Stress Management

 

Our human nature and activities usually expose us to stressful situations. It could be pressure from meeting work deadlines, financial constraints amid deteriorating economic conditions, harsh bosses or colleagues, changes in your life, discrimination, or being overwhelmed by responsibilities.

 

The World Health Organization defines stress as any change that results in physical, emotional, or psychological tension. Stress is a form in which your body responds to factors that demand attention or action. Everyone is susceptible to stress but the mode of response influences your well-being.

 

Stress management refers to the strategies, tools, and techniques that reduce stress and its negative impact on your emotional, physical, and mental wellness. Stress has a big potential to cause havoc on your health and emotional balance. For this reason, stress management is crucial since it aids in releasing tension and pressure to achieve a more productive, happier, and healthier life.

 

Understanding the Causes of Stress

 

Stress can be caused by many things. Some might be big events or life situations, while others could be cumulative of smaller factors. Stressors fall into three categories; physical, emotional, and environmental.

 

According to MentalHelp, physical stress is caused by factors such as trauma and severe physical labor. Its symptoms include headache, stomach upset, insomnia and low energy.

 

Emotional factors such as anger, fear, sadness, and worry can turn out to be causes of stress, especially when they affect your actions and at this point, the stress is considered unhealthy.

 

Loud noises, pollution, insecurity, and weather are factors that can cause stress. When people are forced to change and move from their comfort zones, it is usually environmental stressors in play.

 

Identifying Your Stressors

 

What was the thing that made you feel angry, worried, or tensed? Those are your stress triggers. It is crucial to know the factors that throw you into stress by developing a stress diary or journal.

 

Keeping a stress diary is the best strategy for identifying your stressors. A stress diary is a record of stress-causing events and your reaction to them. It helps you identify your life’s major stressors. You should note the time you experience a stressful moment and your feelings.

 

While keeping a diary, you can identify stress reaction patterns such as increased heart rate or blood pressure, decrease or increase in your appetite, sweating, chills, and weight loss or gain. Factors that lead you to stress are your triggers.

 

Stressors have different magnitudes of effect. Some lead to prolonged stress that affects your health and others have an insignificant impact. Once you identify them, you should arrange them in a prioritized manner starting with those that cause great emotional and physical damage.

 

Health Coping Mechanisms

 

Even though you might be undergoing stress, there are defined mechanisms that can help you cope with the situation even better.

 

Exercising and indulging in physical activities promote your health and well-being. Research conducted by the Mayo Clinic established that exercise stimulates the brain to produce endorphins which are feel-good neurotransmitters.

 

Relaxation techniques are also very effective when it comes to coping with stress. Activities such as yoga, meditation, deep breathing, listening to soothing music, and Tai Chi reduces stress.

 

Mindfulness technique allows you to be in control of your thoughts, and reactions, discover your body’s needs and increase compassion for yourself. On the other hand, meditation helps you eliminate confusion and crowded thoughts in the mind that could be causing stress.

 

When you are stressed, creating a priority list ensures that you manage it by prioritizing the most important activities. Further, it helps you plan ahead, minimize time wastage, and eliminate procrastination that can lead to workload and hence stress.

 

In addition, you can use positive self-talk to relieve stress. When your inner self has positive self-talk, you cease to perceive events in your life as stressful and avoid creating stress or anxiety.

 

Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms to Avoid

 

Stress can render you to assume toxic behaviors such as substance abuse, overeating, or procrastination.

 

Substance abuse is one of the ways people use to cope with stress. Using substances leads to a feeling of relaxation and positive feelings but in short term. However, the continuation of this behavior can lead to addiction, substance dependence, and other medical problems.

 

Stress can lead to overeating when the cortisol hormones are elevated for longer periods like when faced with stressors and this increases food consumption and overweight which is undesirable and it might ultimately lead to more stress.

 

Some people react to stress by withdrawing from social interaction. Such a move subjects you to loneliness, isolation, relational conflict, and in the worst case, suicidal thoughts.

 

Since stress makes it difficult to focus, you might find yourself procrastinating and instead doing activities that demand less concentration such as hopping from one social media to the other.

 

Long-term Stress Management Strategies

 

Talking to someone or seeking support from loved ones helps you feel calm and, in a position, to take charge of the stress. In addition, you should seek to listen without judging or offer other types of help like making your stressed friends tea or holding them while they cry.

 

You can manage stress by avoiding extremes. Your lifestyle ought to be balanced through a healthy diet, regular exercise, engaging in fun activities, and having enough sleep to avoid drowning in deep thoughts.

 

Even though stress cannot be completely avoided, learning to manage stress is a long-term solution. You should seek to utilize stress management techniques since they also lower the risk of other problems related to stress such as depression, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

 

Another strategy to manage stress in long term is re-evaluating your priorities. As you experience growth in all dimensions, your priorities keep on shifting, and it’s only wise that you keep up with them by re-evaluating your priority list.

 

Conclusion

 

Stress is the response of your body to actions. Different factors cause stress such as trauma, anger, or pollution. Having a stress diary helps establish stressors and prioritize them in order of their effect on your body. In addition, stress management calls for healthy coping mechanisms that have long-term effects.

 

Stress management knowledge is necessary as it prevents you from developing complicated problems that can otherwise be avoided.

 

When faced with stressful situations, always seek healthy coping strategies since they provide a long-term solution with no negative impacts or repercussions later.