What to Do when Life is Killing You

There are many things in life that can stress us out. Some stress is good, most stress is bad, though sometimes only moderately and other times severe. Everyone gets stressed out sometime in their lives, but when it feels like stress is the one thing ruling your life then it is time to make some changes. You have to, first, make changes for yourself. Stress effects your health. It can cause elevated blood pressure, memory loss, panic attacks and much worse. But it is also good to make these changes for the people that you care about too. They are the ones that have to deal with your stress related mood swings, like fits of anger and bouts of depression.

The first step anyone should take in de-stressing their lives (of negative stress, that is) is to evaluate what it is that is stressing you out. Is it your job, your home, money problems, relationships, children, family or something else? Figure out exactly what it is about these things that is actually the stressor. Does your boss not listen to your ideas? Is the rent behind? Is your family upset that you didn't do something better with your life?

After you have figured out what stresses you then your next step is to figure out exactly what you can do to help change the situation. If you are having problems at work you could try sitting down with your boss and explaining your issues with him or her. If you have tried and failed at this approach then maybe it is time to move on and find a new career. If you are running behind on paying your bills maybe it is time to look for a second job or some other source of supplemental income. Or maybe you could ask your current employer for a raise or for more hours.

It may seem like negative stress is something you can never get rid of. Of course, this is somewhat true, but you do not have to let it rule your life. By figuring out what areas of your everyday life are stressing you out and what it is about these things that is the stressor, then coming up with ways to get rid of the stress, you can thus alleviate a lot of your issues. It will not be easy and it will not be changed over night, but if you are willing to make the changes you can live a much less stressed out life!

Sources:

Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert M. Sapolsky