Do you experience more stress when you try to relax?

Have you ever felt stressed out with your responsibilities or to-do list spinning around in your head when you were trying to relax? If your answer is yes, knowing that this condition, which many of us experience from time to time, has a name might help your point:stress relief‘. This is a concept that does not yet have an equivalent in Turkish, but which we can translate as stress relief; This tells us that when we try to relax by removing ourselves from a stressful situation, we become more tense because we are not working on that stressful situation. In other words, when we try to get away from stress a little, we can end up in even more stress. ‘stress reliefIt can also be seen as a kind of toxic cycle: stress caused by work or a task that needs to be done, a break from that work to get away from stress and try to relax, things you do for a break. mental turmoil and even more stress…

According to many studies, people say that trying to relax while distracted from work makes them even more fearful and anxious. In a study on relaxation anxiety, participants were asked to complete a task and were asked to take a break before completing the task. Some symptoms of participant stress before and during the break (eg, palpitations or sweating) measured, and more than 30 percent of people experience more stress when trying to do something relaxing. Thus, for many people, trying to relax can lead to discomfort. So why does trying to relax cause more stress?

Why does stress relief occur?

While there are several reasons why many people feel stressed while trying to relax, the most common are:

• Fear of losing control
• Anxiety about judgment
• Excess irritants and
• There are unrealistic expectations.

Namely, when most of us move away from the work or responsibility we are working on, we can feel more anxiety because we are losing control and we can use this to return to the work we have been focusing on as soon as possible, instead of to turn your attention. focus on listening. On the other hand, when we take a break from working on a task or project, especially at work, we may not take a break because others think negatively of us.

Considering the many positive and negative stimuli that we are exposed to today, we can further increase our stress because we cannot calm our mind when we are trying to rest and relax because our mind is constantly occupied with other things. Finally, while we are constantly trying to do more and get things done quickly in the very fast pace of today’s world, we can unconsciously create unrealistic expectations. For example, when trying to cram work that can be done in just 3-4 days into one day, we may place ourselves under an almost impossible expectation, putting ourselves under even more stress, and therefore we may experience negative feelings such as guilt and feeling guilt. discomfort during rest.

In addition to being unable to rest our bodies and minds and increasing our stress levels, dealing with stress too often can pave the way for the habit of procrastination. That is, feeling more anxious about the situation while trying to get away from the stressful situation and listen may cause this work to be shelved as an alternative relaxation method. Ways to manage stress can help us relax safely, avoiding guilt, negative feelings and thoughts:

Ways to deal with stress

There are several ways to deal with “stress relaxation” to relax and move away from stressors, without feeling guilty or anxious, into a real rest break:

1. Find out what works for you

When we are under stress, most of us often think about stereotyped actions; For example, we try to relax through activities such as meditation, exercise, watching TV shows, reading books, practicing yoga, and the like. While they are effective in dealing with stress, they may not be as effective for everyone. So it’s a good idea to revisit what’s really comforting to you. Perhaps calling a friend, making coffee and watching the rain, or just lounging around will help you more than the first stress reliever that comes to mind.

2. Relieve stress by typing

Writing is one of the most effective ways to express thoughts and feelings in our minds and hearts. If you can’t get rid of stressors when you’re trying to relax and get away from the situation or situations that are stressing you out, you can relieve them for a while by writing them down.

3. Plan your breaks

In the same way that you incorporate your tasks and responsibilities into your daily flow, if you set aside certain times for them and plan accordingly, you can determine when your flow should take a break. This way, when you take a break, you can relax thinking you need time for other work without feeling guilty, anxious, or stressed.

4. Remind yourself why you took a break.

When you take time to rest, think about why you need it. For your physical and mental health, you cannot continue without a break. Remember that your health is the most valuable thing you have. No matter what you’re working on and what’s causing you stress, you need to be strong enough to get through it and move on. For this reason, you must keep your mind fresh when you take a break to relieve fatigue, prevent burnout, and refresh your thoughts.

5. Stay in the moment

Just like you try to fully focus on any job, focus on staying in the moment and just feeling good when you take a break, resting and trying to unwind. If you wish, you can benefit from the practice of mindfulness, which is defined as the ability to stay in the moment and direct your attention only to rest.

You may be interested: Find time for deep rest: 5 tips to recharge