healthy mind

The 3 Types Of Stress And How To Combat Them

Worrying whether you sent that email, stressing over getting your project in on time, feeling anxious about a meeting. Overbearing boss, your spouse, kids, parents, utility bills, demanding customers, stress can come from anywhere. And it keeps coming day after day like a relentless wave. You might find yourself tossing and turning at night chewing it over or losing time staring into space trying to think of solutions through a fog of panic. But when there’s so much coming from so many directions where do you start?

Identify what kind of stress it is

There are three main categories of stress. Identifying which type of stress is getting to you is the first step to dealing with it.

1. Stress you can do something about right now
   Can you deal with it right now? Are you able to have that conversation today, send the email, tidy up the room, make that payment?
2. Stress you can do something about later
   Does it need to wait till later? Is the person you need to speak to not available until next week? Do you need to stay in your job until you find another one? Is it going to take time to pay back that loan?
3. Stress you can’t do anything about
   Maybe one of your relatives is ill, your house has been flooded or you’ve been made redundant. Some things are out of your control.

So how do you combat the 3 types of stress?

Mark three columns on a piece of paper, one for each of the above categories. List down everything you’re stressing about in the appropriate column.

What difference will categorizing it make?

Your brain is not a good place to keep to-do lists. It will keep reminding you of things at inconvenient times like when you’re trying to sleep. This is because it has an urge to complete them. A study showed that waiters are very good at remembering an order before it’s completed but once it’s done they forget it. This is good when it helps drive us to complete projects. However sometimes it’s not helpful, like in the middle of the night when you can’t do anything about it. So the best thing to do is get your stress list out of your head onto paper. Then your mind doesn’t need to remind you about it and you can start to make a plan.

Making the plan

• If you can deal with it now do it. Think how good it will feel when the conversation is over, the email sent or the room tidied. Doing the thing is often less stressful than thinking about it. Plus you get the bonus feeling of relief and accomplishment afterwards.
• If you can’t do it right now when can you? Schedule it in. Once your brain knows it’s in the diary it can give you a break from going over and over it.
• Is it going to take a long time or involve a number of tasks? Break it down into steps and schedule them in. Again once your brain knows you have a handle on it it can ease off with the reminders.
• If there’s nothing you can do about it is there something you can do to mitigate the effect? Maybe you can make your ill loved one’s life easier by doing their shopping. Perhaps it’s time to start looking for a new job or investigating new careers. Taking positive action can fulfil your brain’s need to do something about it. Some people find exercise and meditation helpful too. Writing down how you feel about something and sealing it away in an envelope has also been shown to be effective at giving the mind a sense of resolution.

Once you know what kinds of stress you’re facing you can spend your energy on changing what you can rather than wasting it on worry and anxiety. Even if it’s a stressor you can’t get rid of there are things you can do to mitigate it’s effects.

The Mind/Body Connection

It might be tempting to sit on the sofa drinking wine and ordering pizza while you’re stuck indoors but your body, and your mind, won’t thank you. Late nights and bad food won’t do anything for your stress and anxiety levels. And with everything that’s going on in the news and social media right now your levels may well be high. You’re mind and body are not separate entities. If you want to feel relaxed you need to look after them both.

Here’s some ideas for how you can look after your body even when you can’t get outside.

• Exercise

  If you’re able do some exercise it will help keep you both physically and mentally fit. You can use YouTube videos or join an online class. It’s much more motivating to exercise with others. Just be careful to do what’s right for your body and consult you’re doctor if you’re unsure.

• Cook

  Dust off the old recipe book from the back of the cupboard and make yourself something nutritious to feed your body and mind. (I’m going to have a go at making bread along with the rest of the world.) If you’re struggling to get all the ingredients you need try making up your own recipes. I’m the queen of leftover dinners.

• Get enough sleep

  It’s tempting to stay up late when you don’t have to get up for the daily commute but having too little sleep can play havoc on your body and mind. On the other hand too much sleep isn’t great for you either. Try to keep to the same times for going to bed and getting up. If you know you weren’t getting enough sleep before then maybe go to bed earlier or get up a little later but try to make it a routine.

• Get some sunshine

  If you have a garden I’m sure you’re spending time in the sun already. Even if you’re not a keen gardener just soaking up the sights and sounds of nature is good for you. If you have a balcony spruce up your garden chairs and get outside. If you don’t have any outdoor space open the windows and feel the sun and breeze on your face. It’s important not just for vitamin D but also to help set your body clock.

These things will help to keep your mind in shape as well as your body and give you something positive to focus on. You could even come out of this period fitter and healthier than when you started.