Stress Management- Techniques and Methods
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What is Stress?
Stress can be defined as a sense of mental or physical discomfort. Any experience or thinking that makes you upset, furious, or anxious will cause it. Your body's response to a threat or demand is called stress Stress is a disorder that induces a complex biochemical reaction. Chemicals and hormones flood the body as you sense a danger or a big obstacle.
Stress activates the fight-or-flight reflex, which prepares you to fight or flee from the stressor. Your body should usually relax after the reaction has occurred. Constant tension will have a negative impact on your wellbeing in the long run.
Beneficial Aspects of Stress
Stress isn't really a negative issue. It was crucial to our hunter-gatherer forefathers' survival, and it remains so in today's world. When it helps you stop an injury, follow a tight deadline, or keep your wits about you in the midst of uncertainty, it may be beneficial.
We all experience stress from time to time, but what one person considers stressful can be somewhat different from what another finds stressful. Public speaking is an example of this. Some people like the rush, while others feel numb at the very thought of it.
Stress, on the other hand, isn't necessarily a bad thing. For eg, your wedding day may be considered a good source of stress. Stress, on the other hand, can only be experienced for a short period of time. Your pulse rate and breathing should slow down, and your muscles should relax, after you've reached the fight-or-flight stage. Your body should be able to revert to its normal state in a brief period of time, with no long-term consequences.
Extreme, frequent, or long-term stress, on the other hand, may be detrimental to one's mind and body. It's a pretty normal phenomenon as well. When asked whether they had encountered any stress problems in the previous month, 80% of Americans said yes. Twenty percent of those surveyed said they were under a lot of pressure. Because of the nature of life, tension cannot be totally eliminated. However, we should learn to stop it wherever possible and live with it when it is inevitable.
Role of Cortisol in Stress
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Cortisol, as the primary stress hormone, is crucial in difficult conditions. The following are some of its functions:
- Rising the amount of glucose in the blood
- Assisting the brain in allowing better use of glucose
- Increasing the availability of substances that aid in tissue regeneration
- Restraining non-essential roles in a life-threatening situation
- Altering the immune response
- Stifling the reproductive system and the mechanism of development
- Fear, inspiration, and mood are all influenced by parts of the brain.
Both of this will help you deal with a high-stress situation more efficiently. It's a natural occurrence that's necessary for human life.
However, if the cortisol levels remain elevated for an extended period of time, it may be harmful to your health. It will help you with:
- Gaining weight
- Blood pressure that is too high
- Issues with sleep
- Energy deficiency
- Diabetes type 2
- Osteoporosis is a disease that affects the bones.
- Memory disorders and emotional cloudiness (brain fog)
- A compromised immune system that makes you more susceptible to infections
- It can also be detrimental to your mental health.
Types of Stress
There are several forms of stress, such as:
- Acute Stress
- Episodic Stress
- Chronic Stress
- Psychological Stress
- Post Traumatic Stress
Acute Stress
All feels intense stress. It's the body's first response to a fresh and difficult condition. It's the sort of anxiety you might have after barely avoiding a car crash.
Acute tension will also result from doing something you love. On a roller coaster or when skiing down a steep mountain slope, it's the somewhat terrifying, but exciting sensation. Normally, these events of acute stress do not cause you any harm. They could also be beneficial to your health. Stressful scenarios teach the body and brain how to react in the most effective way to future stressful situations.
Your body processes can return to normal after the threat has passed. There is difference in case of severe acute stress. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other mental health conditions may arise from this form of stress, such as after you've been in a life-threatening situation.
Episodic Stress
When you have repeated episodes of acute stress, this is known as episodic acute stress. This may occur if you are often nervous and concerned about events that you believe may occur. You may feel as though your life is in disarray and that you are going from one crisis to the next.
Certain occupations, such as law enforcement or firefighting, can also expose you to high-stress conditions on a regular basis. Episodic acute stress, like severe acute stress, may have a negative impact on your physical and mental health.
Chronic Stress
Chronic stress occurs when you have elevated stress levels for a prolonged period of time. This type of long-term stress can be harmful to your health. It could help with:
Chronic stress can also lead to common symptoms like headaches, stomach upset, and sleep problems. Understanding the many forms of stress and how to recognise them may be beneficial.
