Things You Can Do Right Now To Lower Stress And Anxiety

While media is being lathered with news and speculations about COVID-19, there’s another pandemic that no one seems to talk about. And it’s affecting our society as a whole. It’s stress. Work-related stress has taken epidemic proportions. The severity of long-term stress has finally started to surface. Now, doctors are showing how numerous illnesses can be traced back to stress. And one of the biggest sufferers of stress is the United States Of America. A Gallup Poll showed that nearly 80% of Americans suffer from some sort of work-related stress. It’s even been glamorized and given a ‘success-image’. ‘High-stress’ job seems to be on everyone’s wish list until they get it.

Some amount of stress is normal and even desired for healthy living. But when it becomes epidemic and starts to lower the quality of human life, it needs to be addressed. The world is waking up to this problem, and the month of April is now officially declared as Stress Awareness Month.

3 Ways To Tackle Stress Naturally

First thing first, identify your stressors. Also, do not stress about stress. Know that a little bit of stress is actually healthy. So, do not storm into your office tomorrow and tell your boss or colleague that you can no longer accept stressful situations. It’s important that you identify the situations that trigger stress the most. They could be anything but the most common ones are:

-Tight deadlines and unrealistic targets
-Working long hours without a break
-Job insecurity
-Not enough support from supervisors
-Poor communication
-Bullying
-Lack of work recognition and reward
-Discrimination

These are just a few. We all have our own triggers. Identify your stressors. If you can't talk to a colleague and vent your heart out. A recent study, mentioned in Forbes, claimed that venting is extremely helpful at alleviating stress. It can also help you see what causes them mostly.

Meditate At Home And At Work

Meditation is extremely helpful in lowering stress. It can even banish stress for good. A simple 5 or 10-minute guided meditation will help you breeze through stressful situations. This is no longer considered some religious practice from India, but one of the best ways to eliminate stress from life.

At work, take a 5-minute break, sit in any posture that looks and feels comfortable, close your eyes (or leave them open) and meditate.

Also, throw in some yoga asanas in the mix and feel the difference - a new, rejuvenated you.

Give Your Eyes A Relaxing Break With An Eye Massager

Your eyes are working overtime in front of hard white light - first, to meet those deadlines and then at home streaming YouTube and Netflix. Set a dedicated eye-care time. Make it a habit. Before retiring to bed, and even at work, use an eye massager to give the areas around your eyes a shiatsu-style eye massage. This is extremely relaxing and can help drastically lower stress and anxiety. The FDA-approved Vortix eye massager can also help eliminate the dark circles, red eyes, and puffiness that cause added stress.

Talk To A Therapist

Last but not least. See a qualified and licensed therapist if you think you’re being swept away by stress and you’re losing weight, sleep, appetite, etc. There’s no alternative to a qualified medical practitioner. Your therapist will listen to you with a compassionate ear without throwing in her own opinion in the middle and can guide you to the right therapy. If she doesn’t mention meditation, ask if you can.