Reduce Your Stress - in your relationships
Relationships enrich our lives, or at least they’re supposed to, but when relationships are strained or volatile they can be a major source of stress in our lives. Whether it’s with your mate, your boss or your teenage kid, having healthy relationships is possible and a shift in thinking can often help.
We all have things that “push our buttons”, so to speak, but being on-edge from a rough day with the kids, or a stressful commute home can make those buttons easier to push and spark a situation that you’ll regret later. How many times have you snapped at your spouse when you were under a great deal of stress? Taking our stress out on our loved ones is something we all wish we had the power to overcome, but those buttons can be very tempting and when we are stressed and tired it makes it very difficult to remain calm in the face of otherwise minor irritations.
Communication is perhaps one of the most important components of having healthy relationships, but if you are reacting to circumstances in a state of stress and overwhelm, your ability to communicate clearly will definitely be affected. The first step in overcoming relationship challenges is to remain calm and realize that your chances of successful communication are highest while you are centered.
Reducing our overall stress level is therefore, a very critical step towards building and maintaining those stable, healthy relationships.
Here are a few ideas you can take action on to improve the quality of your relationships;
Use what nature gave us to help us deal with stress. Lemon Balm, Ashwagandha, Rhodiola, Theanine and other key ingredients found in the stress-reducing supplement Veeva have been shown to have great effects on our mental and physical response to stress as well as calm the mind, ease tension and balance our moods so we can react the way we really want to in our relationships.
Go for a walk. Either alone or with the person you’re in relationship with. A silent walk is great, even when you’re angry with one another. Somehow, talking about sensitive issues becomes easier as we walk side by side rather than facing one another. Not to mention the rhythmic action of walking is calming and helps us process our emotions.
Make a commitment to hear others' vulnerabilities. The next time you are having an unpleasant interaction with someone in your life, take a second to listen to his or her point of view and drop your victim mentality. You may be able to see that they are only feeling scared, neglected or betrayed and you may be able to diffuse the situation with a little compassion.
Learn the Emotional Freedom Technique. It’s an incredible tool to quickly diffuse negative emotions and clear the mind, allowing you to react appropriately to challenging situations.
It’s up to you to take responsibility for creating healthy relationships and to make it a priority. Healthy relationships don’t happen by accident, but with a little knowledge and ways to reduce your overall stress, you can begin to deepen relationships and to enrich your life as well as the lives of those you love.
This article was written by Ellie Steele. Ellie is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Certified Emotional Freedom Technique Practitioner, Personal Trainer Specialist, Certified Sports Nutrition Advisor and 3rd Degree Reiki Practitioner that helps her clients put stress into perspective.
