Every second counts – To live or to survive?
How can you live without stress?
There’s a traffic jam stretching for kilometers, and you’ve got only five minutes to reach your meeting point. By the afternoon, you must finish a task that would normally take a week. Your boss wants you to work overtime, but you already have evening plans. Your phone breaks just when you’re expecting an important call. We could go on listing these unpleasant, tension-filled situations for days. Stress seeps into our lives in countless ways – but is there anything we can do about it? How can we live without stress? These are the questions I’m seeking answers to. Join me on this journey!
What is stress?
In the past, people didn’t even know the concept of stress. It was only later that scientists began to explain what happened in the body of prehistoric humans when they came face to face with a dangerous animal, such as a saber-toothed tiger. At that moment, the body produced certain hormones that helped them cope with the threat. This defensive mechanism is known as the stress response.
Your body still produces the same hormones today in stressful situations to help you survive. However, in our fast-paced modern world, we now face different kinds of saber-toothed tigers every single day.
You know very well how harmful constant worry, anxiety, and daily encounters with new or uncomfortable situations are to your health. Stress is the trigger for most illnesses and can lead to high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. You’ve heard it a thousand times – but why can’t you do anything about it?
Running out of time
The problem is that stress comes hand in hand with the modern world. After all, how could your boss have constantly pressured you back when there were no phones or internet?
These technological innovations – the mobile phone, the internet, fast public transport, and everything that allows information to travel across the world in the blink of an eye – have made us time-oriented. We want everything immediately, or at least quickly. Time has become a strict constraint. We try to cram more and more into a single day to fit everything in. This creates a very unpleasant vicious cycle. It’s like trying to pour more and more into an already full glass. But the glass can only hold so much.
No matter how optimistic you are, obstacles always appear – things you didn’t expect. You’ll never have as much time for everything as you want. You need to accept that.
There’s a quote that always comes to my mind in moments like these. Whenever I feel the waves crashing over me, I think of it:
,,Don’t rush, and don’t dwell on yourself!
You’re just a visitor here.
So stop and smell the flowers!”
In meaning, this is similar to what I saw in the series The Bear, displayed on the wall of a restaurant kitchen:
Every second counts.
This phrase can have two meanings. In the series, we see a constantly stressful kitchen where every second counts to make the food and service perfect. At the same time, the human stories and traumas lurking in the background leave unanswered the question: is all this stress really worth it? Is it truly life if it’s filled with so much stress? Are we living, or just surviving?
Every second counts. Don’t think about this only when you have a deadline to meet, but also when you’re working overtime and taking precious time away from something else.
Stress makes you gain weight
Stress takes a toll on both our mind and body. We can care for our body through proper nutrition and exercise, and getting the recommended eight hours of sleep each night is also crucial.
“In one experiment, researchers compared the eating habits of participants: instead of their usual 7–8 hours of sleep, they were allowed to sleep a maximum of 5 hours. The results showed that after less sleep, participants craved fattier and sweeter foods even late at night, and during the day they ate more than those who had sufficient rest.” (Source)
If you don’t get enough rest, you end up drawing the energy needed for work from food, and it’s common to overeat in these situations. Stress can thus lead to weight gain. It also shows up in behaviors like constant snacking while working.
Under stress, the body burns through its reserves (usually carbohydrates), and sudden hunger can strike, leading you to eat whatever is nearby. Unfortunately, in these moments, you often consume far more than your body truly needs.
Stress management
I believe that due to our modern lifestyle, we cannot completely eliminate stress from our lives. You cannot live entirely without stress. But even if you can’t get rid of it, try an experiment: learn to live with it.
Draw from the good things
Perhaps the best technique is to try to spend as much time as possible each day on activities that don’t cause stress.
- Try to organize your time so that there’s room for the things you genuinely enjoy.
- Give yourself at least a little time to read a good book, listen to your favorite music, have a cup of coffee with a friend, watch a good movie, pursue a hobby, garden, or simply take a walk in the park.
Okay, but when?
I know you’re probably asking: when exactly am I supposed to make time for things outside of work, when I don’t have a single free minute? There are two important points to consider:
- Don’t think of activities outside of work as useless. You’re not lazy or unproductive for taking a little time to recharge. Think of it as a way to become better at your work.
- Rest and relaxation also need to be planned. Amidst all your obligations, make sure to carve out time in your calendar for downtime as well.
Even spending just half an hour on an activity you love is enough. You’ll notice an immediate improvement in how you feel, and stress will start to fade. The energy you gain from your favorite activity can give new momentum to whatever you’re working on. In this way, the time you dedicate to managing stress quickly pays off.
Cooking as a method of stress relief
For me, cooking is like meditation. It calms my racing mind and brings me joy. As soon as I start cooking, I immediately enter a state of flow, and for that time, nothing else exists but the cooking. Of course, I have enough experience and routine in the kitchen. For someone who isn’t very confident in cooking, this might not be the best way to relieve stress. But if you are experienced, I highly recommend it.
- Making homemade bread rolls, where I experience the comforting, meditative state of kneading the dough;
- Baking granola, where I especially enjoy the mood-lifting aroma wafting from the oven;
- Preparing American coleslaw, where the chopping motions keep my wandering thoughts engaged.
Discover delicious food and cooking as a source of joy – a way to relieve stress!
Sport – A healthy choice
Stress can also be managed through sports and physical activity. If you find a sport that you genuinely enjoy, you’re already doing a lot for your health. The key isn’t what you do, but that you do it with pleasure.
For example, a few years ago, I started playing squash. At the time, I was under a lot of stress, and this sport helped me a great deal. Later, stress became less and less present in my life, and I completely fell in love with the game. I recommend that you find a sport you enjoy too! >>> Which sport should you choose?
Wellness – indulgent relaxation
In this fast-paced world, it’s essential to slow down, even if just for a little while. Time won’t slow down for you, but a short break can have a positive effect on your work as well. Allow yourself some indulgence from time to time – a warm bath or a massage can work wonders.
Find your own hobby!
Look for activities or hobbies that you would do even if you weren’t paid for them! Discover the joy of creating. Drawing or painting can also help relieve stress. Beyond that, countless other hobbies are waiting for you to try.
Me-time and self-awareness
Even in the daily rush, always make sure to set aside enough time for yourself. If you’re always doing things only for others, your energy will eventually run out. You need to recharge. You can only give to others if you have something to give. Happiness can only come from a happy person. If there’s chaos inside you, that’s what you’ll project outward. That’s why it’s so important that you are okay.
Self-awareness is necessary to realize what makes you feel balanced. But self-awareness requires time. If you don’t allow yourself time to reflect, you’ll never discover your own answers. You are the one who can give yourself the most attention. Give yourself the care, kindness, and love you’ve always longed for! Sometimes it’s enough just to sit quietly and think about what you truly desire. What would bring you joy? In fact, anything that gives you pleasure helps to relieve stress.
Make a list of the things that bring you joy and make them happen!
If you don’t neglect the care of your soul, it will show in your body as well. Your face will glow, you’ll be full of energy, and people will enjoy your company. They will feel that you are well, both physically and mentally. Being around a stressed person is never pleasant.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, you can’t completely defeat the saber-toothed tiger called stress. But that doesn’t mean it should take center stage in your life. If every day is just about surviving the tiger’s attack, you’ll forget to notice the small joys that life has to offer.
Don’t look for the tiger – look for these joys instead! If you take a moment to look around, you’ll see there’s plenty of them. You just need to pause for a moment, so you can not only feel but truly enjoy the scent of the flowers. Take action, because how you approach life is up to you.
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