Stress: My Antidote.

We encounter stress on a daily basis. Our efforts to put food on our table and live a life we wish to come with stress of different magnitude. To keep going against all odds, we must find a way to eliminate stress.

From my experience over the years, I categorize stress into two forms; physical stress and emotional stress.

My physical engagement on a daily basis is responsible for the physical stress while my line of thoughts, my level of self fulfillment and self worth is responsible for my emotional stress.

When I am stressed physically, I indulge in many activities to relax my body and get over it. Body massage is a therapy that works for me when my joints and muscles are stressed. This is my wife's duty and she does it perfectly. I am equally good at massaging her when she is stressed.

I also sleep well and this helps to make the system rest. Averagely, I sleep for a minimum of eight hours per day. In whatever methods that I am applying, I go for what is within my reach. I don't need to break the bank to eliminate stress.

Good food is also very vital in keeping the body fit for the task of living. I try as much as possible to balance my diet, eat fruits and feel comfortable with myself physiologically. One thing that affects me is when I don't have money and no foodstuffs to prepare and eat. In such a situation, I found myself helplessly stressed and worn out. To avoid this, I plan my resources in such a way that I don't get myself into such a situation.

I exercise my body especially during the weekends to keep it fit.

The form of stress that has a greater toll on me is emotional/mental stress. No matter how physically fit I am, if I don't manage this well, I lose the inner motivation to use the physical strength in doing anything meaningful.

One of the things that stressed me up emotionally is when I see myself not doing well or not measuring up to some of my mates. I manage this by always trying to balance things up by not only looking up to people better than me but also looking behind to see people that I am doing better than. Once I do this, I give thanks for every small achievement of mine.

Another thing that demoralizes me and kills my inner motivation is when someone talks at me. I do all I can to do what is expected of me at all times. At work, I try as much as I can to avoid scenarios that would demand scolding from my boss. The simplest form of verbal praise encourages me and I work for getting such at all times.

I also listen to music that gives me satisfaction. When I play a song that relates to my favorite messages, I forget about every other trouble of life and feel relaxed.

Another important way of eliminating stress is taking a walk to view the gift of nature in the environment. It makes me interact with nature and the people.

I also cultivate the habit of talking to someone when I have any issue bothering my mind. When I pour my mind out and possibly get words of encouragement from people, I get over some levels of mental stress.

I create time for myself. I use the time to reflect and access my journey and the stage I am in. I also use such time to give myself nice treats sometimes. I create happiness for myself by engaging in my hobbies - things that give me joy while doing them.

In my understanding, stress is a continuous thing to be encountered and as a result, I make the effort of eliminating it a routine.