All of us experience fear, worry, and sadness. These emotions are normal and healthy. The problem is when they start to interfere with your ability to do what you want or need to do. Worry often leads to fear, which can cause a great deal of stress. Sorrow is an emotion that belongs in our lives as we explore the range of human experience – including grief after the loss of a loved one or feeling sad because you’re putting yourself out there as a single parent for the first time. Anger is a very important emotion… well, at least it is when used properly!
In this article, we walk you through simple self-healing techniques to combat emotional stress by using your emotions to motivate you positively in any given situation. This path of self-improvement is more like walking on a tightrope against the wind without falling off and learning how to keep your balance under pressure. If you still feel overwhelmed or feeling stuck in a rut seek help from a counselor or join our free community healing circle to release your physical & emotional pain.
What is Emotional Stress?
Stress is just a normal reaction to the pressures of everyday life. Worry, fear, anger, and sadness are all normal emotional reactions. But if stress interferes with your ability to do what you want or need to do, this can be unhealthy.
Emotional Stress: Symptoms & Warning Signs
Early signs of emotional stress could be both physical and behavioral. Let’s see.
Some physical symptoms include:
- Headaches
- Grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Feeling tired, anxious, depressed
- Weight changes (losing or gaining)
- Change in appetite (more or less eating)
- Sleeping more or less than usual
- Sexual difficulties
- Shoulder, neck, and back pain
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Increased heart rate, heaviness in chest
Some behavioral symptoms include:
- Feeling overemotional, overwhelmed, or on the edge
- Losing track of things or having trouble remembering things
- Problems to focus, solving issues, and indecisiveness
- Trouble finishing a task
- Using medication, drugs, or alcohol to relieve emotional stress
Simple tips to relieve emotional stress
Here are five self-healing techniques that can help you manage your emotional stress in daily situations.
Practice Self-Care:
Take some time out to take care of yourself. Spare at least 30 to 45 minutes spent on the activities you like, it could be reading a book, running, exercising, doing yoga, gardening, going out for a walk, listening to your favorite tracks and dancing around, or listening to a podcast or some calming music, enjoying a soothing bath with lightening scented candles, booking a relaxing massage or something as simple as sitting in silence with closed eyes. This will help you in taking a break from reality and relax. Devoting time to things we like helps us to get in the right frame and gives us a feeling of fulfillment.
Practice Mindfulness:
When you’re under stress, it can feel like your body is being pushed to its limits. You may feel a heavy feeling in your chest or stomach, a dull headache, or even restless sleep. The first step in managing stress is learning about what’s happening in your body when you’re feeling overwhelmed. The next step is learning how to focus your attention and become more aware of the emotions that are causing these physical reactions.
Practice Meditation & Deep Breathing
When you meditate, you can take a break from rumination by actively redirecting your thoughts. This practice can help eliminate some emotional stress in the long term. Also, Deep breathing is a great way to reduce the activation of your sympathetic nervous system, which controls the body’s response to a perceived threat. Deep breaths taken into a count of five seconds, held for two seconds, and released to a count of five seconds can help you reduce overall stress and anxiety
Connect with others
Talk to people and take it out! Man is a social being in your good and bad times, all you need is a good listener, a friend who can empathize a reassuring voice to put everything in perspective, this helps in releasing hormones that reduce stress.
Try Journaling
Writing down your thoughts and feelings helps you understand yourself better. Journaling is a healthy and positive way to deal with emotional stress as it helps to reveal your innermost thoughts, encourages you to pay attention to your feelings, and understand your stress triggers better. You are self-aware and healing can only begin when you confront your emotions. It is more like talking to a counselor, instead, you are writing and analyzing yourself.
Closing thoughts
Life is stressful. Sometimes it feels that there are just too many things going on at the same time and you feel like you can’t find a way out of the miring situation you are in. It is not too late to take back control. If you are aware, you can cure, just remember to eat nutritious food, rebalance work and home, take vacations, manage your social media time, and sleep enough!
If these things do not work don’t hesitate to take help. See a counselor, coach, or therapist. Book private coaching with Jacqueline Kane and release old pain patterns that are limiting you from stepping into your power and living your best life.
