How to Deal with Stress: Informative Speech

Have you ever felt tired for no particular reason? Haven't you been getting enough sleep? Do you look older than your actual age whenever you look in the mirror? Do you have bags under your eyes? Haven't you been working properly? Do you feel like you are always too stressed?

As we go through life, we will encounter a lot of things. Like they say, "there will always be ups and downs." The ups, we all know how to deal with it. The sky is blue, the weather is nice, your crush smiled at you, you even get to talk to her without stuttering or feeling nervous, your mom cooked you your favorite food, a job promotion, in short, we always know how to deal with all the happiness that we experience. But as the rain pours down, when things get a little out of hand and didnt go the way we planned it, we start feeling down, unhappy, stressed. Yes, stressed.

Stress is one of the things that never ceases to stop. There are a lot of things that we call a "stressor." A stressor according to wikipedia is an external stimulus or event that causes stress to an organism. And there are a lot of them found anywhere, in school, at home, in a workplace, even inside your body, everywhere. It could be a person you dislike, a match you didnt win, an everyday traffic or pollution, assignments, work, your lovelife, lack of sleep, too much alcohol, all those things could trigger a stress.

But now that you know that anything can bring about stress, the most common question we would like an answer to is "How do we deal with stress?" Because, as much as we don't want to, stress has already been a part of our everyday lives, and that alone could ruin the way we function as a normal human being. And worse, it could also ruin our relationships with other people AND OUR health if it wasnt dealt with properly.

I've researched online and I found out that there are lots of ways on how can we deal with stress. But I will only tackle the most important and the simplest things.

According to an online source, we can divide dealing with stress into 3 ways: First is LIFESTYLE CHANGE, second is through MENTAL ACTIVITIES, and the third, STANDING UP FOR YOURSELF.

Changing your lifestyle is an effective way in dealing with stress. Some of our stress was caused by stress hormones so we need to free ourselves from it. How? Here are the ways.
1. EXERCISE. Targeted exercise according to my source can increase the level of ENDORPHINES which is very responsible for our feeling of HAPPINESS. You may also try doing physical activities that you love like jogging, running, hiking, or even dancing. Exercise not only releases stress but can also improve your health.
2. GET ENOUGH SLEEP. Have you ever had those days when you wake up on what they call the "wrong side of the bed?" You open your eyes and you're already in a bad mood, isnt that stressful? And afterwards everything just happens the wrong way. That's cause you didn't get enough sleep. And if you dont have regular sleeping habits, the stress levels rise making you active and alert the whole night. Adults need at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night while children need 9-10 hours.
3. EAT PROPERLY. And by properly, I mean healthily. Decrease your caffeine intake because it is known to increase stress levels, so is alcohol. Switch into water therapy because a dehydrated body creates CORTISOL, a stress hormone. Eat a healthy breakfast and snacks during the day. And for a stress-free diet, consume more complex carbohydrates diet, food rich in Vitamin A, magnesium, and those that contain antioxidants.
4. LEARN TO RELAX. Relaxing your body can manage stress. Listen to calm music, get a massage, take a good bath, anything that is relaxing is a good stress reliever.

Stress isn't only caused by lifestyle or physical changes or events. Your mind can also create stress and so we need to treat it via mental activities.
First is to AVOID NEGATIVE THINKING. Say for example, you have a big exam coming. An entrance exam for a school you wish to be in. You prepared for it, studied hard for it but your mind just wont let you think positively. You think "what if the questions were too hard for me to answer? What if everything I studied werent actually part of the test? What if I get there late? WHAT IF I DONT PASS?" By those questions, you were already thinking negatively. And as you think that way, you lose focus. You get nervous. You get stressed. What you should do is to stop those negative thoughts. If something bad happens, dont dwell on it. Think of the positive things as well. Always say something good or nice to yourself as soon as you wake up every morning. Just be positive.

Next is ORGANIZING YOUR LIFE. Set goals you need to achieve everyday but know your limits. Don't set a goal that would be above your capabilities. Be realistic. Write a "to do list." Do the most difficult tasks first while you are still fresh and energized. By organizing everything, you'd take control of your time and priorities thus decreasing the level of stress that you may encounter.

Another is IDENTIFYING THE THINGS THAT PUT YOU UNDER STRESS. By doing this, you can calmly prepare yourself from the upcoming stress. You can find ways to avoid it or deal with it, you may rehearse, picture in your mind how you are going to overcome such situations.

You should also STOP WORRYING ABOUT THE THINGS THAT CANNOT CHANGE. According to my source, "This especially comes with things such as politics, and often applies to other individuals. Learning to accept things as they are is an important coping mechanism, but not as easy as it sounds." Admitting to yourself that there's nothing you can do about a particular issue will go a long way in helping you adjust.
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAKING YOUR LIFE WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE. Decide for your own. Acting on the decisions of others is already stressful enough. Learn to say "NO" if you are not comfortable about something. Do not beat yourself with your failures. Understand that sometimes we lose some. Resist the urge to be perfect because perfectionism can cause huge amounts of stress. LOVE YOURSELF. Loving yourself will ease the anxious question "AM I GOOD ENOUGH?" and replace it with "I KNOW I AM GOOD ENOUGH."

DEVELOP A SENSE OF HUMOR. Laugh a lot. See the humor in life's situations. See the humor in stress. Learn to laugh at yourself instead of lashing your self-esteem. You know how they say "LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE?" You bet it is!
And of course, never forget to LEAN ON YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES. Talking to them, telling them about the things that stresses you will help you relieve it. Keeping things with yourself, bottling everything up will cause more. Your friends and loved ones will be there to help you go through a stressful situation, so ask them for help. Surrounding yourself with positive people will help you avoid stress.

That's just about dealing stress with mental activities. Always remember that a sound mind is a sound body.

The last one is STANDING UP FOR YOURSELF. This is most likely the same with mental activities but with more conviction regarding what you feel. As what it suggests, you need to learn to stand up for yourself. If you are not feeling okay and some people bother you, tell them how you feel. Let them know the state you are in. That alone can help you avoid being in a more stressful situation. And lastly, get something that will help you relieve your stress, like a stress ball or a fidget spinner. Get a punching bag if you could, or go somewhere you can yell as loud as you can. That way, you will be able to express your stress and then allow your body to relax after.

So if you ever find yourself in a stressful situation, or if stress has been preventing you to function normally, just take note of everything I have said. Nothing is better than living your life free of stress. You'd do your work better, you'd have better relationships with everyone, you'd be able to excel in school, and most of all, you'd look radiant and younger than your actual age. Who wouldnt want that, right?