HOW TO OVERCOME STRESS AND ANXIETY IN DAILY LIFE

How to Save Yourself from the Perils of Stress and Anxiety

Kerala school children, parents, and adults from all walks of life suffer from stress. They may not know it, but the effects of stress are affecting the quality of their lives.

In fact, there is no specific reason for stress. Sometimes, seeing a bad sight or hearing a bad news is enough to cause stress and to create bad mood.

The major reasons of stress among Kerala population include:

 > Changing family, social and economic conditions

 > Daily commute to school and work

 > Long distance travel for employment and studies

 > Stressful professions like software engineering, sales jobs, etc

 > Lessons that are too tough for students

 > Unreasonable expectations of parents and others

 > Spending too little time with family, relatives and friends

 > Not being able to mingle with friendly people

 > Unavailability of family and peer support when needed the most

 > Virtual world of friends and relationships in social media like Facebook

 > Too much dependance on internet, video games, etc for stress relief

Excessive alcohol consumption, tobacco use, and substance abuse are other reasons of increased stress. People think they are relaxing, but in reality they are only compounding to the problem.

Does Anything Apply to You Or People You Know?

If you go through the list, you can find more than one point applies to you

and/or people you know.

In the past, Kerala families were much larger than they are today. Everyone in the family could find support from another member in the family – whatever the

situation is.

Today, the families are much smaller than ever. The kids go to school with very heavy school bags, study a lot of text books, and are left alone at home most of the time. These kids are not able to express their feelings as often as they'd like –

simply because there isn't anybody around.

At school, they have to meet deadlines of project works, class tests and exams. Same is the case of adults who have to travel long distances to work, have to earn enough for the family, and are under the constant scrutiny of bosses.

Traveling in Kerala roads alone is a major reason for stress. There are traffic blocks everywhere. If you reach your workplace one hour late because of traffic, that

is enough stress already.

To top it all, technological advances also put major pressure into our lives. For example, internet is available in mobile phones everyone carries around. While this is a good thing, it creates problems too. When you access social networks like Facebook all the time from your mobile phone, you are effectively shutting the real world from you.

Excess stress can lead to health problems like:

•  High blood pressure
•  Heart disease
•  Eating problems and obesity
•  Indigestion
•  Diabetes
•  Asthma
•  Headache / migraine
•  Depression

Needless to say, they are all serious problems in themselves. While there are other medical reasons for those conditions, avoiding stress will reduce the risks. You feel a lot better when you apply stress management techniques to keep your mind

relaxed.

Top Ten Tips to Manage Stress

1.     Instant mood booster: Stand up to an upright posture, keep your chin up and take a deep breath. You will feel better in 5 seconds or less.

1.     Keep a positive outlook.

2.     Identify the sources of stress – Commute? Work? Peer pressure? Take action where you can.

3.     Eat lot of fruits, vegetables, wholegrain items, and protein-rich food. Avoid excess intake of sugar and high calorie snacks.

4.     Exercise daily – this is a major mood booster.

5.     Get enough sleep – schedule at least six hours of sleep between 9 pm and 5 am.

6.     Apply time management techniques. Schedule specific hours for specific tasks and you will achieve a lot more.

7.     Avoid procrastination.

8.     Spend time with family, friends and relatives (with your mobile phones switched off).

9.      Listen to soothing music.

If you use at least 5 of the tips listed above, you will feel a lot better and your

life will be a lot more rewarding.

Sometimes stress can get out of hands and you will need professional help. In such times, feel free to talk to a counselor. This way, you can easily sort the real sources of stress. You will also get an actionable plan. Put that plan to your life and

your life will be a lot easier and stress-free.