You have probably heard and experienced “stress”, but did you know what it actually means? Today we will talk about how to manage your stress. We will also see what are the 8 ways are to manage our stress completely. What is actually happening in your body that makes you feel weird and uncomfortable? In this article, you will find out everything you need to know about this strange thing, that is still somehow unclear to a humankind. You will also learn how to protect yourself from its impact.
Table of Contents
What is stress?
The “stress” term is hard to explain. Roughly speaking, stress is a combination of multiple reactions of the human body to the harmful factors of the human environment. It is actually the way our body protect itself from various impacts. The word “stress” itself may have many different meanings. The most important are these two types:
- Occupational stress is stress that results from one’s job. It is often manifested because of a lack of self-confidence, the pressure of meeting deadlines or saving the job, not feeling support from colleagues, etc.
- Psychological stress is the feeling of strain and pressure that sometimes, in small amounts, can be even good for you.
Some of the most common symptoms and signs of stress are frequent headaches, teeth grinding, back and stomach pain, tremors, sweaty hands, etc.
How to Manage your Stress: Can it be Good?
First of all, we need to be clear: stress is not always bad. When you are in fear, your body will naturally react and give you strength and motivation to “survive”. It is especially known to athletes who are constantly under pressure to win. Although positive stress sometimes may be good for you, most of the time it is very bad. Stress can cause strokes, heart attacks and mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety. It can lead you to certain behavioral changes, that can destroy your health too. Some of that behaviors are smoking, drinking, eating unhealthy, sleeping less than needed, and all these are the most dangerous things for human health.
Stress can cause a sleeping disorder
How to Manage your Stress: Don’t you want to get rid of it?
-
Change your thinking
Stressful events can make you feel very bad. You might start focusing only on the bad things. You must not think negatively. Always look on the bright side. Negative thinking can make you feel afraid, insecure and anxious. Although it is the first and most crucial step, there must be others.
-
Organize your time
This is one of the most reliable ways to get rid of stress, and if you think of it just for a second, you will realize that it is very easy thing to do. We all leave things for the last minute, and then we start to panic. Try to avoid this. Organize yourself so that you can manage your time in order to meet all deadlines. It is natural that man oppose everything that is not fun, but a little of work every day actually keeps you healthy (in some way).
-
Eat healthy
Healthy food is important for every aspect of life. The food you are eating directly affects your mood. Food also gives you ingredients that you need for surviving the day, such as proteins and amino acids, but also fat and sugars. You should eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. Chicken and fish meat, dairy products, and cereals are also good. Avoid eating fats and sugar—fast food, fries, carbonated drinks, etc.
-
Do not let your muscles atrophy
It is bad when a person spends too much time in front of the computer, without doing any physical activity. You can search for some workout programs online, but there are easy exercises that you can do right now, in front of your computer. Prevent muscles to atrophy simply by stretching your hands, feet, neck, and back. It is not much, but it can be useful if you do not have other options.
-
Get proper sleep
Stress can cause a sleeping disorder. Having too much pressure and obligations prevents you from sleeping well and sleeping enough. Do not try to finish your jobs when it is sleep time. To be healthy, an average grown person needs minimum 7 hours of sleep daily. Everything below can be dangerous to your health. Do not ignore this, sleep is a very important thing. When we sleep, our brain is recovering from work, in order to be ready for tomorrow’s challenges.
-
Go to fresh air, from time to time
You should not be at home or at the office whole day. Grab some fresh air that may give you the strength and motivation to continue doing your job. Try to take a walk every day. Some scientist say that 30 minutes of walking per day is more than enough to stay in shape and be healthy.
-
Spend more time with your loved ones
Taking your mind off work from time to time is required in stress prevention. It does not matter how important it is; you should not always think about the job. Spend some time with your family, partner or even your pet. They will also give you confidence and motivation to carry on. Reading a good book, watching a movie or listening to music can also help.
-
Do Yoga!
If none of the above, in some way, works for you, you should definitely try yoga and meditation. Meditation is a state of rest or mental silence where our attention is aware, but not loaded in thinking. Yoga is the same thing as exercise, just in a different way. You can find certain courses online. Do not be lazy about exploring.
How to Manage your Stress: –When Should You get started?
Stress is one of the biggest problems facing modern man, just because of his bad and unhealthy habits. In the past, people lived much healthier, and there was almost no stress at all.
You do not need to learn to live under stress; you need to learn how to get over it. Little changes mean a lot. Consider your lifestyle. Respect your body, start living healthy today.