Psychological Stress
Stress is described as a feeling of mental tension and pressure in psychology. Stress is a form of mental anguish. Stress in small doses can be attractive, helpful, and even safe. Positive stress can make athletes work better. It also affects inspiration, adaptation, and environmental response.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD is a psychological condition that may impact individuals that have been threatened with suicide, sexual assault, or significant illness, or who have undergone or observed a stressful incident such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist attack, war/combat, or rape.
Causes of Stress
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Acute or persistent stress can be caused by a variety of factors, including:
- Being a victim of a natural or man-made catastrophe
- Dealing with a long-term disease
- Surviving a nearly fatal crash or disease
- Being a victim of a burglary
- Having to cope with family stressors such as:
- A friendship that is dysfunctional
- A sour relationship
- Long-drawn-out divorce proceedings
- Concerns over child custody
- Taking control of a loved one who suffers from a mental disease such as dementia
- Being poor or homeless is a difficult situation to be in.
- Working in a toxic environment
- Serving long hours, not finding a work-life balance, or having a job you despise
- Deployment of armed forces
- Since humans are as different as they are, there is no limit to the stuff that can create tension.
Whatever the source, if left untreated, the consequences for the body will be disastrous. Look at other personal, mental, and traumatic stressors.
Symptoms of Stress
Just as we each have different things that stress us out, our symptoms can also be different. Although you’re unlikely to have them all, here are some things you may experience if you’re under
stress. The signs of Stress includes
- Chronic pain
- Insomnia and other sleep problems
- Lower sex drive
- Digestive problems
- Stress Eating: Eating too much or too little
- Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
- Fatigue
You might feel overwhelmed, irritable, or fearful. Whether you’re aware of it or not, you may be drinking or smoking more than you used to. Get a better understanding of the signs and symptoms of too much stress.
Stress Management and Stress Buster
Stress Management and Its Importance
You put your entire well-being at risk if you live under elevated levels of stress. Stress has a negative effect on both your mental and physical wellbeing. It makes it difficult to think clearly, act efficiently, and appreciate life. It can seem that there is nothing you can do to relieve stress. The payments will never stop coming, the days will never be longer, and the job and family obligations will always be demanding. However, you have much more influence than you can imagine.
Effective stress control allows you to free yourself from the grip that stress has on your life, allowing you to be happier, stronger, and more prosperous. The main aim is to live a healthy life, with time for jobs, friends, rest, and fun—as well as the endurance to keep working when things get difficult. However, tension control is not a one-size-fits-all approach. That's why it's important to try new stuff to see what works best for you. The following stress control suggestions will aid you in doing so.
Coping With Stress & Stress Relieving Strategies
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Here are some important techniques to cope with Stress.
1- Pinpoint the Source of Your Stress
Identifying the causes of stress in your life is the first step in stress control. This isn't as easy as it might seem. Although big stressors like changing employers, travelling, or going through a divorce are easy to recognise, pinpointing the causes of persistent stress can be more difficult. It's all too tempting to ignore the role that your own emotions, feelings, and habits play in your daily stress levels.
Sure, you may be endlessly concerned with work deadlines, but it's possible that the tension is being caused by the procrastination rather than the real job demands.
Examine your habits, mentality, and excuses to determine your real causes of stress:
- Do you rationalise the exhaustion as temporary ("I just have a million things on my plate right now"), despite the fact that you can't recall the last time you took a break?
- Can you think of stress as a result of your job or home life (“Things are still a little wild around here”) or as a personality trait (“I only have a lot of nervous energy, that's all”)?
- Can you attribute the stress to other individuals or external circumstances, or do you consider it to be completely natural and unexceptional?
Your stress level will be out of your reach until you take blame for your part in causing or sustaining it.
2- A-4 Strategy for Stress Management
Although stress is an involuntary nervous system reaction, certain stressors occur at predictable moments, such as during your commute to work, a meeting with your employer, or family gatherings. You have two options when dealing with predictable stressors: alter the scenario or change the response. It's helpful to consider the four A's when choosing which choice to use in any given situation: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept.
3- Learning to say "no" is a valuable skill
Establish and keep to your personal boundaries. Taking on more than you can manage, whether in your personal or professional life, is a sure way to cause tension. Separate the "shoulds" from the "musts," and say "no" to taking on too many where possible.
4- Avoid People that are Source of Stress
Limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship if they constantly create tension in your life.
5- Don't let your surroundings control you
Switch off the Screen if the nightly news is getting you uncomfortable. Taking a longer, less-traveled path if traffic makes you anxious. Do your grocery shopping online if going to the store is a drag for you.
