Latest / The Checkpoint Podcast: Questions / Episode 26 | How do you actually reduce stress instead of just managing it?
Transcript
- Podcast episodes 26: Hey, it's Dex, creator of Reboot Player One and host at the Checkpoint. And this question is well, the question for today is something that I could probably rant on for many, many hours about, but I'll try and keep this in check. Question is how do I actually reduce stress and not just manage it? How do I actually reduce stress and just not manage it? Okay. there's a bunch of things that you can try to reduce stress. one is meditation. I do that every morning, and it's a bit of a cop out answer because I think that that's what people will tell you to do. it helps me. And meditation for me is probably slightly different from other people. You know, the the The known meditation is to basically sit in silence and and close your eyes and cross your legs and and and try and clear your mind of thoughts. sometimes I do that. But more often than not, I actually do the opposite and I like to like focus in on one particular thought and allow that to to grow and to get ideas. I find that more fun. And I also find that a form of meditation and and stress relief as well. Because at least for me, the one of the definitions of stress for me is to is to literally just have so many things and feeling like I don't have control of anything. You know, there's there's messages coming from here and from there, and this person wants that, and that company wants this, and my kids want that, and my wife wants that, and and it's just this constant. ringing, so to speak. So I never really have a feeling of being under control. And that's stress inducing right there. So when I go into a meditation and I have one very specific thought, it allows me to concentrate on that. And everything else gets blocked out. So it's similar to, you know, what they tell you in meditation class to clear your clear your mind, you know, focus on your breath, so to speak. In my case, I'm focusing on a thought. Same thing. That's one way. another way is to to talk. To do this, to record, to talk to people, to voice memo. If you're if you're better with words, journal about it. Get it out. I find so many times that if I have stressful thoughts, sometimes just saying them out loud to no one, to the air, to whoever's listening. I find it's a bit of a release. Sometimes there's a bit of clarity. There's some comfort in it. And more often than not, I tend to have some realizations when I when I say it. Because I'm saying it and I'm hearing it at the same time. So it's kind of like a a double whammy there. So that helps me. sleep helps, which is kind of counterintuitive. I am a person that turns to sleep for many answers. If I'm sick, if I can feel a cold coming on or I'm not quite a hundred percent and I can sense that, I'll sleep early and try and get a lot of sleep to potentially overcome what could be sort of brewing up. I know that for some people that's simply not the case. And in fact, you know, with enough stress it'll actually stop you from sleeping. So that's a bit of a moot point, but if at some point you can get to a level where you can sleep, that will give you the energy to then face the further stress or continue that stress for the following day. So that's something that I would try. What else is there? How how you can deal with it? I've already said talking to people. This this might be a little counterintuitive, but I know that I've done it in the past, and that's to just face it head on. plan for it, sure. But a lot of the times, at least for me, stress is something that is is something that's uncomfortable that I'm pushing off. Could be a decision. Could be something health related. It could be something that I don't want to do. And the fact that I've I've pushed it out is giving me stress. So whatever it is that's giving you stress, sometimes you just need to sit down and face it, to go through it, to work it out. You know, you just have to basically rip the band-aid off, so to speak. That's another way to to deal with it. What else? Support. I've said that. Speak to people about it. Look inner. I think a lot of people don't do a lot of inner work. Well, they do. but it's a it's a constant thing. It's it's the one thing that you should be doing for the rest of your life because you're not the same person you are now as you were ten years ago, twenty years ago, thirty years ago. and so you might find some answers there in terms of how to deal with this stress. is the stress warranted? Is it not warranted? Is the stress, you know, two ways? Is it one way? Is it you, you know, thinking about a situation that shouldn't be like that? Are you you know, are you blowing up a particular situation that's that's giving you stress? turn towards faith. Now when I say that, I'm not saying, you know, specifically religion or a specific religion. I'm I'm just saying to you know, potentially consider a higher power, that you might want to either leave that stress. it could be the universe, it could be God, it could be Allah, it could be I I don't know. It could be a stain on your wall that's shaped like I I don't know, some deity. allowing that stress that you have to be placed with something that you can't quite quantify but you believe in. I feel helps. And I've done it before. I'm not religious. I believe in universe stuff. I'm most I'm well more spiritual than religious. And I have allowed certain circumstances and events to to live in that space. And it's given me enough room to collate my thoughts and to gather myself to be able to either accept what needs to happen or to do the actions that I need to do in order for the stress to go away. So relinquishing the energy that the stress is sucking out, put it with this particular, you know, field of consciousness and just let it sit there. It's not gonna make it go away. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying for, you know, a slight period, allowing it to sit there might give you enough breathing space, might give you a clear enough headspace to be able to to do the right decision or muster the courage to be able to do the things that need to be done. So those are some of the things that I'd recommend in dealing with stress. meditate. Mm talk about it to yourself, to people, to friends, to family, to strangers. Listen as well. 'Cause when you talk and you you kinda listen at the same time, it gives it it gives it different meaning. Might find some clarity. Sleep if possible. do some inner work, really. and and that's just for basically every video that I say. And lastly, is to use your faith to allow the stress to become more manageable and to give yourself some space to to sort it out. Okay, if you have had questions like this and you'd like to discuss them with a cool group of people, we do this every Wednesday through Zoom. And if you'd like to join in, comment with the word catch up and I will send you the link. I'm Dex from Reboot Play One and the Checkpoint. And I'll see you in the next video. Bye.