15/10/2019
STRESS MANAGEMENT
What Is Stress Management?
Our increasingly busy lives cause our minds a lot of stress. Stress is mental tension caused by demanding, taxing or burdensome circumstances. Stress doesn't just affect our mental state and mood; it affects our physical health as well. When we are very stressed, a hormone called cortisol is released into our bloodstream, suppressing the functioning of our immune, digestive and reproductive systems. That is why it is so important to practice stress management in order to keep our minds and bodies healthy.
Stress management consists of making changes to your life if you are in a constant stressful situation, preventing stress by practicing self-care and relaxation and managing your response to stressful situations when they do occur.
Before we move on to stress management techniques, it's important to note that not all stress is bad. Stress is actually a survival response when our body thinks that it is in danger. That is why our sympathetic nervous system kicks in and makes our heart rate increase and gives us a burst of the energy hormone, adrenaline, so that we can deal with whatever situation is being thrown at us. This is also called our flight or fight response.
The problem is when we deal with constant stress and worry, or when we don't know how to properly manage a stressful situation. That's why stress management is tremendously important for our health, quality of life and relationships.
Benefits of Stress Management
It has already been said that stress causes mental and physical strain, tension and even illness. It can affect all areas of our lives. Some examples of health problems stress can cause include:
Results of Stress
This diagram below also shows ways that stress affects different aspects of our selves:
These are some ways that stress affects different aspects of our lives.
Stress effects on body and mind
Stress management is beneficial to reduce blood pressure, heart disease, digestive troubles and many more physical ailments. It also helps improve sleep, mental health, cognition and libido. There are simply too many benefits to list them all. It is clear to see why stress management is so important. Now, let's learn some stress management tips.
Change the Stressful Situation
The first thing that you need to consider when encountering a short- or long-term stressful situation is, 'Can I change the situation so that it does not cause me stress anymore?' If it's a person in your life that is constantly negative and critical of you, can you distance yourself from that person? If it is a job that you are doing, can you start making moves to look for a new job or obtain a different position? There is a quote by a famous spiritual leader, Eckhart Tolle, that says, 'When you complain, you make yourself the victim. Leave the situation, change the situation or accept it. All else is madness.'
Stress Management Techniques
There are many ways to reduce stress in your life, from exercise to journaling to meditation. Let's look at some of the most common forms of stress management, including physical, mental, social, intellectual and environmental techniques.
Physical
There are various physical techniques you can use. One of these is yoga. There are many videos for this exercise involving body stretching and strengthening online. You can begin your day with 15 minutes of yoga to let go of tension in your body and to clear your mind.
A morning jog or other forms of cardiovascular exercise can help with releasing the happy hormones, endorphins, into your system and can help prevent feelings of stress throughout the day.
Progressive muscle relaxation is another option. This involves starting with your toes and moving all the way up to your forehead, tensing one body part for five to ten seconds and then releasing or relaxing.
You can also improve your nutrition to help manage stress. Cortisol, the hormone released when stressed, causes people to crave sugars and high carb foods. High sugar in the body can cause mood swings and energy crashes after the high. Diets rich in vitamins with vegetables and fruits can regulate hormones, mood and stress levels. Getting enough of the B vitamin complex can help people feel energized, which also reduces stress.
Finally, getting a massage can relieve muscle tension caused by stress, while getting enough sleep gives the body enough time to repair and rejuvenate at night.
Note: Food Supplements could be a better option for nutritional deficiencies.
