Learn how stress impacts your overall health and learn how to release stress on a daily basis.
A long-term stress level (even with lower-grade stress) can have negative effects on your body and mental health, so don’t ignore the feelings of constant stress.
Understand what’s going on within your body and discover easy coping techniques to fight the harmful effects of everyday stress triggers.
Fight or Flight
Stress triggers your nervous system and fills up your bloodstream with adrenaline and cortisol, which these two substances then could elevate your blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar levels.
These alterations cause your body to go into fight or flight mode.
For this reason, they allowed us to immediately run away when we were chased by angry dogs and it’s still useful today in circumstances like avoiding a vehicle crash.
However, most modern chronic stresses such as financial difficulty or a challenging relationship will put slow stress (chronic stress) on your mind and body which is harmful to your overall health in the long run.
The Dangers of Excessive Stress
Most of us will ultimately start to perform less effectively if we are consistently under stress.
Numerous studies have linked chronic stress to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, weight gain, memory loss and even premature death.
So, it’s critical to detect the early warning signs of stress happening inside your body.
If you are suffering any of the following symptoms see your doctor to learn more about stress management techniques.
- Sleep deprivation over an extended amount of time
- Consistent severe headaches
- Weight loss or gain abruptly
- Feelings of withdrawal or worthlessness
- Always feels angry and irritated
- Disinterest in doing any activity
- Constant anxiety or compulsive thinking
- Excessive alcohol or drug consumption
- Difficulty to focus
10 Strategies for Coping with Chronic Stress
Recognizing stressful events as they occur is critical as it gives you the focus on how to react in the right manner.
When we sense the stress is mounting to the roof, we have to know when we need to close our eyes and take a deep breath.
Use these suggestions to avoid or release chronic stress.
1. Restore Work-Life Balance
Is it all about work, work, and work?
If you are consuming too much of your time at the workplace, you must find a way to balance them by scheduling additional time for enjoyment either by yourself or with your family or friends.
This will prevent you to be burned out by your work.
2. Incorporate Regular Exercise
Exercising on a daily basis helps to regulate the neurological system and enhance blood circulation which aids in the removal of stress chemicals.
Be sure to use the right workout gear to ease your workout sessions and reduce your stress levels accordingly.
Even a 20-minute stroll every day helps to reduce your stress levels.
3. Eat well
A well-fed and nourished body will help your body to cope with stress.
Start with having a decent breakfast, taking more high-vitamin fruits, avoiding any processed meat or sugar, and most importantly, drinking more water.
4. Make Contact with Positive People
Face-to-face communication releases hormones that could release stress. Make use of good listeners in your life.
5. Make Time for Hobbies
Do you like to garden, read, listen to music or engage in other creative activities?
Research shows that engaging in things that provide you pleasure and joy able to decreases stress by nearly half and also reduces your heart rate, too.
6. Meditation or Yoga
Relaxation techniques induce a state of calm that balances your body’s fight or flight chemicals.
Consider attending meditation classes that teach you about mindfulness and how to control your stress.
7. Get Enough Sleep
If you don’t get 7-8 hours of sleep every night your body won’t be able to handle stress as effectively as it could.
If stress is keeping you awake at night, address the source and include short naps throughout the day to compensate for the missing sleeping hours.
8. Create a Bond with Your Pet
For those who have pets, clinical studies suggest that even spending a short time with a pet may reduce anxiety levels by nearly half.
So, if you have a pet cat or dog, play with them to release stress.
9. Take a Break
Taking a vacation will improve your mental and emotional attitude resulting in a happier more productive person when you return.
It will help you to release your stress and start fresh.
10. Consult with a Therapist
If your capacity to make beneficial changes is being thwarted by negative ideas it’s time to seek professional help.
Schedule an appointment with the professionals – your health and life are worth being taken care of.