What is Stress?
In today’s world, stress has become a part of life for most people. Even school-going kids are stressed. Whether it’s the pressure of work, exam tension, financial crisis, or unhealthy relationships, everyone experiences stress at some point. Because of its harmful effects, it is important to understand stress. By learning about the causes and effects of stress, we will discuss how to reduce its destructive effects on our mental and physical well-being.
Before we dive into the tricks and tips to reduce stress, let’s grab the basic information about stress.
Stress is the natural reaction of the body that we observe under abnormal pressure. It is a state of mental tension resulting from workload, financial crises, relationship problems, etc.
What are the causes of stress?
The reason behind stress varies from person to person. One or more of the following may be a reason for your stress.
- Excessive workload
- Financial instability
- Death of a loved one
- Unhealthy relationship
- Exams
- Low self-esteem and overthinking
- Personality type
- Childhood trauma
- Genetics
- Lifestyle habits
- Discrimination based on race, gender, social status
The reason for your stress may be any of the above factors. Sometimes, you can’t figure out the exact reason for stress by yourself, and you need to visit a psychiatrist.
How do we identify stress?
The symptoms of stress vary from person to person. Below is a list of the symptoms that stressed persons generally face.
- Constant feelings of anxiety
- The feeling of tearfulness and vulnerability
- Loneliness and helplessness
- Unable to focus and concentrate
- Lack of interest
- Intolerance and irritability
- Muscle tension and tiredness
- Headache, dizziness and nausea
- Either loss of appetite or excessive eating
- Instant Mood swings
- Loss of interest in s*x
- Acute desire to take drugs
- Sleeplessness
- Weak immunity
Impact of Stress on Mental Wellbeing?
Stress is a necessary evil.
Normal stress levels are necessary for routine work as they keep us active and give us a sense of responsibility. But when they cross the threshold, they become harmful to our mental and physical health.
When we undergo a ‘‘do or die’’ situation, the parasympathetic Nervous system activates and releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones increase your blood pressure and heart rate. When the state of ‘fight or flight’ changes, the Sympathetic Nervous system activates and restores normal body functioning.
But when a person suffers from stress for an extended period, it affects our health and mental wellbeing.
Stress constantly affects your muscles, sleep-wake cycles, eating habits, etc.
17 Proven Ways to Reduce Stress:
Prolonged stress harms your health, so it is necessary to take it seriously. You can reduce stress and get yourself out of this condition by following the simple, yet beneficial tips described below;
- Journaling/ Therapeutic writing
Journaling is a stress therapy in which you write down everything that comes to your mind and your daily routine. Journaling also helps us figure out the reason behind stress. By writing down your problems, you will feel relaxed. Adopt this habit because regular writing makes you clear about your goals in life.
I love therapeutic writing as it feels like sharing problems with yourself, and you can also review your lifestyle from your previous therapeutic writings.
- Self-Care
From 24 hours a day, take time out for yourself and do the things that boost your inner peace and energy. Add some of the following self-care habits to your day-to-day life.
- Morning walk
- Bath to relax
- Adopt constructive habits
- Positive thinking
- Self-affirmations
- Meditation
- Exercise
- Healthy diet
- Scented candles smell
- Avoid Procrastination
When a person procrastinates, he delays daily work, and work pressure increases when the deadlines come closer. The work pressure causes stress and anxiety.
So, to avoid stress, keep your routine organized. Make a to-do list. Prioritize your work and avoid putting things off tomorrow.
To-do lists keep your day on track and give you a feeling of achievement when you complete and cross a task.
- Reduce Caffeine Intake
It has been observed that people who take caffeine more than 400mg daily feel more stressed than others who do not take much caffeine.
- Create Boundaries
Family and friends may sometimes be the cause of your stress. Their over-expectations and demands make you work more, disturb your work-life balance, and don’t get any time for self-care.
Set boundaries with people and prioritize your peace. Learn to say no. Make distance from negative people.
- Change Environment
Humans get bored by living in the same routine and environment. So, take a break from your work and vacation to the countryside or hilly areas to get closer to nature. A change of environment helps reduce the tension and stress of routine life and gives you an energy boost to face life’s challenges.
- Practice Deep Breath
Whenever you panic and need to do things quickly, just hold on to yourself for five minutes and (sit in style as if you’re doing yoga) take deep breaths to fill your lungs with fresh air. Deep breathing creates a calm feeling and activates the Parasympathetic Nervous system, which keeps your body in a regular state and prevents it from generating stress symptoms.
- Spend time with Family
Family and healthy relationships offer a solid emotional support system. You can share your feelings and worries with them; healthy relationships always help you escape the worst situations.
In addition, the human touch is an elixir that removes stress. When we cuddle with a baby or someone we love, the oxytocin hormone causes us to feel a sense of inner peace and pleasure.
Observe and talk to kids; these innocent creatures make you happy and burden-free.
- Have a Pet
Having a pet allows you to cuddle with it and creates a sense of responsibility in yourself. Cuddling with pets gives you inner joy and releases Oxytocin, which makes you stress-free and happy.
- Smile and Laugh
Always keep a smile on your face because it relaxes your facial muscles. Watch a funny show to laugh. Laughing is a necessary therapy that stimulates the production of endorphins, suppressing the release of stress hormones.
- Yoga
Join any of the yoga classes. Yoga has been proven to be a good stress reliever. Research shows that people who do yoga regularly have lower stress levels than those who don’t.
- Be Mindful
Review your lifestyle to improve it. Be mindful of everything that comes into your mind. Consciously think of positive things. Repeat positive affirmations in your mind daily. It is a proven way to reduce tension and stress.
- Eat a Balanced Diet
Stress affects your sleeping and eating habits. Either you lose appetite, or you crave excessively processed foods that are not good for your health,
Nutrient deficiency also causes stress. Research has shown that people with good eating habits suffer less from stress than those who eat highly processed and fast foods.
- Reduce Screen Time
The primary factor behind stress is sometimes excessive device use. When you use social apps all day and ignore your essential tasks, the work piles up and burdens you. Excessive screen use harms your eyes and causes sleeplessness, which ultimately causes stress.
Replace your mobile use with constructive hobbies like reading self-help books.
- Exercise
Easy-to-do exercises like stretches and push-ups between work hours improve focus and release oxytocin, which calms nerves and reduces stress.
- Adopt Better Sleeping Habits
Under chronic stress, either you feel sleepy all the time or suffer from sleeplessness. Disturbed circadian rhythm is a significant cause of stress. So, adopt some habits to improve your sleep.
- Keep the screens away and turn the lights off.
- Sleep in a comfortable bed and remove all the distractions.
- Go to bed to sleep at the same time daily.
- Sleep for 8 hours a day.
Remember, Better sleep means better mental health.
Conclusion:
Stress is a part of life, but how we respond to it makes all the difference. When we ignore our mental health, it gets worse and damages our physical health as well. But When we face stressful situations in a well-planned way, we are better prepared to deal with the challenges. Incorporating simple yet useful practices like self-care, meditation, journaling, etc, helps reduce stress. When you feel overstressed, and your healthy habits do not make any difference, consider seeking a mental health advisor.
“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.”