With all the worries of each day, there is no one who will say he or she has not gone through stress before. For this reason, we will be talking about stress, how it affects us and what we can do to reduce, manage and overcome stress. Today’s blog is important.
What is stress?
Stress is when a person feels worried or upset because of something bad that is happening or might happen. Stress is also a body’s method of reacting to a condition such as threat, challenge or physical or psychological barrier. For example, a study showed that about one out of three adults said they had a lot of stress in their lives.
Causes of Stress
There are many things that causes stress, such as:
- Work
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Personal relationship
- Daily life and business
- Personality and resources
- Financial problems
How Can Stress Affect You?
Stress can affect a person in many ways, both physically and mentally. Lets talk about them.
Physical Effects
Stress affects the body, thoughts and feelings, and behaviors in many ways. They include:
- Aches and pains, headaches, dizziness or shaking.
- Chest pain, high blood pressure, or heart problems.
- Exhaustion, insomnia, or fatigue.
- Digestive issues, such as constipation and bloating.
- Weakened immune system, leading to frequent infections.
Mental Effects
- Depression symptoms: Insomnia, fatigue, or exhaustion or anxiety.
- Cognitive problems: Concentration, memory, or learning problems or restlessness.
- Change in mood: Irritability, aggression, loss of control, sadness, tears or depression.
How To Reduce and Manage Stress?
We can reduce and manage our stress in the following ways.
- Physical activities: Engaging in physical activities such as walking, dancing, swimming. These are good as they help to relax the brain, mind, muscles and body altogether. And it does not involve much thinking.
- Healthy diet: eating healthy diet that includes enough fruits, vegetables and enough water. Read More
- Physical exercise: Involving oneself in relaxation exercises also helps to reduce and manage stress. Examples of this exercise are deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or tai chi.
- Be mindful of your thoughts and feelings and challenge any negative or irrational ones.
How to Cope with Stress
WITH all these information about stress, what comes to our mind now is what can we do to cope with it?
- Seek Help: When undergoing stress, we should readily seek social support from your friends, family, or a counselor. If the tasks are too much, ask for help from others.
- Schedules: Try to make schedules for each day, rebalance your work and home life, and set boundaries and priorities.
- Medical check-Ups: Use cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) to change your thoughts and behaviors that cause stress.
