Mental stress manifests in many forms, but it is most challenging to deal with emotional stress as it can be pretty painful at times. In addition, emotional stress can leave deep scars on our mental health that can have severe repercussions, in the long run, explains Brian C Jensen.
Although discussing solutions with a good friend or thinking about solutions and coping behaviors are often effective and helpful in solving problems, it can soon deteriorate into rumination, which keeps people obsessed with the stressful incident and hinders relief. Instead, it can increase stress levels and cause more harm.
To cope with emotional stress, you must have patience as the solutions show the results. However, practicing the techniques described here can reduce your emotional stress as well as its ill effects. Here are some exercises for effectively tackling emotional stress.
Practice mindfulness, suggests Brian C Jensen
Emotional stress is easily identifiable because of the physical pain it triggers, like dull headaches or heaviness in the chest. Often it might make you feel emptiness in the stomach.
Instead of trying to escape these feelings, it is better to deal with them by practicing mindfulness that allows diving deeper into the experience to noticeclosely the physical points where the emotional responses keep surfacing. Sometimes, the pain may intensify before subsiding, but ultimately, you feel reduced physical and emotional pain.
Distract your mind
People typically do not express all emotions they feel, especially the big ones, but they would show up in some other ways. Therefore, it is better to examine our emotional states that can reveal our emotions. It is better than stuffing emotions which leads to unhealthy outcomes and invites other problems.
A better solution is to focus on emotionally healthy alternatives to distract yourself from emotional pain. For example, take part in fun activities with friends, seeing a movie that makes you feel good, or a satisfying mental challenge that can help you feel better by lessening emotional pain.
Practice meditation
Managing stress by practicing meditation is a well-known technique for controlling all types of stress, including emotional stress. Meditation helps to free your mind from the pre-occupied thoughts as you learn to focus on your surroundings with deft attention to every detail but without any involvement.
You stay detached from the environment yet conscious about your surroundings to stay in control without allowing your emotions to get the better of you. You will be able to redirect your thoughts by choosing the ones you want to attach to reduce the emotional stress over a long period.
Block off some time
When you feel that the emotional stress is creeping into your awareness and distraction seems ineffective, allocate a fixed time of about an hour every day. Then, when you fully concentrate on your situation and consider various possible solutions, think about hypothetical possibilities, or whatever you feel like doing that triggers your emotional urge.
Try journaling that helps to explore your inner emotional world and even the potential solutions. Then, try to find solutions by talking to your friends and immerse yourself fully while trying some healthy distractions.
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