#Stress Busters To Keep You Cool

What better time than this one to talk about stress?Stress is good and stress is bad.It motivates you to work harder and faster but it can also bug you to death.It is not difficult to pinpoint the stress which is helpful or the one which is killing you but ousting the pernicious kind from your life is sometimes hard.

It has been categorized by various experts into three classes:Acute,Episodic Acute and Chronic.Another way of categorizing it would be as Physical,Mental and Emotional.All three require different kinds of stress-busters.Relief is faster if you match the remedy with the malady.

Physical Stress

Physical stress assails us when we work too hard for too long or there is a looming deadline in front of us.Conquering it is the easiest of all.Here are some tips:
*Cut down your to-do list and prioritize that which is most important.

*Break down a complex task into smaller,more manageable parts and tackle each one systematically.
*Do one thing at a time,shun multitasking. 
*Intersperse hard labor with small breaks.
*Do a couple of stretching exercises to relax taut muscles,or take a small walk to infuse mobility in stiff limbs.
*Drink a glass of water-it is very refreshing and we often ignore it in a frenzy to finish our tasks.
*A cup of tea or coffee too,helps to relax.

*Close your eyes and lie down for a while if the setting allows.

Mental Stress

We experience mental stress when we face a problem which is more challenging than our usual workload.This also happens if the goal is not clear or one has to choose between two or more,difficult options.Sometimes,other things being right;inadequate paraphernalia jumps in to spoil the broth.

*If a problem is mind boggling or beyond your purview,seek help from someone who you think,knows more about it.In this way you can save your time and energy as well as eliminate stress.       

*If you would rather do it on your own then take a break and relax for a while.Do something which never fails to calm you.This will allow your churning mind to stabilize and your thoughts will become clearer.
*If time is not a constraint then sleeping over a tough problem often provides the correct solution.As we sleep,our brain continues to work over what had been foxing us and the next day a probable solution pops up,as if dispatched by a kind fairy.I have often experienced this magic-it works.

Emotional Stress

Emotional stress can come from any source:tragedies,difficult relationships,contrary circumstances,a sudden loss,past memories, or worries of the future.It is certainly the most agonizing of all and the most difficult to boot out too.The mind returns to that painful,irritating,humiliating incident or worry again and again.Such triggers cannot be avoided but what you can do is,build a firewall around your heart. 
*Take life easy,don't fret about every aberration or altercation.
*Vent it out.Talk about your problem with those who care for you-or to a professional.
*If not this,then write down your feelings in a journal.
*Exercise,Tai chi,breathing exercises or meditation-all these are great stress busters.
*Sitting in the lap of nature is calming,it will enable you to think things out coolly.

*The best way to divert your mind from agonizing thoughts is to pick up something to do.When you focus on the work in hand your thinking will automatically peruse a new channel.Do it-it is very effective.
*I have found that the best way to forget a worry is to work on an extreme sudoku.I forget everything else when I do this.

*Taking up a strenuous work like gardening,car washing or de-cluttering is also helpful.Such labor consumes the surging adrenaline and cortisol leaving you calmer

Whatever you do to de-stress yourself,don't start any kind of substance abuse,it gives only momentary respite and is harmful in the long run.The thumb rule is to adopt a positive attitude,be grateful for what you have and look at the broader picture.The pits and troughs will automatically look smaller.