Ways to Overcome Stress
Stress is inevitable in human life; however, if not addressed, then it can lead to adverse side effects such as insomnia, migraines, a decline in appetite and worst cases depression that leads to suicidal thoughts. Stress can either be emotional or physical. However, most of the times, people suffer emotional stress and find difficulty in managing it. According to research conducted by the Anxiety Depression Association of America in the united states; the report states that in every ten adults, seven adults suffer anxiety or stress daily (ADAA). It is, therefore, crucial to overcome stress by making choices such as exercising regularly, management of drug intake levels, proper nutrition, seeking help and recognizing the stress in its early stages that are healthy to avoid the sense of devastation.
Exercising improves not only the physical well-being but also the mental well-being of an individual because while exercising the body produces chemicals known as endorphins in the brain that are natural pain relievers. Heavy breathing during exercise produces endorphin that improves sleeping patterns, massage therapy, acupuncture, meditation, and massage therapy. Aerobic exercises have a proven ability to stabilize the mood, reduce the tension levels, and excite anti-anxiety effects. According to an online poll conducted by ADAA in the United States, there has been a significant reduction of up to 29% in stress levels of people who actively participate in physical exercise such as walking, yoga and running (ADAA).
Most of the people suffering from stress result into drug use and hence, addiction; however, this exposes them to the risk of developing depression that triggers mental illness and in worse cases, suicide. Reduction of drugs such as alcohol, caffeine, and other drugs is essential to overcome stress. Besides, people experiencing stress do not have control of their impulses hence incapacity to hold up satisfaction because stress reduces the volume of the gray matter in the brain hence loss of cerebral control. Stress shuts down the section of the cortex used in deliberate cognitive. Thus, people give in to smoking, self-medicated drugs, and alcohol as a way out of stress (Grant et al. 180). Besides, drugs such as alcohol if consumed without care are depressants; thus, it does not help with stress management. Also, nicotine and caffeine are stimulating, thus increase stress levels; hence, people should concentrate on water and fruit juices to maintain body hydration to better cope with their stress problem. It is essential to visit a health practitioner to prescribe drugs if they are of absolute necessity to avoid the cases of self-medication that worsens the stress levels.
Nutrition is essential to reduce stress levels, especially fruits and vegetables because people suffering from stress are prone to inflammation and oxidation that results in a visible impact of a loss of weight due to poor eating habits. Refined sugars in manufactured foods cause crashes of energy levels hence fatigue that exposes a stressed person to irritability. Also, poor diet reduces blood flow and flow of compounds in the brain, thus malfunctioning. It is, therefore, crucial to take nutrients that improve blood flow such as vitamin E found in berries, DHA and EPA omega-3 richly found in salmon and polyphenols that ensure brain fitness thus reduce the chances of suffering stress and having a severe impact in case of stress.
Time management can help reduce stress levels because it increases the chances of being in control. It is necessary because people suffer stress because of disorganization and poor time management, especially of work schedules. Prioritizing work schedules helps to focus on what needs to be done and not what is not completed, thus reduces stress. It can be done by use of a calendar and diary of work schedules that reduce the pressure of tasks that need to be completed. Also, work procedures are necessary to eliminate redundancy that increases work to be done, and time is taken hence pressure. Besides, preparation for a task is essential to reduce constant worry, for example, the development of meeting agendas.
Talking through snags of life to people you trust or a health practitioner such as a counselor or a therapist acts as a distraction from worrying thoughts and helps get rid of the tension that builds up over time. Sharing feelings with people helps come into a consensus with the inner self hence relief from stress. According to a research conducted professor Sarah Townsend of USC Marshall School of business stress is better relieved by having an interaction with a person who relates to emotion or has ideally experienced it thus talking to someone acts as a buffer to the management of stress level (Townsend 97).Also speaking to a health practitioner such as a counselor helps gauge the level of stress; thus, a proper diagnosis is made if it was necessary to prescribe medication such as anti-depressants or have other ways of stress management.
