Stress

Understanding Stress

In simple words, stress is a reaction to a stimulus that alters our physical or mental equilibrium. Stress itself isn’t necessarily harmful. There is a “healthy” amount of stress that can be exciting, it can keep you active, alert and on top of everything- everyone needs goals and challenges. But overwhelming or long term stress can become unmanageable.

As most people know, stress is a common trigger for depression and many times it also affects physical health which is why it is important that everyone knows how to deal with and tackle stress. It can be caused by pessimism, unrealistic expectations, perfectionism, major life changes, relationship difficulties and a million other things.

It is vital to act to relieve damaging stress before it affects your physical and/or mental health. There are several symptoms, those of which include increased irritability, loss of concentration, indigestion, heightened sensitivity to criticism, and difficulty sleeping at night and waking up in the morning.

Understanding Stress

There are simple ways to try to tackle stress. For example, top on the list would be to talk about it. Share your feelings and concerns with someone in whatever way you want. It could be your psychologist, your best friend or a family member. You should also take a break from everything and relax. Easier said than done but everyone deserves it and needs it at some stage, you can’t go on living your life drowning in misery because you’re stressed. Something as simple as reading a book can do the trick. If you have more time to spare you could go to a Pilate’s class or take a car trip to the countryside. In general physical activity such as swimming and running release endorphin’s and benefit both the mind and body.

After relaxing, try to laugh it up. Watch a movie, read a comic strip, listen to a podcast, watch stand-up comedy, tell a joke, anything! Humour can be a powerful antidote to stress. Seeing the bright side of things helps put suffering into perspective, fills you up with positive thoughts (which attract positive actions) and takes your mind off the pain.

Moreover, other ways to deal with stress would be to accept all offers of practical help, prioritize your work and do one thing at a time and know your limits! Don’t be too competitive or expect too much of yourself, that way you indirectly pile on the stress and worries.

If you feel everything is too much and feel yourself becoming very pessimistic or depressed it is advisable you go to a specialist that will help you deal with your feelings and advise you on how to deal with them. There is also always online support, for example https://www.imalive.org/ (for the extreme cases.)

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