Stress

Stress is experienced by most of us especially due to the fast paced lifestyle. It affects the physiological and psychological functioning of a person negatively.  Stress occurs when external forces tend to affect an individual causing stress anxiety. In such situations coping with stress becomes tough for the disturbed individual. He starts responding to stressful situations in ways that not just affect his physical and mental state but the environment around him as well.

Today every individual is required to prove himself to beat the competition and survive. Under such situations one element that is more than common and exists all around us is stress. These days most of us experience stress anxiety in both our personal as well as professional lives. The situations at times get so bad that stress does not allow one to sleep peacefully.

Symptoms of poorly managed Stress Health

Excessive stress can manifest itself in several ways. These symptoms can be of all kinds including physical, behavioral or even emotional. Moreover, the symptoms of stress vary largely from one individual to another based on their mental status.

Physical or somatic symptoms are the most commonly reported symptoms experienced by people suffering from stress and stress anxiety. These include situations of muscle tension, problems in sleeping and continued sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal disturbances, headache, and continued fatigue.

Coming to behavioral and emotional symptoms of stress are anxiety, nervousness, marked changes in eating habits including both under and over-eating, mood swings and loss of energy and enthusiasm. However, according to psychologists none of the above-mentioned symptoms do hint at the fact that the individual in question is suffering from high levels of stress. According to them, there are several other physical conditions which may also lead to such emotional and behavioral symptoms.

Another very common symptom of poor stress health is that people under stress tend to indulge in unhealthy behavioral activities more often than not when compared to their healthy counterparts. They are more prone to substance abuse, drugs, smoking and unhealthy eating habits. These habits can worsen and lead to severe situations leading to a vicious cycle of symptoms.

Effective Techniques for Coping with Stress

It is necessary to know effective methods for reducing stress as it can further lead to various other health problems. Several ways can work well in reducing stress and helping one feel relaxed and calm.

You can easily manage stress by controlling your thoughts and emotions. Be positive and balance work and personal life. Don’t take unnecessary workload at work. Learn to say ‘No’. Don’t meet people who cause stress to you or discuss negative things. Make sure that your home environment is happy. If anything causes stress like loud music or TV, make sure you talk to your family members so that they cooperate with you.

Manage your time in a better way so that pending work doesn’t cause you stress. Also, you must talk about your problems with your loved ones and friends. They might suggest solutions to your problem and this can reduce stress.

Keep some time for relaxation and enjoy life. Go for walks, play with children, spend time with pets and close to nature, listen to music, enjoy a film, pamper yourself by taking massages and other similar things to help reduce stress. Mediation, yoga and exercise also help one relax and thus reduce stress.

Sleeping and eating well also is very important for your overall well-being. Avoid smoking and alcohol. Excess of sugar in the body hinders the metabolic process also stripping the body of essential nutrients. Individuals suffering from stress need to avoid canned and packaged food which has hidden layers of sugar. Moreover, the use of artificial sweeteners is also to be avoided as studies have revealed that at times these are also responsible for causing dizziness and convulsions. Coping with stress can also become easier if one can curtail the consumption of grains. Rejection of items like pasta, white bread, cakes, biscuits, and pizzas from the diet can help in reducing stress.

Stress is nothing but a frame of mind to a large extent, by staying positive and taking everything in your stride. Your attitude can play a key role in your emotional and physical well-being. Don’t let negative thoughts disturb your mind. Accept situations that you can’t change as the more you resist the more stress you will feel.

If you feel stressed even after trying your best to cope with it, you must resort to medical help. You can talk to your physician, nutritionist or therapist and carry out a detailed discussion about the problems. You must not take stress lightly. Avoiding taking any measures to cope with stress can deteriorate your overall health and well-being.

Stress is part of the lives of most of us today. There are a lot of ways you can take to get rid of stress. One simple thing that you need to do is to be away from people and situations that you think give you stress. You will have to develop new habits and thus make sure that you are not in a situation where there is pressure on you. It may be difficult for you to change the circumstances but it is not impossible. You can just work towards reducing your exposure to such situations to get rid of stress. The tips that have been mentioned here will not change the situation but will help you change the way you react to certain situations and the way you relate to stressful situations.

• The first step you can take is to be happy. Humour is one of the best and quickest ways to reduce stress. When we laugh, our brain produces chemicals that have positive effects on our bodies. It also works to distract your mind. You can read several funny things and articles online if you can’t find stories or comic books.
• Talk to yourself and go for a brisk walk. A change in your environment will work wonders and your body too will get some fresh air. Going out will stimulate your senses and you can keep talking to yourself while walking. If there is a park near your home, you can go there and do some jogging as well. Relaxing your body can be done by doing some exercises and star jumps.
• The third thing that can be done is rehydration. Sometimes we don’t drink enough water. You need to know that water is important for your body’s functioning and your body needs a dose to keep the body clock ticking. You need to keep drinking water at regular intervals to keep your body hydrated. If you do not like drinking simple water all the time, you can add lime or lemon to it to change the taste.
• If you feel stressed in the office, taking a short nap will be helpful. It is a natural way to relax your senses and get a dose of energy. A quick 10-20 minutes rest will give you new energy and you will be again ready to work and give your best. You can also take a cup of normal or flavoured tea to rejuvenate. Try these simple techniques so that stress does not affect your work and life.