How to deal with Stress?

Stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure. Pressure turns into stress when you feel unable to cope. People have different ways of reacting to stress, so a situation that feels stressful to one person may be motivating to someone else. Many of life’s demands can cause stress, particularly work, relationships and money problems. And, when you feel stressed, it can get in the way of sorting out these demands, or can even affect everything you do. Stress can affect how you feel, think, behave and how your body works.

Stress kills – there’s no doubt. It eats away at you, affecting your level of happiness, as well as your stomach lining. It raises your blood pressure and directly harms your cardiovascular system. It depresses your immune system and allows chronic illnesses to overwhelm you, causing pain, disability and even death. Basically, stress prevents you from experiencing life’s many pleasures.

Stress is a mental state that can cause severe negative emotional and physical consequences. It can be entirely eliminated, or at least greatly lessened, by adjusting our understanding and attitudes, and by learning simple, yet very effective, relaxation techniques.

Common signs of stress include

  • sleeping problems,
  • sweating,
  • increase weight gain
  • difficulty concentrating
  • anxiety
  • lower immune function

Stress causes a surge of hormones in your body. Cortisol is released in response to fear or stress by the adrenal glands. These stress hormones are released to enable you to deal with pressures or threats – “fight or flight” response.  Once the alarm to release cortisol has sounded, your body becomes mobilized and ready for action but there has to be a physical release of fight or flight. But cortisol levels build up in the blood which wreaks havoc on your mind and body. Once the pressure or threat has passed, your stress hormone levels should return to normal. However, if you’re constantly under stress, these hormones will remain in your body, leading to the symptoms of stress.

The most unhelpful thing you can do is turn to something unhealthy to help you cope such as smoking, drinking, watching excessive TV, social media, indulging in comfort food, and numbing your pain in activities that are unhealthy. Over the long term, these crutches won’t solve your problems. They’ll just create new ones. They might even lead to addiction.

There is little you can do to prevent stress in daily life, but there are many things you can do to manage stress more effectively, such as:

1. Learning how to relax

You heal when you are relaxed. Your body can focus on healing rather than fighting any external dangers.

  1. Taking regular exercise

Physical activity get you in the right state of mind to be able to identify the causes of your stress and find a solution. To deal with stress effectively, you need to feel robust and you need to feel strong mentally. Exercise does that. Exercise won’t make your stress disappear, but it will reduce some of the emotional intensity that you’re feeling, clearing your thoughts and enabling you to deal with your problems more calmly. Kick boxing, sparring, or a punching bag are terrific ways to recreate the “fight” response by letting out aggression (without hurting anyone) and to reduce cortisol.

Any aerobic activities, like walking, jogging, swimming, biking, riding are great ways to recreate the ‘flight’ outlet and burn-up cortisol.  A little bit of cardio goes a long way. Just 20-30 minutes of activity most days of the week pays huge dividends by lowering cortisol every day and in the long-run. Fear increases cortisol. Regular physical activity will decrease fear by increasing your self-confidence, resilience, and fortitude—which will reduce cortisol. Yoga will have similar benefits with added benefits of mindfulness training.

  1. Meditation

Any type of meditation will reduce anxiety and lower cortisol levels. Simply taking a few deep breaths engages the nerve which triggers a signal within your nervous system to slow heart rate, lower blood pressure and decreases cortisol. The next time you feel yourself in a stressful situation that activates your ‘Fight-or-Flight’ response take 10 deep breaths and feel your entire body relax and decompress.

Setting aside 10-15 minutes to practice mindfulness or meditation will fortify a sense of calm throughout your nervous system, mind, and brain.

  1. Letting go

We tend to hold on to our past, to grudges, to hurt and find it difficult to forgive those who have hurt us and move on in life. Learn the lessons that difficult situations and people have taught you and let go.  Do your best and let life do the rest.

  1. Accepting situations as they are and then work on changing what is under your control

Changing a difficult situation isn’t always possible. If this proves to be the case, recognise and accept things as they are and concentrate on everything that you do have control over. If you feel that you are being taken advantage of, then set healthy boundaries, speak up and express yourself.

  1. Adopting good time-management techniques.

Good time management means quality work rather than quantity. Our long-hours culture is a well-known cause of workplace illness. have a work-life balance that suits you.

Working smarter means prioritising your work and concentrating on the tasks that will make a real difference to your work.  Also delegate and ditch work that are not important.

  1. Talking your issues through with someone you truest and who can help you.

If you have a stress-related problem, physical activity can get you in the right state of mind to be able to identify the causes of your stress and find a solution. “To deal with stress effectively, you need to feel robust and you need to feel strong mentally.

  1. Have fun!

Having fun and laughing reduces cortisol levels. Many studies have shown the benefits of having a sense of humour, laughter and levity. Try to find ways in your daily life to laugh and joke as much as possible and you’ll lower cortisol levels. Feeling socially connected, safe, and self-reliant reduces cortisol. Go out with your friends, watch comedies, do silly things…just have fun J

  1. Find out the root cause of your stress

Recognise your stress triggers and tackle the cause of your stress. Go to the root and eliminate the problem for lasting solution. Shamanic or Theta healing can help you find the root cause of your stress.

  1. Naturopathy

Take supplements like 5 HTP which balances your hormones, drink chamomile tea to help you relax, lavender essential oil is very calming.

 

I hope the 10 tips presented above will help you make lifestyle choices that reduce your levels of stress hormone.