‘5 Answers’ is a simple, no-frills written series where we ask five people one same question and share them with you, the readers. A quick read aimed to spark conversations and share perspectives.
I asked 5 people at random from different walks of life this question, “How do you deal with stress?”
“The most important thing is coming to terms with the fact that there’s always going to be stress in some form, so figuring out ways to effectively deal with it will serve you well in life. What I usually do when I find myself in a stressful situation is take a step back to analyze what I can or cannot do about it. For the things that I can do, I break it down into steps and focus on them one at a time. It’s sort of a system. As for the things I can’t do, I’ll recognize them and try not to let it bother me for the same reason – I can’t do anything about it even if I’m affected anyway. It is easier said than done but frankly, it’s helped tremendously on many occasions.” – Dan
“Probably not the best person to ask. I’m still figuring that out. If we’re speaking in a general sense, I guess what helps is that I count my blessings, cliché I know. It has helped though, at the very least it puts things in perspective. I don’t exactly know how but it kinda makes the stress appear much smaller, more bite-sized.” – Benson
“I just allow myself to feel. When I feel stressed and it causes fear or makes me want to cry, I just let it out. I don’t pretend that it doesn’t affect me or fight the tears, I call this my acceptance phase. I make it a point to not allow myself to dwell in this head space for too long, just enough time for me to deal with my honest feelings. I’ve found that once I’ve given myself this amount of time, I am in a better space to move forward. If I can’t deal with my stress alone, I talk to the people that I trust and are great at giving advice. A different perspective is sometimes really beneficial when it comes to problem solving.” – XT
“For me, it’s a 4 step process – WEST (walk, eat, sleep and think). I go for a long walk to clear my head, eat the food that I enjoy, try to get a good sleep and then think about what I can do.” – Jia Wei
“It depends on the type of stress. Work stress? Relationship stress? Financial stress? I deal with them differently. At the end of the day, it boils down to your mindset. No matter what happens, don’t give up. If it matters enough to you, keep trying your best.” – Firdaus
What about you? How do you deal with stress?
