Chronic stress is not a trivial matter. It is the root cause of significant physical and mental ailments. Our quality of life and satisfaction depends on how we manage stress daily. If not addressed timely, minor stressors can become a cluster of stressors and have a cumulative effect on our health. Stress might look subjective, but objectively approaching it can empower us.

Cumulative stress saps our energy and prevents us from living a fulfilling life. The body and the brain can experience a myriad of internal and external stressors each day. It is a natural survival process. Stress is also essential for growth. Like all other health factors, stress also requires a balancing act through a methodical approach.

We can't stop stress as it is essential for surviving and thriving. However, we can balance it by understanding the positive and negative aspects. Balancing stress via small lifestyle changes is possible. Our habits play a critical role in balancing stress. Stressors are neutral, but the meaning we give them can be negative or positive. So our stress response is a vital need that can manifest as beneficial or detrimental for our lives.

Stress is multifaceted at several layers. It has physical, mental, and emotional facets. Physical and emotional stressors can change our hormonal balance and re-wire the brain negatively and positively based on our responses. We need a systematic approach to manage our stress and balance it.

Understanding the stressors at each layer and creating different copying mechanisms can be valuable. Based on my stress management experience, I provide five practical steps to balance stress in this post. In my experience, balancing stress requires detecting, accepting, analyzing, and taking corrective actions such as taking mini-breaks with breathing exercises to balance minor and major stressors.