on your best clothes and that favorite pair of shoes. Apply some makeup because we all know that if you look good your mood will be elevated to another level. You don’t have to go out because going out might lead you to the bad habit of overdosing on alcohol to relieve the stress. Who said when you look good you need to be out? Just play dress up. 

DON’T BE A SUPERWOMAN
We have capabilities, limitations, conditions and qualities up to a certain point and other things are beyond all these. Understanding all these will help you not to stress over things you are not capable of doing. It might not mean you’re not capable even but maybe because certain conditions are limiting your capabilities. Makes sense? I hope you get it.

STOP MULTI-TASKING
A lot to do? Maybe ask yourself if you need to get it all done at once because this might be the cause of your stress. Everything has its own time, they can’t all be in need at the same time. Maybe it is a lifestyle requirement but you can still try to cut it down. Do what you can at a given time. Allow your mind to rest and focus to achieve productivity. We often find ourselves or others crying about how hard they worked and nothing to show for it; it’s the result of many mistakes of working under pressure to do a lot at once. Focusing on one thing will afford you less stress and more time to deliver results with minimal or no errors. Women are known to be the best at multi-tasking and that might be our downfall as we stress a lot. Maybe it isn’t a good thing after all!! 

PRIORITISE AND SIMPLIFY
The moment you make a decision to stop multi-tasking is the moment you should start making a list of what is important. Prioritize according to importance and time-sensitivity. Don’t put pressure on yourself, try to simplify the process as much as possible. Simplify by cutting out other things and asking yourself questions like why you should do what you need to do first? Is it a matter of survival, life, or death or is your income on the line? All the self-questions will help you get done with tasks accordingly and on time.

CHANGE YOUR MIND OR REARRANGE
A wise woman always changes her mind,  right? Circumstances may change and due to that, you can also rearrange your list of priorities accordingly. At times it might not be the circumstances that change but you may simply make a mistake. Do not pin yourself down due to a mistake, all you need to do is to rectify by simply rearranging things. Here is an old saying; “why are pencils equipped with erasers if not to correct mistakes?”. Be certain not to rearrange according to your comfort because you are afraid of challenging yourself but according to what is most important.

Remember we all have the choice to choose how we react to either change, situation, our own thoughts or other people’s thoughts. When any of these stresses you out, you either choose to stay stressed or find a way over it.

**IT’S NOT THE LOAD THAT BREAKS YOU DOWN, IT’S THE WAY YOU CARRY IT**