8 Ways To Turn Stress Into Your Friend

Grishma Giri is a passionate writer who shares about lifestyle tips on Lifehack.

We all face stress at one time or another. But, have you ever imagined taking stress and turning it in your favor? Wouldn’t it be great if you could cope with the all of the stressful challenges you’re put through in life by using that stress to thrive?

Stress comes in different forms. Sometimes it’s minor, like a flat tire or being late for work. Other times it’s major, and is caused by life-changing events such as the death of a relative, a divorce, or a large personal loss. However, the best thing to do is not to overthink things but to shift the way you handle stress and move forward. Check out these eight ways to turn stress into your friend:

1. Unplug yourself

Everything in our lives seems to keep us connected or holds us back. If you are stressed, all you need to do is unplug yourself from your daily routine and live your life. Get out of your house for a day, but leave behind your cell phone and don’t check your email. Give yourself a break and see how it can do wonders in your life. Disconnecting yourself from all the daily activities you’ve been doing will give you time to ‘re-charge’ and be yourself.

2. Share

Stress can make you feel weak, and if you feel burnt out you need to talk about it. It can be with your partner, your parents, your boss, or anyone you are comfortable with. It’s also been said that sharing a problem is like cutting it in half. Talking to your closest friends will help you with motivation and will generate ideas on how you can move forward. It will also clarify your problem and open doors for different opportunities that you may not have noticed before.

3. Sleep

In order to keep yourself healthy both physically and mentally, you need to get good sleep. Make sure you rest for at least 8 hours a day so that you can take the time to reflect and relax. There’s no need to rush. A proper rest will also clear out any negative thoughts that have been bothering you as well.

4. Keep moving

Lying around while you are stressed out is only going to make you feel worse. You need to get up and move in order to reduce your stress level and keep yourself calm. Make a daily exercise routine or join a gym. You need to push yourself in order to achieve what you desire.

5. Focus

Stress drains your energy and destroys your desire to work. All you need to do is focus on different aspects of your problem and take your time to work through it. If stress gives you trouble, think about your life differently and concoct new ways on how you can deal with it. Focus on different issues that you are going through, make a checklist, and start finding ways on how you can solve them.

6. Accept that some things can’t be changed

It’s often best to accept the conventional wisdom that there’s no way to change the past. The best thing to do is accept the fact that everything happens for a reason and that some things are unchangeable. Learn to stop wasting time and energy fretting over past mistakes. What’s gone is never going to come back, so start living with what you have and seek new opportunities in life.

7. Develop a positive attitude

Hanging on to your mistakes and feeling guilty all the time creates negative energy that can decimate your confidence. If you are stressed because of the mistakes that you’ve made, you don’t need to feel drained and frustrated. Seek help if you can’t make things right alone. Develop a positive attitude and try to let go of negative emotional anchors that simply drag you down. Learn new skills and do things that make you happy.

8. Create a new perspective

Stress can help you see life differently. For example, if you had a divorce and are stressed out by loneliness, go to parties, make new friends, and try to find people who you can enjoy life with. Maybe you and your previous partner were not meant to be together, and chances are you can find your true north if you move on. Learn from your mistakes and improve yourself; success is not far away if you change and start seeing things differently.