Stress + Life

Managing stress is a challenge if you don’t find time. Time is very essential in getting yourself a massage, watching a movie with friends, going out on a picnic with your family, fine-dining at a restaurant with your special friend, working out on a gym with your gym buddy, partying with your office mates, going out on a tour alone in Paris, or just plain sitting on a bench in the park while watching a little girl laugh and play.

Anything you do to manage stress needs time for yourself to be free from responsibilities at work: a “me-time.” Some people can relieve themselves of stress so fast and easy that simply listening to music will do it for them. But you might have a longer weekend that you want to waste on alone-time catching up with a friend. So instead of watching the latest TV series from your DVD Player, you go out to watch a concert or check out the newly opened comedy bar along Timog.

Stress management highly depends on your personality. You don’t have to take a course about it. What you have to do is get to know yourself better – what activity makes you happy to the point that you forget about almost everything in the world…that makes you care less about the world.

If you think that laughing out loud with your girlfriends, gossiping about your crushes, or having your nails done together would do the trick, then so be it. Have a regular schedule in your busy monthly date books, the third Sunday of the month, perhaps; as long as it fits everyone’s crazy busy careers and you all agree on it so that no one would be absent. That’s the case in Sex in the City. If you can’t afford that, cook for your girls! They’d appreciate it more. Note: Take turns in hosting!

credit: priotime.com

It also is dependent on the intensity of stress. Your boss shouted on you yesterday and you can’t get over it, thought about it all night, and was scolded at again today for snoozing at work? Honey, it’s business…nothing personal. Talk to a friend about it. Someone you can trust, someone out of the office who would not know people from work, especially your boss.

But there is a great way to manage stress. C’mon, ask me what it is…Oh, what is it, you ask? It’s not allowing yourself to be stressed at all! It’s the most difficult one, for most people. Not allowing yourself to be affected by anything is almost impossible if your career is your life. It’s even unimaginable if you put your heart to everything you do. You get attached to everything and everyone. You hear and listen to everything people say, even those who don’t have the slightest idea who you are.

Not being affected by anything is a little too less than living or nearly not living at all. It’s like you are on auto-pilot. So if you don’t want to be on auto-pilot, learn to prioritize and forget about things that are not significant in your life. Those are the things that you don’t need to be stressed out about. If your boss reprimanded you about a mistake you did yesterday, then learn about it and let go. Next, right? That’s how life is intended to be. We hurt and then grow. So if you’re stressed, accept the fact that you are living a life that is continuing to grow.

Think of your favorite things. Do yoga. Laugh out loud. Cry while watching a sad film. Go on a hiking trip with a friend. Fly to Singapore! Drink with your officemates. Give in to your craving. Sip a venti caramel macchiato. Jog in the park. Meet a friend. Sunbathe at Bora! Write. Sing. Dance. Dive! Take a picture. Pose. Pause. Live and let go. Pray! Just the idea of it makes me relaxed, so IMAGINE!