6- Reduce the size of your to-do list
Examine your everyday activities, obligations, and timetable. If you have too many on your mind, transfer non-essential things to the bottom of the list or delete them altogether.
Change the circumstances
7- Change a Frustrating Situation if you can't Control it
Changing the way you communicate and act in your everyday life is often needed.
Be ready to make concessions. When you expect others to change their actions, prove that you are able to change your own. You'll have a fair shot of reaching a comfortable middle ground if you're both able to bend a bit.
8- Make a routine that is well-balanced.
Burnout is a product of all effort and no play. Make an attempt to strike a balance between work and family life, social gatherings and solo pursuits, everyday tasks and downtime.
Adapt to the source of stress
9- Adjust yourself if you can't change the stressor
By altering your perceptions and mindset, you can adjust to difficult circumstances and regain energy.
Problems should be reframed. Try to see it in a more optimistic light when you're in a difficult situation. Instead of getting irritated by a traffic jam, take it an excuse to regroup, listen to your favourite radio station, or spend some alone time.
10- Take a step back to look at the big picture
View the case from a certain viewpoint. Consider how crucial it will be in the long term. Will that make a difference in a month? Is it only a year? Is it really worth being worked up about? If the answer is no, you should dedicate your time and resources to something else.
11- Gratitude should be practised.
When you're feeling stressed, take a minute to think about all the things you're grateful for in your life, like your own good attributes and abilities. This straightforward approach will assist you with keeping things in perspective. Consider what you can't do and move on.
12- Stress is inevitable in some situations
Stressors like the loss of a loved one, a major illness, or a national recession are difficult to stop or alter. Accepting things as they are is the only way to deal with tension in those situations. Acceptance is tough, but it is better in the long term than fighting a situation you can't fix.
13- Don't attempt to control what you can't control
Many things in life are beyond our control, especially other people's actions. Rather than worrying about them, concentrate on the aspects you can handle, such as how you react to problems.
14- Look for the silver lining.
When confronted by big obstacles, try to see them as tools for professional development. Reflect on and learn from your mistakes if your bad decisions lead to a difficult situation.
15- Acquire the ability to forgive
Recognize that we live in an imperfect universe where people make mistakes. Let go of your resentments and rage. By forgiving and moving on, you can free yourself from harmful energies.
16- Feel free to express yourself
And if there's nothing you can do to change the stressful situation, expressing what you're going through can be very cathartic. Create an appointment with a therapist or talk to a close friend.
17- Exercising
When you're tired, waking up and exercising is usually the last thing on your mind. Physical exercise, on the other hand, is a great stress relief, and you don't have to be an athlete or spend hours in the gym to enjoy the advantages. Exercise activates endorphins, which make you feel healthy, and it can also be a good way to get away from your everyday worries.
Although you'll get the most gain from exercising for 30 minutes or more on a daily basis, it's fine to steadily raise your fitness level. Over the course of a day, even slight tasks will add up. The first act is to get up and move around. Here are several easy ways to fit exercise into your everyday routine:
- Play some music and get going.
- Take a stroll with your dog.
- To get to the shop, walk or ride your bike.
- Instead of taking the lift, take the stairs at home or at work.
- Park your car in the farthest corner of the parking lot and walk the remaining distance.
- When you work out, pair up with a fitness buddy to cheer each other on.
- For your children, play ping-pong or an activity-based video game.
- The stress-relieving power of attentive rhythmic movement
While any sort of physical exercise may help alleviate anxiety and stress, rhythmic exercises are particularly helpful. But if you do, make sure you like it so you'll be more inclined to stick with it.
Make a deliberate attempt to pay attention to the body and the actual (and sometimes emotional) vibrations you encounter when you walk when exercising. Consider how the breeze or sunshine feels against your skin, or how you can sync your breathing with your movements. Including this mindfulness component will help you break free from the repetitive thinking loop that sometimes comes with overwhelming tension.
18- Spend Quality time with your Loved Ones
Spending quality time with another human being that makes you feel comfortable and understood is incredibly relaxing. Face-to-face contact, in particular, sets off a chain reaction of hormones that counteracts the body's defensive "fight-or-flight" instinct. It's a perfect stress relief by nature (as an added bonus, it also helps stave off depression and anxiety). So make it a point to communicate with family and friends on a daily basis—and in person.
