“Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it.”

Stress is a very common talk in our fast day to day life. In one’s life, everyone suffers from stress at some point or the other. The main reason why our mind remains disturbed is that we are not satisfied with our present state. If you have something, you are not happy with it, Tensions in relationships, if you have your family, sons, daughters etc. then you may not have harmonious relations with them.  Stress can also be due to work pressures etc. Stress at work or in personal life can bog you down and debilitate you from doing any good to yourself or others. When we think in a way that creates tension or stress through thinking, it’s not just mind that is strained but also the body.

Common stress symptoms include the tense face, irritability, muscular stiffness, inability to concentrate and a variety of physical reactions, such as headaches and hastened heartbeat. Otherwise, stress can also cause sciatica, backache, sleeplessness, tiredness, hypertension, eating disorder etc.

Stress is a mysterious enemy with a constant capacity to wreak havoc on your body and mind. Its actions are insidious, slow but powerful. Stress normally disturbs our physical and mental, emotional and physical health. This is even more relevant today, in our extremely complex civilized society where stress causes are automated by our rushed living.

A great way to get ahead of your stress is identifying the situations in your everyday life that make you tense and anxious. When you know what is at the root of your negative emotions you can create workarounds to cope or avoid them.

To be peaceful at mind, the first & foremost thing is to be satisfied with what you have at present & try to make harmonious relations with the people all around you. Once you are able to do that then you shall find that you are better off & much peaceful.

Practice mindfulness. Anyone under stress must do it when eating when walking when breathing. Smile more and find reasons to be optimistic.

Be yourself. Find out your temperament and act in line with it. Manage thought and mind chatter. Try to stop inner mind dialogues and meaningless mind chatter.

So if we want to come out of stress then, first of all, we need to change our lifestyle. Accept and acknowledge the intent of the emotion or stress, and take action thinking clearly and rightfully. Not everything’s under your control and one needs to understand what in his/her control.

Find a hobby and stick to it. Keep yourself busy in a meaningful and distressful way.

Have you heard of the common saying “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy?” It’s true! Only focusing on work and no recreation or other activities is a recipe for a total breakdown. Balance is required between work and family, social activities, downtime and daily responsibilities. Some ways to stay organized include, arranging your tasks, taking short breaks, delegating responsibilities and breaking your work or projects down into small steps.

When there is very little job or work satisfaction life becomes monotonous and boring which also affects our physical and mental health. Many jobs are mundane; however, you can yet find purpose and joy in what you are doing. Focus more on areas that are more enjoyable at work. A change in attitude towards work helps to find more purpose and meaning at work.

Take action if you feel stress appears to be negatively affecting your performance, health and your social relations.  It is normal to have some amount of stress at your workplace. Some amount of stress is necessary so that an individual can stay focused, energetic and meet new challenges that can improve work satisfaction and one’s well-being in and out of the workplace.  Although, not everything in your workplace can be controlled, and that is okay. However, you should not feel helpless or powerless regarding such a situation. This can be taken care of by- taking the right steps in order to prevent the negative effects of stress. Perform the duties without attachments and insistence on particular results. Accept the results gracefully, gratefully.

Spend some time in doing pranayama. Pranayama is the formal practice of controlling the breath, which is the source of our Prana, or vital life force. Here, read up on pranayama exercises & poses, breathing techniques and sequences.

Breathe! Incorrect breathing patterns interfere with your O2-CO2 balance and can trigger stress response, anxiety and panic attacks. Try to breathe through your abdomen, not your chest, and train yourself to slowly breathe in and extend your exhalations, if possible under guidance.

Make time to relax throughout the day. Consciously relax every morning through prayer and meditation. Also, take a break in the afternoon and find at least half an hour of private time in the evening just to relax.

Reduce your sitting time. If you have a desk job, mindfully remind yourself to stand up and walk for at least five minutes every hour.

Follow the self-control, self-control in food, sleep, exercise, recreation and meditation eliminate stress. Take care of your health.

Drink plenty of water every day, throughout the day. You should aim for at least 2 litres.

Drink a morning vitamin shake. I use almond milk, yoghurt, green powder, banana, vegetarian protein, flaxseeds and chia seeds.

Stay away from coffee and smoking. Those habits will interfere with your adrenaline and cortisol levels, increasing stress and anxiety.

Cut down on junk food. Food impacts the way you feel during the day. Frequent and healthy meals can keep an individual’s body fit while maintaining the blood sugar levels and avoiding mood swings. One feels more anxious and irritable in cases where a body’s blood sugar levels are low.

Go for a walk. Walking for 15 minutes daily, preferably in a park has been shown to reduce stress, improve mood and increase stamina. There are some exercises that raise your heart rate and make you sweat. Such exercises can lift your mood, increase energy, focus and relax your mind and body. Walking, running, dancing and even drumming are known to be soothing for one’s nervous system. With increasing stress at work, you can try these activities when taking short breaks. Even taking a stroll out of the workplace can help you regain your energy levels.

The games do have a certain spark that mesmerizes both children and adults. They draw you out of your world and place you on a happy virtual domain. The beauty about games is that you can share time with your loved ones, thus creating a better mood.

It is essential to have a good night’s sleep of at least 6 to 7 hours per day. Disturbed or irregular sleep will have a negative impact on your daily performance and productivity. Rest enables one to cope and manage stress more efficiently.

Spend less time in front of a TV/internet & Try a technology detox every week. Prolonged smartphone use has been linked to increased stress so try to have a technology fast. Pick a day of the week and just don’t use your phone or tablet. The world won’t stop and you will feel better the next day.

Like a tortoise develop perfect sense mastery. When required the senses are fully employed to act and achieve. When necessary, one should be able to withdraw senses. Develop purity in feeling. Overcome the impulsiveness of negative emotions like anger, lust, greed, desires etc.

There is nothing which is more purifying than knowledge. Clarity in thinking about the roles and the reality is essential. Understand that the roles we are playing are temporary and relative. The reality in me is the truth, is absolute.

Faith in higher reality is a great source of strength. A man is what his faith is. As the faith so will be our desires, thoughts and actions.

Few minutes of prayers and meditation daily, go a long way in building up reserves of peace and happiness within.

Find Stillness Every Day, Meditation is one of the best tools you have to counteract stress, and your brain’s bias to hold onto negativity.

In meditation, your body actually releases stress and reverses the effects of the flight-or-fight response. This response was really intended to be a short-term mechanism to protect you from perceived danger, which rarely comes in handy nowadays. And the stress generated within you from the response can be harmful to your health.

Harmonize the head and the heart and hands to be happy. Be an integrated personality. Disintegration causes stress. Integration gives tremendous satisfaction.

Having positive thoughts drives you through your darkest moments. Thoughts elevate your behaviour and push you to act concurrently. This is a sure way to prepare for immediate and future negative happenings.

Stress always starts with your thoughts. So be aware of your thoughts and how you feel, that’s the only way to stop stress before it gets out of control.

So one should always remind themselves that stressing or worrying is not going to make any problem or challenge go away. So whenever you start feeling stressed, remember you have the power to choose if you will let it control you, or if you will control it.

Stress originates from the mind. This is crucial because excessive stress can interfere with efficiency and performance. Constant stress can also impact one’s mental, emotional and physical health. This is important to note as performance at your workplace may even determine the success of your job.

Today’s workplaces are often very demanding with long working hours and deadlines to meet causes stress and worry.

There are other things that I didn’t mention like laughter, spending time with friends and family, starting a hobby, aromatherapy, taking a bath, reading, and many others.

What’s important is to pay attention to your thoughts and how you feel so you can take the time to do things that will help you de-stress.