It’s no secret that when you are dealing with grief that tremendous stress will be present in your life. When we actually sit down and take note of all the things in our life that create stress within us, we start to see how long-term effects can hurt us. Grief is the top of the list for stress-related anxiety, attitude, and illness. Not dealing with it head-on and burying it can cause many health problems for you. 

Stress Awareness

Everyone encounters negative thoughts, circumstances and setbacks from time to time. However, if you’ve experienced a major loss, the stress from this event may be greater than what is considered the “normal” stresses of life.

Pay attention to your daily routines, emotions and reactions to situations. Do you find yourself:

  • Unable to make decisions or to think clearly?
  • Only seeing the negative side of things?
  • Startling easily?
  • Afraid of being alone?
  • Self-conscious and overly concerned about what people think about you?
  • Unable to sleep or eat, or with excessive pains in your body, headaches, chills or fatigue?
  • Consuming too much alcohol, gambling or shopping excessively?
  • Unable to control anger or getting irritated very easily?
  • Neglecting your responsibilities?
  • Avoiding social activities?

If you find these scenarios creeping into your life on a long-term, day-by-day basis, you may have an extreme form of stress. 

Stress Management

Fortunately, there are ways you can manage stress so that you’re turning those negative routines, emotions and reactions into positive habits, thoughts and situations.

Take small steps by slowly incorporating the following suggestions into your life:

  • Avoid negative self-talk. As soon as a bad thought enters your mind, quickly replace it with a positive thought.
  • Be grateful for all the good people, places and things in your life. It could be a caring friend, a peaceful spot at a lake or the vibrant flowers in your yard.
  • Write in a journal. Taking a pen to paper helps release many emotions and feelings you may have pent-up in your mind.
  • Enjoy relaxing activities. Listen to music you love, watch your favorite movie or take a leisurely stroll. Allow yourself to unwind and truly enjoy activities you’re attracted to because they will help calm your mind.
  • Depend on your inner resources. Rather than relying on mood-altering drugs or other people to make you feel better, look within yourself for the strength to improve upon what you’re feeling now. Only you can control your thoughts, feelings and emotions.

By making a conscious effort to detect stress in your life and manage it when there are clear signs of anxiety, your life will gradually become more peaceful. But, you have to take that first, small step in order to embark on the journey towards a happy and calm life!