Feeling stressed is almost inevitable in this bumpy world we live in today and it's understandable how people struggle with not just physical stress but mental and emotional stress as well. Stress is a broad topic because what it means to me can be completely different to you, our experiences might differ and we handle things differently.
As a Nigerian, I can confidently say that almost every citizen of the country goes through one form of stress or the other and there is nothing they can do about it because their survival depends on that thing that causes them stress. A few years ago, I always woke up as early as 5 am to start preparing for work and wouldn't return until around 10 pm after sitting in traffic for close to 5 hours. Arriving home at that time doesn't mean I have to hit the bed immediately, I will make dinner and still balance my team record for the day because I must submit it to my superior before midnight.
Many Nigerians go through this same routine for six days a week and the only break they get is Sunday. Although the stress was piling on me but I didn't see the need to take a break until my body reacted badly to the everyday stress and it was at that point I realized that health is wealth.
I was grounded for a while because I couldn't work and surprisingly, my absence wasn't felt at work because work was moving on smoothly without me. At that point, I made up my mind to prioritize what truly matters and that's my well-being.
Prioritizing my well-being opened my eyes to the need to be in control of things that stresses me and I came up with effective ideas that helped me a lot. Stress is inevitable truly but we can reduce it only if we pay attention to the signs.
Whenever I am stressed, I find it hard to do anything because I can't think or have the strength to carry out tasks properly. I don't just get to that point of not being able to do anything at once, it starts slowly until I get completely overwhelmed. Knowing my body very well helps me to know the right time I need to rest.
Aside from taking breaks between tasks to rest, I try as much as possible to plan my daily activity so I can be mentally and physically prepared for whatever my day will look like and as well cut off activities that aren't important that day.
From experience, physical stress is easier to handle than mental stress and people going through mental stress are going through a lot. As bad as it is, a lot of people misunderstand mental stress for physical stress which makes their stress therapy ineffective because they are tackling the wrong issue.
Mental stress is very common and I go through this a few times as well. Before now, I usually don't plan my finance and it makes me sick when those bills start pouring and it worsens when I don't have enough to cover them. My finance then was the biggest cause of my mental stress and planning my finances from time to time helps me put my mental stress in check.
Another rampant cause of mental stress is everything happening in the world and it's only robot that can claim not to be bothered about the things we see on TV and also read on paper every day. There is always one tragedy happening somewhere and these things are capable of messing up with our minds. To help myself, I try to stay positive no matter what's around me.
Generally, harbouring any form of stress usually doesn't end well and regardless of whatever stress I am tackling, I try to always practice decluttering. I have mentioned this a few times and won't stop sharing the importance of it because clearing out unnecessary physical and mental clutter creates a sense of calmness and focus.
Decluttering has become a habit for me because it helps me stay committed to things that only matter. Decluttering unnecessary physical or financial activities that can make me feel stressed always helps me to reduce stress to the lowest form; it is as simple as not allowing anything to mount unnecessary pressure on me.
Be it physical, emotional or mental stress, decluttering the things related to them that aren't helping matters always goes a long way for me in reducing stress. Managing stress is a personal thing and every individual must understand what practices work for them.
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