A little bit of stress is good for you. It’s what encourages you to get out of bed in the morning and make the most of your time. But a lot of stress can seriously hamper your wellbeing.  

Over time, it actually damages your health, leaving you less well off than you were before.

Stress can sometimes feel like it is taking over your life. You seem to do nothing but worry about what the future holds and wonder whether you are really in a position to get what you want from life. 

Work in particular can be a source of stress - even if you have a job that you love. 

In this post, we take a look at some of the ways to prevent stress from taking over your life. By the end of it, you should be in a better position to manage your stress levels and improve your overall well being. 

Stop Trying To Be Perfect

Nobody is perfect. But we sometimes get into the habit of believing that we need to do everything correctly in order to progress in life. That’s just not true. It turns out that the vast majority of highly successful people believe in doing tasks to a “good enough” standard. 

Even top musicians don’t sing perfectly or play their instruments precisely in time with the drums. They make mistakes, but it doesn’t matter. 

They know that what counts is the overall value they deliver, not the minutiae of their performances. 

You can adopt a similar approach. Letting go of perfectionism allows you to avoid burnout and really enjoy what you do. 

Find A Way To Relax

We all have different ways of relaxing. For some of us, it is going for a walk. For others, it is taking deep breaths. Once you find something that makes you feel more relaxed, you can use it as a tool, deploying it whenever your stress levels get out of hand. 

For instance, if you get an email from your boss that stresses you out, you can try taking six deep breaths. Six is usually what you need to relax your stress response system and restore it to normal. After you take the six deep breaths, you’re then in a better position to respond to the email. 

Take Control Of The Situation

Feeling like you’re not in control of a situation can lead to stress. By definition, if something is out of your control, you can’t do anything about it. 

Many people, for instance, go to the best personal injury law firms when they want to get control of an event in their lives. It’s not just about compensation - it’s also about feeling better about their situation. Once they have professionals on their side, they know that they are more likely to get a favorable outcome. 

When it comes to situations in your life, assign them into two areas: things you can control, and things you can’t. If you can control something - such as your feelings - then make a choice to change them. If you can’t control something - like a global pandemic - let go of it. It’s not your responsibility. 

Take Care Of Your Body

In the West, we make the distinction between “body” and “mind.” But in reality, they are the same system. What affects the body also has an impact on the mind - and vice-versa. 

Taking care of the body, therefore, is an excellent way to improve stress. The more movement you get, for instance, the less stress you will feel. 

You probably already know this from experience. Have you ever felt stressed out of your mind after hiking all day through the forest or the mountains? Almost certainly not.

Give Yourself Time To Recharge

The body needs rest. If you don’t provide it, things can go wrong fast. 

We live in a society today that promotes work culture. We should be in the office striving for success day after day. But even the most successful professionals and business leaders take breaks. Virtually all of them have at least one day off per week, with many of them taking the whole weekend to recharge. 

Get out of the habit of thinking that you always need to be productive. Revel in pointless activities in your free time and learn to enjoy them. 

Recognize How Stress Affects You Personally

Stress affects each of us differently. For some of us, it is low energy. For others it is problems with our stomachs. Learn your symptoms so that you can identify stress early and work out when you need to take your foot off the gas pedal.