5 Things you Should Know About Stress
TweetAccording to experts and scientists, stress is how the brain and body respond to any external or internal demand. Every type of demand can be a stressor for example - exercise, work, school, major life changes, or traumatic events can be stressful.
Stress can affect our health and ability to perform routine tasks of life. It is important to pay attention to how we deal with minor and major stress events in life so that we know when to ignore and when to seek help.
Below are the top 5 things one should learn about stress:
1. Stress can affect everyone
Every individual gets stressed time and again. Some can cope with it more effectively than others while some recover from stressful events more quickly than others. There are different types of stress each having a different physical and mental health risk. The stressful demand can be a short term one or a long term recurring one. Some of the stress examples are as follows:
- Stress due to work, school, family, and other daily responsibilities pressure.
- Sudden events can also cause stress such as losing a job, divorce, or illness
- Then there are traumatic stressors which can be experienced due to any event like major accident, war, assault, or a natural disaster.
2. Every stress is not bad
Stress is not always negative it can be positive as well. It can motivate people to prepare or perform in the stressful situations like test or interview for a new job, etc. The stress can also help the body prepare for the fight or flight response.
3. Long-term stress can harm your health.
Stress can show its effects on health if it goes on for long. Health problems occur when stress response becomes chronic.
There are quite drastic difference between the reaction of people for stress and its effect. Some people experience get digestive symptoms, while some get headaches, sleeplessness, etc. People who have chronic stress might get severe viral infections like flu or common cold.
If the stress reaches the routine levels, it can lead to some serious health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.
4. Follow these ways to manage stress
The effects of stress tend to build up over time. Taking practical steps to manage your stress can reduce or prevent these effects. The following are some tips that may help you to cope with stress:
- Accept that you cannot change everything in life – You should have the habit of putting your stress in perspective and see whether it is worth it to burn the midnight oil over this issue at hand. Just think is it really that bad.
- Do your best and give things your best shot. Instead of aiming for perfection, be happy with whatever you have achieved or however close you get to your target.
- Have a positive attitude towards life and make an effort to replace the negative ones by positive.
- Learn and accept the triggers of your anxiety. You can maintain a diary of events which have caused stress and take the stock of things. Then you can chart a plan or find the pattern in the reactions.
- Eat well balanced diet and say no to alcohol. You need to exercise regularly and sleep for minimum 8 hours every day. Although these things you should do even when you are not feeling stressed, you can follow these while in stress as well to reduce the effects of stress on your body.
- Talk to someone and socialize – You can tell your friends or family that you are feeling stressed and feeling overwhelmed. You can talk to therapist of professional expert as well.
5. Seek help from a health professional if you cannot cope
It you overwhelmed by the stress effects on your life and cannot cope with it, your doctor may be able to provide a recommendation. You can find resources to help you find a mental health provider by reaching out to http://www.depression-guide.com/
# Stress can affect everyone
# Every stress is not bad
# Long-term stress can harm your health
# Follow these ways to manage stress
# Seek help if you cannot cope
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