Everyone has been told at sometime or another that they need to reduce their stress for health proposes. Stress is often blamed for many physical and emotional symptoms. Stress is a major topic in our world today. Before one can begin to learn to reduce their stress they first in fact need to understand what stress is.
Stress is a biological term for the consequences a person endures when there is a failure to properly respond to emotional and physical stress, whether actual or imagined. All beings need a balance of stress to react to stimuli from the outside world. You need stress to keep you from jumping out into moving traffic and getting hit by the cars. You need stress to get your body to react in positive situations also, but these reactions to stress are balanced to keep you safe and productive. The stress that most people speak of today is that of which is emotional or physical that causes strain, anxiety, nervousness, pain and fatigue. This kind of stress can come from your job, family, medical conditions, friends, strangers, children and more. This is the stress if not dealt with can cause headaches, tense muscles, rashes, acne, panic attacks, increase or decrease in appetite, hair loss, nervous ticks, suppressed immune system, depression and sometimes loss of interest in favorite activities.
Stress causes a number of changes in the body’s functioning. Hormones can release to control and modify the stress response. Stress can also have an impact on immune function, which can worsen the symptoms of many different medical conditions. Stress affects every person differently which adds to the complexity of understanding stress. For example, riding a roller coaster can release stress and fear and anxiety in some people, where as others get a rush of excitement.
Just as there are many types of stress there are also many ways to reduce and manage your stress. Depending on what type of stress you have and your personality on how to cope with stress, your management process may be very different from someone else. Where one person may be able to relieve stress by fifteen minutes of meditation, the other person may need a more physical release by exercise or an activity such as painting or gardening. People are as unique as their own stress and you may need to try several ways to relieve stress before you find the right technique that will work for you.
Some methods to reduce stress are deep rhythmic breathing, meditation or guided imagery (closing your eyes and imagining someone walking you to a relaxing area like a warm, sandy beach, a sunny meadow or a soft cozy room filled with white pillows). You could also try writing down your feelings in a journal or daily thankful book. Take a few minutes a day to write down all the positive things in your life that you are thankful for to refocus your thoughts. Paint or draw your feelings thus creating a visual image of what causes your stress. Find a quite hobby or craft that you can immerse yourself in that has a finished result so you feel like you have a tangible accomplishment. Scrap booking, crocheting, knitting, sewing, gardening, photography, quilting and jewelry making all have the ability to calm and sooth people giving them a creative outlet to reduce stress. Going to the gym or taking an exercise class such as yoga, spinning, dancing or even kickboxing can help reduce and mange stress in those who need a physical release. Laughter is also an amazing stress reliever you could watch comedies, read jokes, and hang out with others who share your similar sense of humor.
Sometimes people under immense stress try and reduce it with unhealthy choices like smoking, excessive alcohol or drug use, masking the problem with medications and taking out their stress on others causing a vicious stress circle. Please stay away from these outlets which may at first seem to elevated your stress but in the long run can and will become addictive and cause more stress and health problems to arise in the future.
If you find yourself trying the positive stress reducers with no affect you may need to reassess your life and what is causing your stress. Sometimes in life we try and portray ourselves as someone we are not to gain acceptance, or take a job that makes us completely unhappy, or enroll our family in to many outside activities. With the constant overload of information and the list of to do’s in our life we can pack on too much stuff. Take a step back and simplify your life. Ask yourself do I need this, what would happen if I didn’t have that? Take steps to eliminate toxic relationships (people you find yourself miserable around) and put more time into yourself and your more productive relationships. Most women need to find the word “no” and learn to say it more at work, at home and with their family. Also you can ask other people for help with things that stress you out to elevate some of the stress. Ask a partner to help you with the kids or give each other one day a week off to be alone. If you are a single parent find some friends and switch off with your children. Change your environment, if you find something stresses you like listening to the news or people gossiping at work either turn off the TV or leave the room or find a quit place at work to take your breaks. You should always take time to yourself to recharge and focus on what is really important before stress takes over you negatively in a mental and physical way.
Remember that when it comes to stress we need a certain amount to maintain a balanced life but the excessive harmful stress can be reduced or even eliminated if you take the time to find the cause and source of your stress. Finding the cause and source of your stress will allow you to find a positive healthy outlet to begin to reduce your stress. Masking your stress with alcohol, drugs and destructive behavior only makes matters worse and can take a stress and turn it into a medical condition that is more severe and harder to bounce back from. Take a deep breath and start reducing your stress now. Good Luck!
