5 Ways to Deal With Stress

Money and global uncertainty are the two factors that make one have to deal with stress, topping the charts in the latest Stress in America report. If it was not either of those two, then the effects of the pandemic, an over-hyped and upsetting news cycle, rising food and gas costs, the state of schooling, and more are close behind.

Personal stress points of regular life like marital discord, parenting, extended family drama, and career anxiety also weigh on us and cause stress. That is a lot of things to process and manage daily.

Have you considered why so many people you know feel on edge? In the report, the American Psychological Association found that the unrelenting barrage of crises for the last two years is the primary reason.

While there is not a singular way to deal with stress forever, there are a wide variety of things you can do and experiment with during those times when you feel pressure. During the remainder of this article, we will look at various methods that you can put into your mental coping toolbox so that when you feel like what you are doing is not working to manage your stress and anxiety, you have alternatives ready.

Defining stress

Many of us understand stress differently. A brief definition is to understand that it is the way your body reacts to your personal experience or what is happening around you. How would you feel about an upcoming deadline, a busy and sometimes dangerous commute, or even reuniting with someone you love whom you have not seen in a long time?

Stressors can be single events such as an unexpected flight delay and its repercussions, an important work presentation, reoccurring events such as ongoing medical treatment, or constant financial stress. In situations like these, your mind can subconsciously prepare your body to be in flight-or-fight mode.

Did you notice how stress is different from anxiety? We recognize anxious thoughts and the feeling anxiety gives us. When we are under stress, we feel similar things. Stressors cause stress. Without the stressors, the stress dissipates. Once the stressor is handled such as a deadline being met or taking measures to ease the commute, any physical symptoms caused by the stress naturally dissolve.

Anxiety is your body’s internal reaction to stress, and it may not go away as easily. It is the mental state of stress that tends to hang around a lot longer.

When looking for ways to deal with stress and anxiety, it is important to understand the physical signs of both. These include a higher pulse rate, aches such as headaches or backaches, higher than normal blood pressure, disturbed sleep at night or insomnia, and worries and concerns that race through your mind.

Ways to Deal with Stress

Stress shows up differently for every person. Even if you cannot identify with any of the above symptoms, if you feel overwhelmed stress-reduction strategies can relax your mind and body. Here are some to try:

The 5-4-3-2-1 method.

This mindfulness activity has been designed to help stop you in a moment so that your stress does not spiral out of control. The method includes closing your eyes and taking a deep breath before reopening them to have a look around you. From there you count down from five using your senses:

• Name five things you can see.
• Four things you can touch.
• Three things you can hear.
• Two things you can smell.
• One thing you can taste.

This has been proven to relax both mind and body as you give yourself time and space to regulate a bit.

A splash in the face.

One of the simpler ways to deal with stress is by splashing cold water on your face. This activates your body’s natural way of focusing blood and oxygen to your vital organs when you’re submerged in water. It can be a helpful tool to use when you’re starting to panic. It calms your nervous system which decreases your heart rate and slows down your breathing.

Just breathe.

It sounds like a cliché, but mastering this way to deal with stress is probably one of the most effective methods. Box breathing is an extremely accessible coping activity, and works by going through a process of four counts.

Start by breathing in for a count of four, hold that breath in for a count of four, exhale for four, and hold your breath out for four more counts. It’s called ‘box breathing’ because you can mentally conjure an image of a square while doing the activity.

One muscle at a time.

In this proven way to deal with stress, you can work your way through every muscle in your body, starting by curling your toes and tensing the muscles in your foot for a short hold before releasing them. You then move up through your calves, thighs, torso, chest, stomach, shoulders, and neck, finishing at the top of your head. It is effective because it gives you a sense of how much tension you are holding on to.

Roleplay.

If you are going to be facing a stressful situation, it can be helpful to imagine yourself in it and run through how you’ll handle it. This helps you to mentally prepare ahead of time. You can consider how to handle things like a conversation at work that will likely end in conflict or spending time with a family member who triggers your stress reaction. If you run through what you will say, you will likely feel less stressed and be better able to handle the situation.

How to deal with stress

These are simple coping tools you can build into your daily life as you navigate stressors. Everyone feels a certain amount of stress and anxiety, and this should be expected as a normal part of being human. Chronic stress, however, is when your stress levels don’t dissipate. This has an extremely negative effect on your physical and mental health.

If these basic techniques yield no benefit, or not enough to ensure that you feel like you are managing your stress, then it would be helpful to book an appointment with a counselor who can guide you to navigate a way forward. Perhaps there are other issues at play, or some treatment is required to help balance the scales.

While stress is an issue affecting everyone, it is important to remember that as Christians we have the source of ultimate refuge in our midst. There are hundreds of verses in the Bible that point to God as the loving father who can take on our concerns and tells us to come to him with our anxieties. He even promises us that, instead of stress and worry, we will find peace.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7, NIV

In addition to incorporating practical ways to deal with stress, make sure to spend some time every day in God’s word, meditating on His truth, promises, and how He offers us relief from our stress. This is how we will experience true victory.

In doing this, we may even realize that the root causes of our stress are idolatry. Worrying over money, for example, is a common concern. While entirely valid as it is needed for expenses and to get through life, it can also be an indicator that we do not fully trust God as our provider.

A Christian counselor will be able to walk this journey with you as you unpack your common stress triggers and walk toward a peace-filled new reality.