Recognizing the signs of stress is an essential step towards stress management because it helps take proper actions that assist in bouncing back to normality. It is through identification that stress is treated for example in the case of chronic stress that develops due to lack of a solution for a prolonged period may require one to get help thus recognition of the type of stress one is suffering from helps one decide on when, where and why to get help. Besides, in case of acute stress that happens for a short time, a person could choose to use self-awareness tools of identifying the strategies that relieve stress such as music or reading novels. Besides, having a toolbox for stress identification is a strategy to avoid situations that cause stress.
Stable sleep schedules act as an essential way to overcome stress because lack of sleep results to stress since the brain is denied rest; thus, insomnia develops as a result. Having a predictable sleep schedule helps the mind form a sense to fall asleep without difficulty; hence, no need to rely on medication to fall asleep or relax. The sleeping environment should be serene to relax and does not remind of daily life struggles; this, therefore, helps in ease of falling asleep. Also, sufficient sleep hours are essential to reduce stress levels; for example, a normal sleep schedule should be at least seven hours to allow the adequate brain time to rest hence minimize stress levels.
Relaxation techniques such as self-hypnosis may help manage stress since a person can focus on the positive things that life has to offer other than the negative stuff. The method is quite simple. Besides, it can be done anywhere. The individual could opt to focus on a positive phrase, words such as “peace “or an affirming refrain that help get rid of anxiety.
Stress diaries are stages of a way out of stress. An individual could make an initiative to note down situations and environment that bring tension and anxiety, for example, taking notes of the time, date and place of each stressful situation, ranking it in a scale of one to ten and identify who was there with you and what were the emotions associated with the case. It helps reduce conditions that cause stress and how to manage the situations if they are unavoidable.
Situational control helps overcome stress caused by problems that seem so challenging to solve, thus having solutions to such an issue reduces the tension. An individual could come up with a problem-solving technique such as writing down the possible options the advantages and disadvantages of each, take the most feasible strategy and develop a plan of action hence reduce the stress caused by the problem by taking control of the problem.
Accurately identifying things that cause stress and learn to politely differ with people who ask you to do what you cannot handle. Stress is caused by having too much to do with limited time to handle the tasks and still be willing to take more functions because it is difficult to say no, having a fear of rejection and trying to be careful to fit in a group. However, the technique of saying no to tasks you consider difficult and those that cannot fit in the work schedule without causing too much pressure is essential because it reduces stress levels.
Overworking even during periods of illness is a causes stress thus one may recover physically but not mentally, therefore, it is necessary to take a break off daily tasks in times of illness to allow full recovery both physically and mentally thus reduce stress levels. Also, it is essential to create time for another thing in life besides the healthy work life, such as time to mediation, hobbies, and even social gatherings. Hobbies are a step towards stress avoidance and management because they relieve the tension of daily work schedules and helps one build in confidence. Games such as cards and chess improve the ability to think critically thus ease in getting solutions of real-life problems, besides playing games helps create social pacts that help in creating an environment to discuss personal issues that may be a cause of stress. Lastly, entertainment, for example, movies create a different perspective of life and leaves an individual feeling good about themselves.
Focus on strengths and try to improve on weakness by being easy on yourself on the things other people do better than yourself because they trigger unnecessary stress. An act of compromising always keeps a state of peace of mind by accepting things you have no control over. Learning things step by step not only helps perfect on your skills but reduces your stress levels.
In conclusion, stress is unavoidable in human life, but it can be managed by adopting appropriate strategies. The strategies one takes are what builds or breaks them. It is, therefore, of the essence to find a productive setup to address stressful situations. An individual can quickly gain comfort in their stressful situation that makes them a better person, thus not end up in breaking situation of madness or suicide.
Work Cited
Grant, J.E, Donahue, C.B & Odlaug,B.L (2011). Overcoming Impulse Control Disorders. A Cognitive-Behavior Therapy Program (Workbook).New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ( 15-201)
Townsend, S.S.M, Kim H.S &Mesquita, B. (2013). Are you feeling what I’m feeling? Emotional Similarity buffer Stress.Social Psychological and personality science.doi.
Anxiety Depression Association of America (2008)