According to a recent June article in Forbes magazine, more Americans are suffering from stress and anxiety than before. This is becoming a crisis of epic proportions, with over 32% of adults reporting heightened levels of stress and anxiety. And while the current pandemic has added to this crisis, in fact, levels have been rising steadily for years.
So what can you do to help reduce your levels of stress and anxiety? Well, in addition to using Pure Plan CBD tinctures to help your body get back and balance and feel a sense of calmness, the article in Forbes has these 10 suggestions on what you can do to cope:
How to Cope More Effectively:
There are several exercises that can help maintain perspective and address stress and anxiety in a healthy way.
1. Focus on the physical. It seems simplistic, but we are better able to deal with mental and emotional stressors if we’re not also physically stressed. That means taking pains to eat regularly and well, sleep an appropriate amount, and limit alcohol intake.
Find ways to be active. Work out with weights, run, or do yoga. The purpose is twofold: to feel better physically, and to gain some temporary distance from stressors.
2. Categorize the issue. Try objectively ranking stressors on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most urgent issue you can imagine. You may find your high stress level exists due to the cumulative effect of multiple stressors— and that many of those stressors rank quite low individually. If a specific issue ranks only a 2 or 3, is it worth worrying about? Perhaps it can be eliminated from your concerns entirely by taking some simple steps.
3. Break it down. Try dividing a large, overwhelming issue into a series of tasks to be completed over time. Make a list of the steps, and just look at the very next task as you move forward. It will help shrink the enormity of the challenge in your mind.
4. Release the pressure. We don’t have complete control over external stressors, but we can exercise restraint when it comes to internal stressors—the expectations we place on ourselves. There’s no reason to run yourself into the ground trying to be all things to everyone, and then feel like a failure if you don’t get to everything on a list that’s a mile long. Choose your battles.
5. Utilize mantras. There are two that are particularly effective.
“I can do this.”
“That doesn’t work for me.”
The first is a positive statement that reminds you you’re capable of completing the task at hand. The second assures you that you don’t always have to. Put your best effort into the things that are worth your time and effort, and let other things fall away. You don’t always have a choice, but when you do, it’s fine to say no if a demand will stretch your resources beyond healthy limits.
Finally, if you find life’s demands have simply outpaced your ability to cope, consider seeking therapy or counseling. A professional can help you identify stressors and learn new coping techniques to help reduce anxiety levels and improve your quality of life.