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inability to accept any mistakes,
thereby putting you under
greater pressure to perform in
an acceptable manner, tells Dr.
Afridi.
Practice gratitude- One
study conducted by positive
psychologist Martin Seligman
asked participants who
considered themselves severely
depressed to write down three
good things that happened to
them each day for 15 days. 94
percent of subjects reported a
decrease in depression, while 92
percent said their happiness had
increased.
Eat healthy – Since stress
can make one change eating
habits, it is important to ensure
that the body gets the correct
nutrients it needs. “A good diet
can help tackle some of the ill
effects of stress and some of
the inflammation caused by it,”
explains Dr. Afridi.
During intensely
scheduled periods, try
giving yourself “mini-breaks.”
Take a brief moment between
tasks and obligations to pause,
close your eyes, breathe deeply,
and feel what it’s like to be
“outside of time.”
Get a good amount of
sleep – Sleep, says Dr. Afridi,
is quite important. A proper
amount of sleep helps relax and
recuperate the mind and body,
with the rest helping to reduce
some of the ill-effects of stress.
Practice mindfulness –
“Being mindful and practicing
mindfulness is also a great way
to put stressors into perspective,”
she says and doing so may help
reduce the stress associated with
that instance or situation.
Exercise – “Exercising helps
keep the body fit and helps
release endorphins that could
potentially help mitigate some
of the more physical and even
mental effects of stress,” she
says and even short periods of
exercise can help reduce the
tension in the muscles.
Maintain a strong social
network – Having a strong
network of support and care can
also help when feeling stressed.
It feels better to have people that
can be trusted to help or listen
when a problem arises, says Dr.
Afridi.
Be grateful – “Being grateful
for little things can help put a
more positive focus on things,”
explains Dr. Afridi. It can also
help a person see the positives in
a bad or stressful situation.
Cultivate a positive mind
set – As with the previous
point, having a positive mind-
set makes tackling stress easier
than doing so with a pessimistic
attitude.
Find ways to build
happiness and positive
emotions into your life-
these include meditation,
writing or playing an instrument
and can provide momentary
decreases in stress as well as
help frame experiences more
positively, leading to more
opportunities for self-growth,
exploration and discovery.
Serve - getting out of our own
“problems” and “feelings” is one
of the surest ways to increase
joy. Volunteer for a cause that’s
important to you.
Play and enjoy life- What
makes you laugh? Helps you
forget about “life” for a while?
Those things are incredibly
important in living a life of joy.
Write a Joy List - take time
out to write down a list of things
that you love doing. Then when
you feel yourself feeling down,
you can consult your list and
depending on how much time
you can manage, put something
that you love doing into the day.
Give to others-volunteer your
time to a worthy cause that you
believe in. When you can give
to others and improve someone
else’s life in some way, it will
naturally make you feel good
because you’ve had a positive
impact on someone else’s life. H
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Sep/Oct 2015