Stress is a normal part of our lives. It comes from work, school, family, relationships and just about anything else. It’s normal to be stressed, but too much stress can take a serious toll on your health.

It can lead to minor yet annoying symptoms such as headaches and stomach aches, and it can also bring on more serious issues such as high blood pressure, a weakened immune system and a greater risk of heart attack.

Many of us already have ways to deal with stress, but not all of them are healthy. Just think of eating junk food, drinking or smoking—things many of us think about doing when we are stressed.

Because of this, it is important to have some strategies in place for dealing with stress so that we avoid these unhealthy habits and instead engage in more effective practices. Here are a few methods you maybe haven’t thought of before:

Write in a journal

Our own thoughts are one of the biggest causes of stress. We worry about so much in our lives, and this worry brings in negative thoughts that swirl around in our heads and multiply, bringing in even more negativity and stressing us out even more.

So, it makes sense that one of the ways to reduce stress would be to find an outlet to discharge all of these negative thoughts. This is why so many of us like to talk to friends or families about our problems; it helps rid us of all this negative energy.

But if you have ever been on the other end of this interchange, you know that this is not always easy for the other person. To be able to help someone with their stress, you need to first have your own under control, something that is not always the case.

A good way to get the same effect without placing too great a burden on someone close to you is to write in a journal. Doing this helps relieve stress for several reasons, but one of the most important is that it allows you to dispel your negative energy.

Some people scoff at the idea of writing in a journal, using excuses such as “I’m not a good writer” or “What’s that going to do?” But you’d be surprised at how effective this can be. And if you’re not a good writer, who cares? No one has to see what you put in this journal except for you.

Release Built Up Energy

When you’re stressed, you feel tense, so to release stress, you need to try and reduce this tension. Many people exercise or go for massages as a way of trying to do this, and this has been proven to be a rather effective method.

However, these strategies are not for all of us, so we need to find something that will allow us the opportunity to get that tension out of our bodies. For some, a day at the beach might be just what you need, or simply a day that is different from your routine.

For others, you might need more activity. Some interesting things you can engage in to help you release this tension are woodworking and sewing, or if you are looking for something a bit more stimulating, pick up an air rifle and do some target practice.

These kinds of activities, while they might seem random, have one thing in common: concentration. To do these things you need to focus intently, taking your mind away from your worries and relaxing this tension away.

Meditate

This method is becoming all the rage nowadays. Once thought of as something for hippies, meditation is going mainstream.  And for good reason: it works.

It is so effective for some people because it helps provide perspective. We tend to get stressed because we blow things out of proportion. A small issue at work can become major one after you hear news there may be layoffs. Or an argument you had with your spouse can become a big problem if it happens right before you both head off to work.

Meditation works by asking us to slow our minds down and concentrate, usually by focusing on our breathing. This allows us to observe the thoughts that pop up into our minds without engaging in them.

If you are stressed when meditating, the thing that is stressing you will surely come into your mind. But in this peaceful, non-combative state, you will be able to place it in context, understanding where it comes from. This will give you better insight as to how to deal with it, and when we know how to deal with our problems, we tend to stress about them less. It is the unknown, or the uncertainty surrounding us, that usually gets us so worked up.

Combining strategies

Stress is a normal and natural part of our lives. However, too much of it can cause us great pain and put our health at risk. We need to have strategies in place to deal with this stress so that we can move beyond it and prevent it from doing us harm.

The strategies mentioned here are some you may not have heard of before that are quite effective. But remember, there isn’t just one stress-relief strategy. It’s all about balance. You’ll want to try different strategies out, as well as introduce some lifestyle changes and perhaps seek professional help.

In conclusion, taking stress seriously and working to find strategies that work for you to eliminate it is a huge part of living a healthier, more satisfying life.