Better Ways to Handle Stress and Anxiety

Handling stress in a variety of situations

The lack of control of a situation causes stress and anxiety. Knowing you cannot control a situation will help your overall mental health.

Try these tips:

• The best way to handle stress is to acknowledge and control your reaction.
• Pause for a few seconds before reacting, then proceed to breathe through the overwhelming feeling.
• Write the problem down and reflect on how you can help instead of controlling the outcome.

Not all situations will be the same, but the quicker you snap out of a spiral, the better your outcome. Speaking with others may help to see other people's perspectives. Do not let their perspective override your instincts. 

A Personal Example

The first time I attempted my half-marathon, I felt an overwhelming number of complaints and whining by mile 11. I had not experienced more than 10 miles at once, and by mile 11, I felt it. I recognized the complaints and stopped. I reminded myself how lucky I was to be able to do what I love. I only needed a few more miles to complete half a marathon. I was with a friend who had completed half-marathons, and she didn’t say anything. I think she was in her zone. After that, I realized I was almost done. When I finished, I was tired, but instead of feeling accomplished, I felt I wanted to do more.

This hurdle will come in different aspects of life. Learning a new hobby or interest can feel difficult to achieve. Being present helps tremendously when difficulty sets in. Focusing on the future can make it difficult to complete the task at hand. I used to stress over many things in life. Acknowledgment is the first step and has helped with my mental health.
Feeling at peace will always become my focus for stressful situations. Learning from these situations will help much more than trying to control the outcome.

Valuing family and friends' options is great. Remember, they have no experience of your life through your eyes; no one can. We all have similar parts of life, such as raising children, death, estranged family members, and so many more. Everyone handles their experiences differently. We can ask for advice, but at the end of the day, it’s your life.

No one can make you happier than yourself. People can add to your happiness, but if we are not happy with ourselves, we will always seek someone else to make us happy or fix our problems.