Remember that the people you refer to don't have to be there to help you deal with the pressures. Simply put, they must be strong listeners. Often, don't let feelings of being vulnerable or burdensome deter you from speaking up. Your faith will be appreciated by those who care for you. It would only serve to improve the relationship.
Of course, having a close friend to rely on when you're stressed isn't always practical, but you can increase your resiliency to life's stresses by cultivating and sustaining a network of close friends.
19- Allow time for enjoyment and relaxing
You will relieve tension in your life by carving out "me" time in addition to taking charge and maintaining a healthy outlook. Don't get swept up in the hustle and bustle of life to the point that you struggle to look after yourself. Self-care is a need, not a privilege. You'll be more able to manage life's pressures if you plan time for fun and relaxing on a daily basis.
Make time for yourself. Allow time for rest and relaxing in your everyday life. Enable no other responsibilities to intervene. This is the chance to disconnect from all obligations and re-energize.
Every day, do something you love. Have time for the things that make you happy, whether it's stargazing, playing the violin, or riding your bike.
Keep your wits about you. This requires the desire to make yourself laugh. Laughter aids the body's stress-reduction efforts in a variety of areas.
Start a relaxation regimen. Yoga, meditation, and deep breathing are examples of calming mechanisms that stimulate the body's relaxation reflex, which is the reverse of the fight or flight or mobilisation stress response. Your stress levels will drop as you learn and use these exercises, and your mind and body will become relaxed and concentrated.
20- Improve your time management skills.
Poor time control will lead to a great deal of anxiety. It's difficult to remain relaxed and concentrated when you're overworked and behind schedule. Plus, you'll be tempted to avoid or minimise any of the healthier habits you should be doing to relieve tension, such as socialising and having enough sleep. The positive news is that there are steps you should take to boost your work-life balance.
Don't take on more than you can handle. Avoid arranging events consecutively or having to cram too much into a single day. We all too much underestimate the length of time it would take to complete a task.
Create a list of assignments and prioritise them. Create a list of the things you need to complete and prioritise them. Prioritize the high-priority activities first. Get it over with as soon as possible if you have something especially uncomfortable or stressful to do. As a result, the remainder of the day will be more enjoyable.
Split down tasks into manageable chunks. Create a step-by-step schedule if a big undertaking is daunting. Rather than tackling all at once, focus on one manageable action at a time.
Assign responsibilities to others. You don't have to do it yourself at home, school, or at work. Why not assign the job to others if they are capable of doing so? Enable yourself to let go of the need to be in charge of or oversee any detail. In the meantime, you'll be releasing undue tension.
21- Maintain a balanced lifestyle to keep things in order.
Other healthier lifestyle decisions, in addition to daily exercise, will help you become more resistant to stress.
Maintain a balanced diet. Be aware of what you eat and well-nourished bodies are well able to deal with stress. Start the day off right with breakfast, and eat healthy, nutritious meals during the day to keep your energy up and your mind clear.
Caffeine and fructose should be avoided. Caffeine and sugar offer transient "highs" that are often accompanied by a slump in mood and energy. You will be more comfortable and sleep easier if you reduce the consumption of caffeine, soft drinks, cookies, and sugary snacks.
Alcohol, cigarettes, and medications can all be avoided. Self-medicating with alcohol or drugs can offer a fast fix for stress, but the relief is brief. Act with issues head on and with an open conscience, rather than ignoring or masking them.
Make sure you have enough rest. A good night's sleep fuels both your mind and your body. You would feel more depressed if you are exhausted and it will lead you to think irrationally.
22- Understand how to cope with stress in the moment
You need a way to control your stress rate right now, whether you're frazzled by your daily commute, trapped in a tense meeting at work, or fried from another fight with your partner. This is where instant tension reduction comes in handy.
Taking a deep breath by utilising the senses—what you see, hear, taste, and touch—or engaging in a calming exercise are the quickest ways to relieve tension. You can easily relax and centre yourself by staring at a favourite picture, enjoying a certain perfume, listening to a favourite piece of music, tasting a piece of gum, or embracing a pet, for example.
Medicine for Stress
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The antidepressants most widely prescribed for anxiety and Stress are Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as
- Prozac
- Zoloft
- Paxil
- Lexapro
- Celexa
Di-Stress: is a dietary supplement with vitamins B and C for the nervous system and it minimizes fatigue, tiredness and stress.
Stresso: Ayurveda Redefine Stresso Stress Heal Capsules also used as to relive stress.
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