Although stress is a normal part of everyday life, it is not normal to allow stress to affect your functioning to the point where you simply cannot cope, perhaps even letting it affect the way you feel mentally and spiritually. By combining the concept of self-realization with stress relief, you simultaneously realize your full potential by developing certain skills and inner strengths while performing specific stress-relieving activities.
Meditation
Meditation is a useful tool for stress relief, and for developing your concept of the "self". Meditation is a spiritual practice rooted in Eastern beliefs, such as Buddhism and Hinduism. Regular meditation provides proven medical benefits, such as lowered blood pressure, and many people use it as a way to deal with mental and physical distress. Some of these conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and stress, can be alleviated through maintaining a daily meditation practice. The more well-known meditation practices are mindfulness meditation, which can assist in self-realization by becoming aware of the body through breath, and transcendental meditation, which focuses on a mantra of your choosing, which can be a self-realization concept or idea
Philanthropy
Philanthropy is the practice of assisting others who may be less fortunate or well-off than you are, in order to make a noticeable difference in improving the quality of their lives. Helping others can valuable for self-realization and stress relief; through removing the focus from yourself, your problems, and your stress, you gain a wider perspective on your existence. Stress relief comes from learning to appreciate what blessings you have, instead of taking certain things for granted. You realize that what is stressing you out is not as important as you may have thought.
Personal Days
Taking a personal day is a concept that many Americans do not fully appreciate. When we take a personal day off from work, we may feel guilty or that we are undeserving of having time to ourselves. The fact is, taking a personal day is a great self-realization stress relief tool. When you take a personal day, take the time to nourish your mind, body, and soul through mindfulness activities, such as simply taking a walk on the beach or around the block, or exercising, or meeting with an old friend to catch up. By re-centering your focus and getting a renewed perspective, you remove some of the stress from your life.
Yoga
Doing a spiritual form of exercise such as yoga on a regular basis can help to reduce your level of stress and increase your capacity for self-realization. Yoga provides a multi-faceted approach to developing consciousness on a mind-body-spirit level, through combining yoga poses and stretches with breath awareness. Yoga is also proven to lower stress levels; according to the Mayo Clinic, yoga can help you deal with stress by giving you an opportunity to escape from the daily chaos and move towards peace and serenity by taking your focus off of your problems through concentration on various poses and breathwork.
Finding a Hobby
Developing a hobby that completely absorbs your attention can be a valuable self-realization stress relief tool. With the right hobby, your focus shifts from what you are thinking about and worrying about to what you are doing and accomplishing. You can "zone out" and de-stress for a little while, whether it is through crochet or playing a musical instrument. Doing something that you fully enjoy will help in the development of the self because it can leave you with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.
