 At some point in our lives, we have all been under some degree of stress, that feeling of being under intense abnormal pressure to deliver or achieve certain things. In short bursts, stress can help to stir up our alertness, making us perform better in difficult situations. However, in the long run, stress has a negative impact on our health. It can lead to major health issues like heart disease, and it can trigger mental illnesses like anxiety and depression. This is why it is important that we learn how to deal with stress when it shows up, and how to prevent it from resurfacing ever again. In today's video, we'll be talking about how to deal with stress and anxiety, and eliminate them from your life forever. But before we learn how to deal with stress, let's first understand how to know when you're stressed. There are a number of symptoms that show that you might be stressed out. Mentally, stress can leave you feeling terribly upset, worried, or anxious. This is usually accompanied by persistent mood swings and an overwhelming feeling that if not handled properly, can ultimately lead to depression. Physically, stress increases perspiration, induces a change in appetite, raises blood pressure, and increases the heart rate. To help combat this sudden change in body systems, the body releases cortisol, a hormone that causes fat and sugar to be released into your system to generate energy. While this is done with good intention, it brings with it its own plethora of symptoms which includes headaches, muscle tension, pain, indigestion, and in the long term, heart disease and stroke. It therefore goes without saying that stress is bad for both your physical and mental health. To deal with stress, we must first understand what causes it and steer clear of its triggers. As the famous saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Here are the eight main causes of stress and anxiety. Financial reasons When people don't make the amount of money they think they need to make, they often start to worry about their finances and become terribly stressed out by it. They have numerous bails to pay, fanciful items they desire to purchase, or possibly one or two vacations they've dreamed about. All these thoughts can quickly clouds one's mind, cause stress and anxiety. Relationships Of course, it's great to have a significant other in your life, to love and to be loved. But often times, relationships can come with their own baggage. It could be an overbearing boyfriend, a nagging wife, or a cheating spouse. Whichever one it is, an unhealthy relationship is a real pressure cooker. Children Yes, children are a bundle of joy, or at least they ought to be, but most times they're also very stubborn and can easily get on your nerves, which makes meaning a child no walk in the park. It's almost like living multiple lives where you constantly have to be worried about the well-being of two or more people, depending on how many children you have. Even when they are all grown up, you still tend to worry about them, and the different choices they make, this can be very stressful. Business and career The pressure of not hitting your targets in your business, or climbing up your career ladder as fast as you imagined, can be very crippling, resulting in high levels of stress. Health The struggling with a health condition, like cancer, can be a real source of stress and worry, both for the sick person and their friends and relatives. When you consider the fact that most of these conditions also bring with them huge financial costs, you can see why they cause a lot of stress. Environmental factors Sometimes what people perceive to be stressors in their lives are external things they have little or no control over. It can be the political events in their country, or the dismal performance of their favorite sports team. Whatever is external matter that seems to bother people a lot is a potential stressor. High workload Anyone who works in a corporate environment will be able to relate to this one. Sometimes, it feels like you have tons of workload on your shoulders with so little time to complete them. You'll find yourself not resting properly, and not eating well as 24-hour day begins to look every more inadequate. Yet, as you seem to be clearing out your desk, more work appears out of thin air. This vicious cycle can leave you perpetually stressed out. Lack of fulfillment While lots of people still grapple with the ultimate question about the purpose of life, some have given up on this quest, only left with a sense of emptiness and a lack of fulfillment that can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. As the saying goes, accepting that you have a problem is the first step to solving that problem. Many people will identify with one or more of these eight aforementioned situations as the root cause of their stress in their lives. So now that we've gotten that out of the way, here are the ways to kick stress and anxiety out of your life forever. Most of the time, we get stressed because we feel like we are underachieving compared to societal standards, but we must stop to think. Who sets the standards for what your life should be like, you or society? The reality is that many of us are crushed by societal standards that we desperately try to reach. So much so that we channel all of our life's activities into attaining that standard. However, the problem begins when we don't seem to be getting anywhere close to that standard. We become stressed in a bid to close that gap, and that is usually the root cause of most of the stress in our lives. If you will overcome stress and anxiety in your life forever, then there is a fact that you must be ready to accept. You do not have total control over your life. This is the first and most important step to living a totally stress-free life. Once you realize that you are not responsible for everything that happens in your life, you will be able to live under less pressure to achieve anything or to be a certain way. With this simple mindset firmly engraved into your consciousness, you can then take the other practical steps to keep yourself absolutely stress-free. Here are a few of those steps. Be grateful. Living a stress-free life is possible when you subject yourself to a disposition of constant gratitude. Count the many things that you are privileged to have and be grateful for them. Don't just allow yourself to feel grateful. Rather, act grateful and be grateful. This will draw away your focus from the things you do not have, eliminating the stress that comes with lack. Make the best of your experiences. Bearing in mind that you do not control all that happens to you in your life, you should borrow from the idea and that cliche phrase that says, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Everyone has had negative experiences in the past, but what we probably fail to realize often is that we won't be where we are today without those experiences. So whatever life throws at you, good or bad, resolve to always make the best out of it. Enjoy the moment. Our life is often so fast-paced that we fail to stop for a few moments to take it all in and enjoy the present. Sometimes you need to tell yourself, I don't mind what eventually happens, I'm just going to enjoy this moment and learn from it. Many times, this even places you in a better position or a more favorable outcome. So whatever you do, take some time to smell the roses as you pass through the garden of life. Take care of yourself. Being in a state of good physical and mental well-being is critical to this living stress-free. So be sure you eat healthily, sleep well, and exercise regularly. If you take good care of your physical state, your mental state is most likely to follow suit. Talk to someone. It is often said that a problem shared is a problem half solved. When life comes hard at you, remember to speak to someone. It could be a friend, a therapist, a spiritual guide, a relative, a coach, or a mentor. Sharing your challenges with someone is a refreshing and healthy way to deal with stress. Conclusion. It is entirely possible to live a fulfilled stress-free life. You just have to be intentional about it. With the right mindset and the tips we have highlighted in this video, that dream can very well become a reality. If you learned a thing or two from this video, let us know by clicking the thumbs up button down below. For more videos like this, be sure to hit the subscribe button and turn on the bell notification to get notified when we upload a new video. Thank you very much for watching. 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