Simple Ways to Reduce Stress Right Now

We all know that chronic stress is bad for us… but sometimes we may not even realize just how stressed out we really are. That’s why it’s so important to have some simple ways to reduce stress in your back pocket.

A Personal Story About Stress

I’m going to share a personal story with you…

A while back I was working for a well-respected non-profit. I was there for almost a decade. While much of my time there was filled with good work, great people, and joy for what I was doing… it also came with a tremendous amount of stress.

I was responsible for a team spread out across the fifth-largest state in the country. I was also responsible for ensuring we raised enough money to pay salaries, keep the lights on, and continue to support our community.

Our organization, while focused and truly dedicated to a wonderful cause, was also filled with unhappy people, difficult personalities, and staff pushed to their breaking point. It was hard to be there sometimes, to say the least.

While I was still there I started to have chest pains that were so painful I would literally double over holding my chest. At first, they just came here and there. They worried me, but I felt fine otherwise so I chucked it up to heartburn or a muscle spasm. After some time though, they got much worse. To the point where it was non-stop and I could hardly function.

Then it happened…

One day, in the middle of the workday I called my mom and asked her to take me to the hospital because I was worried I might be having a heart attack… or something was very wrong.

She immediately took me to the nearest emergency room where they hooked me up to a bunch of machines and ran tests. Thankfully I wasn’t having a heart attack… but they didn’t know what was wrong with me. After spending nearly 24 hours there I finally went home with slightly less pain, but no answers as to what was wrong with me.

I spent the next few days on bed rest (I caught the flu while at the hospital)… but it gave me time to breathe and think about what my body was trying to tell me. When I finally stopped and listened to my body I realized I wasn’t “ill” I was having a severe, chorionic stress-induced, long-term anxiety attack.

Not long after that, I made plans to leave my job… and do you know what happened once I quit?

All my chest pains went away.

The chronic stress from my job was literally making me so ill I couldn’t function.

Do You Have Cronic Stress?

Do you feel sick, sad, in pain, or something similar? Have you stopped to think about what might actually be causing it?

From the graph below, you’ll see unchecked chronic stress can and will lead to illness. Even the possibility of death if not managed. The good news is there are things you can do to help manage stress (without having to quit your job).

Simple Ways To Reduce Stress:

When you start to feel stressed or are triggered by a situation try out some of these stress-reducing activities:

1- Movement – Try walking for 10 minutes, yoga, or stretching.

2- Meditation – Not all people love meditation or feel like they can do it, but meditation doesn’t have to be difficult. It can be simple to do.

– Close your eyes and count to 5, ten times in a row.

– Take a few moments to recognize one thing for each of your senses: What are you touching, what do you see, what do you smell, what do you hear, what do you taste? It’s about being in the moment.

3- Breathing – Focus on your breathing for one minute. Count each time you exhale up to five and then start over again. Breathe in – Breathe out (1), Breathe in – Breathe out (2). Breathe in – Breathe out (3), Breathe in – Breathe out (4). Again, Breathe in – Breathe out (5), and then repeat for one minute.

These activities can help you relieve stress and help you stay in the resistance zone as opposed to moving into the exhaustion zone.