What Are the Main Causes of Stress and How to Deal With Them?

You cannot beat a disease without a diagnosis. The same applies to handling stress. You need to identify the cause first in order to find the best method of dealing with it. There are some things you can do to improve your mood regardless of the stress factor.

Why are we stressed?

Stress can motivate you to solve problems more efficiently, but it may also become a serious problem when you are exposed to it over a longer period and cannot relax. Experiencing long-term or chronic stress can be dangerous to your mental and physical health. There are several groups of stress factors:

• financial problems,

• relationship conflicts,

• work and school-related  issues,

• major life crises.

Remember that small stressors can accumulate and affect your overall mood significantly. Sometimes even events that should generally make us happy, can become a cause of anxiety (like a wedding or expecting a baby). People often get insecure when their lives change. Learning how to recognize stress sources in your life is the first step you need to make in order to learn how to manage it. 

Identify the actual cause of your stress

Start from the identifying stress factors in your life. We all feel sometimes stressed, but we rarely think about why we feel this way. There are two types of stress causes:

• those you can minimize or reduce,

• those you have no control over.

However ridiculous it may sound, if you are stressed because of things you cannot change, you just need to accept that there is nothing you can do and simply find something that will cheer you up. It may also be the other way around - you can actually change the way that things are. In this case, you need to identify the exact cause of your stress.

How to deal with stress?

Basic methods for dealing with stress are quite simple, and everybody can use them. Unfortunately, many people forgot how to relax and enjoy their free time. There are a few things you can do to calm yourself down and reduce stress factors.

Pay attention to what your body is telling you. Sometimes adopting a more healthy lifestyle can improve your mental health as well. Well-balanced diet and simple exercise could make you sleep a lot better and getting enough sleep is crucial for our productivity and overall performance. 

Eliminate the sources of constant buzz

The phone ringing, notifications, information about new mail - we are used to having our computer and phone turned on over the whole day and sometimes even at night. Even when we go to sleep, we will not turn it off. That is a big mistake. By being online all the time, we do not give ourselves time to rest and clear our minds. It is crucial to learn to turn off your smartphone. 

You may find it difficult, as a big part of society cannot live without all the features of their cell phones. It is slowly changing though, as the holistic approach is gaining popularity. Some people get rid of their smartphones and replace them with minimalist gadgets. There is a wide range of interesting minimalist products. Many decide to buy a minimalist phone - using it instead of a smartphone can significantly reduce stress. 

Organize your day

Do you have a feeling that your day is too short, and you are not able to complete all the things you should do? Such feelings are quite common. One of the solutions involves making a good plan. It is quite normal that after dealing with some duties, we get tired. Only you really know when during a day you are most productive. Leverage this knowledge to deal with the most difficult tasks.

You should make a list - preparing a to-do-list with tasks arranged in order of importance will help you focus on the most urgent tickets first. After you deal with those, you will no longer be under so much pressure, and it will be easier to deal with other matters. Poor time management is the main cause of our failures and these make us miserable and incapable of truly productive work. Remember also to put your phone into a silent mode or just turn it off to avoid interruptions.

Find time for yourself

It can be surprising how small rituals help us relax. We rarely give ourselves time for real relaxation. Give yourself an hour. Turn off your smartphone - put it into the drawer and forget about it, at least for a short while. Go for a walk, take a long bath, just have a cup of tea and listen to your favorite music.

Everyone deserves a break.