Adrenaline is pumped out to prepare us for emergency action, the blood vessels under the skin constrict to prevent blood loss incase of injury, pupils dilate so we can see better, and we get an energy boost from elevated blood sugar. This is a suitable response to a physical threat, but most modern day stressors are psychological, caused by the increasingly fast paced and competitive world we live in. We feel overwhelmed because of the unusually significant number of everyday responsibilities.
The heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormones remain elevated for some time after the crisis has passed. So the more frequently the stress response is activated the harder it is to return to normal. Repeated or extended stress can cause problems such as:
- Infertility
- Cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart attack
- Depression, anxiety, apathy, insomnia, memory/concentration problems
- Obesity, eating disorders, ulcers, headaches, loss of libido, digestive problems
- Substance abuse, isolation, over-exercising, neglecting responsibilities
Try one of these Online Stress Tests to work out just how stressed you may be:
Stress Management
There is no ‘one size fits all’ answer to reducing and/or managing stress, the trick is to experiment with a variety of approaches to find the one/s that suite you.
Top stress reduction techniques
- Beauty sleep
- Talk about it to someone you trust: talking could help clear you mind, or see it from another angle, have a good cry, can relieve your anxiety so you can focus on problem solving
- Exercise: 30 minutes 3 times a week: any exercise you prefer. Read more about Relaxing Exercise, or Exercising WITH Kids.
- Balanced, nutritious diet: Eat breakfast every morning, and remember food is fuel for the mind, not only the body
- Don’t self-medicate with booze or drugs: it only masks the problem/s temporarily
- Leisure time: recognize when you are most stressed, and allow yourself some timeout to avoid burnout. Do things that make you happy.
- Know your limits: say no to more work or commitments
- Positive thinking: try see the problems as an opportunities.
- Sense of humour: Laugh at yourself, laugh at a silly movie, just remember to laugh, its really good for you. Try Funny.co.uk for comedy, sitcoms, articles & reviews or Funny Junk for funny videos and pictures!
- Control freak alert: accept that you cannot control events or other people, for now, and the time may come when maybe you can change things
Stress Relief:
- music: your favorite, or gentle classical music
- pamper yourself, make time for ME time, any leisure activity you enjoy
- take a long warm bath/shower, or better a long weekend, or ideally a holiday
- make time for fun
- if you love animals: get a pet, proven to reduce blood pressure
- relaxation: yoga, massage, meditation, deep breathing, muscle relaxation, aromatherapy
Signs you may need professional help:
- if stress is affecting your health
- if you are so desperate you want to quit your job, run away, or injure/kill yourself
- if you feel depressed
- you experience insomnia and/or loss of appetite
- if you are managing your stress levels by over-eating, over-sleeping, boozing, smoking or using recreational drugs
- hear voices, or have thoughts that are difficult to talk about
*not covered in this article is Traumatic stress, which requires professional intervention as soon after the incident as possible.
 |
Send to a friend |  |
Bookmark on Delicious |  |
Add to your favorites |
