After a series of serious topics, this series seriously need to get less serious. YEPPP.
I would like to share some personal tips on how to deal with stress caused by internal and external factors. We all have experienced the stress from external factors such as extra-challenging work, broken relationships, accidents, etc. But not all experienced internal stress caused by mental health issues and diseases.
Believe it or not, I was quite involved in both last summer. I shall, before I share with you the tips on how to deal with them, talk a little bit about my experience.
Unpleasant Injury
Due to long desk hour and bad postures all year round, I was diagnosed with slipping rib syndrome. It felt like, well, some of my ribs were not in the right place. It was piercing pain.
It was also very inconvenient. I could not move my body excessively and the only thing I could do to relieve the pain was to do nothing. It was surely one of the worst experience in my life.
Mental Health Issues
The very worst is this. I self-diagnosed seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which is quite common among people and commonly referred to as "winter depression". Some experience the opposite - "summer depression". I think I am one of the latter. The irony is that I am from Malaysia.
I would describe this encounter as a good mix of depression and anxiety - AKA - it absolutely sucks. It was the surprise factor and later the confusion that got me.
I was lucky that I was able to release the emotional and physical pain I was going through through a range of activities involving my friends and family. I survived and came out stronger.
Proven Tips
Don't be too worried though. Here are some tips for you if you happened to come across a life crisis or just stressful workload. These tips are backed by Science (heavenly music) and I have personally tested them. They are super effective for me, and here I will share them with you.
1. Do what you love;
This is obvious to many people. Be it exercising, reading a book, singing, etc., you have got to spend some time doing what you truly love to set your worries aside.
2. Look up;
Stand straight, raise your chin and peer upward. Do it as if you are shouting "I am confident!". Our minds and bodies are connected in a genius way. What we experience on a mental level will be reflected on the emotional and physical level. What many do not realise is that it goes the other way too! What we do emotionally and physically, even if we are just pretending, can actually triggers the corresponding mental states. When you are stressed, just remember, things will be looking up if you do so too. Check here for more info.
3. Take a deep breath;
Why? It has something to do with the mind-body connection mentioned above. When we are relaxed, we tend to take steadier and deeper breaths. Try to take steadier and deeper breaths to become relaxed. When you inhale and exhale, visualise the air movement through your mouth, windpipe and lung. And yes, it works even if you are forcing it at the beginning.
There is more to this - mindfulness or living in the moment or be present, whatever you want to call it. Breathing is an involuntary action and normally you do not need to pay attention to it whatsoever. By taking over your own breathing, you are forced to give attention to what is happening now. When you are in the present, your mind loses capacity to wander around and you worry less. The result is a happier person.
4. Meditate;
Meditate when you need to take the whole mindfulness game to the next level. This is one of the most powerful weapons I had used against depression and anxiety symptoms. The essence is this: think about nothing but feel everything. If you do not know how, talk to people who have the experience, watch tutorial videos or use a mindfulness apps - it really helps.
5. Talk to people.
You might or might not have realised this yet, but socialising is the most effective antidote to stress and I speak from experience. By socialising I mean interacting with your friends and as well as your family members. Talk to people who knows you well and are willing to understand your situations on a personal level. If no suitable candidates are readily available, talk to the professionals. Their very existence is to make whatever you are going through 100 times less painful.
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The past few weeks has been one hell of a journey for me and without your support and readership I would not have made it this far. I look forward to producing better content for the rest of the year and make my blog posts more relevant.
Check out the insights into building an online presence I gained from 1-month of blogging: https://www.yewjunying.com/post/5-insights-into-building-an-online-presence
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