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Stress is something everyone feels from time to time. It’s a natural physical and mental reaction. The stressor could be simply everyday responsibilities involving work and family or a serious life event. Thus, there are different types of stress/ stressors, one-time thing, short term occurrence, or occurring repeatedly over a long period of time.
Not all stress is bad.
In a dangerous situation our body’s natural stress single is the “flight or flight response.” Our heartbeat quickens, breathing gets faster, muscles tense, and the brain uses more oxygen while increasing it’s activity. These are all functions aimed at survival, however it doesn’t take a bear chasing you to activate it. this is the same response mechanism during a job interview or before your first 5k race.
Long term stress is where the issue sits.
Coping with stressors may not always be easy, and no one is the same in their response to stress. When stress does not subside, the body never really receives a clear signal to return to normal functioning after those natural “lifesaving” mechanisms as mentioned above which is where chronic stress comes into play. The long term effect of these mechanisms in the body alters our health in a variety of ways. It can range from just about anywhere with disturbing the immune, digestive, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. Some people may experience mainly digestive symptoms, while others may have headaches, insomnia, irritability, or sadness, all of which lie along a spectrum. It may not even be realized these symptoms are simply created solely through stress.
What can you do to manage your stress?
Positive self talk can be your first step to help calm you down and control stress. Negative self talk increases stress, and with practice you can learn to shift negative to positive thoughts.
Meditation or a quick walk. Even if it’s 5 minutes, close the technology, let yourself breathe, and return when things have calmed down.
Eat right. Stress and diet are closely related. When we’re overwhelmed, we often forget to eat well and resort to using sugary, fatty snack foods as a pick-me-up only escalating symptoms of stress.
Sweat it out. Getting your blood moving releases endorphins and can improve your mood and stress levels almost immediately.
No one’s life is stress free, especially in this era of time, traffic is even inevitable. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Too much untreated stress can cause potentially serious physical and mental health problems. In many cases, they are manageable but do remember to ask for help from a health professional if you feel needed.