Stress is not a new thing in this modern life where it is forbidden to get tired. But if it becomes a daily thing, it can endanger our health in the long term. In fact, the deadlines, workload, worries, and even obligations would certainly have an adverse effect on the mind and body. There are many negative consequences of stress such as a lack of concentration, a weaker immune system, high blood pressure, decreased performance, and it can even lead to memory loss.
Some studies have even concluded that it can lead to impotence since the libido gets weakened and the risk of suffering from a menstrual cycle disorder increases. This consequence is not that rare and occurs even with a low-stress level.
What is Stress?
Everyone, at some point or another, will experience the normal human reaction known as stress. The human body was made to be put under pressure and to respond to that pressure. Your body will develop both physical and mental responses in response to changes and challenges, which are collectively referred to as stressors. The response that your body produces is termed stress. How your body reacts to stress helps it adapt to new circumstances.
The ability to remain vigilant, motivated, and prepared to avert danger is a beneficial side effect of stress. For instance, if you have an examination coming up, a stress response may encourage your body to work harder and keep you awake for a longer period. However, stress can become problematic when the factors that cause it to persist without being alleviated or replaced with times of rest.
But of course, there is a remedy for everyone who suffers from stress. There are different ways to deal with everyday stress. Not every option is suitable for everyone, so it goes without saying that everyone develops their own anti-stress measures and integrates them into their morning or evening routines.
How Does Stress Affect the Body?
The rate of your heartbeat, your breathing, and even the changes in your vision are all under the direction of your body’s autonomic nervous system. The fight or flight response or response is the body’s built-in stress response, and it assists the body in dealing with stressful conditions.
When a person is under stress for an extended period, this is referred to as chronic stress, and it causes the body to experience continued activation of the stress response, which leads to wear and tear. The patient begins to exhibit physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms.
Is Stress Always Bad?
There are some situations in which stress might be beneficial. It is the factor that contributed to the survival of our ancestors who engaged in hunting and gathering, and it continues to be of critical significance in the modern world. When it helps you escape an accident, achieve a tight deadline, or have your wits about you amid chaos, it can be beneficial to your health.
There are times when we all feel anxious, but the things that stress one person out may be very different from the things that stress another person out. Speaking in front of an audience is a good illustration of this. Some people thrive on the excitement it brings, while others can’t even fathom the possibility of it happening.
It’s not always a bad thing to be stressed out, either. For example, the anxiety you feel before your wedding day can be considered a healthy sort of stress. However, stress should only be short-term. When you have successfully navigated the “fight or flight” moment, your respiration and pulse rate should both settle down, and your muscles should become relaxed. Within a short period, your body should revert to its natural state without experiencing any adverse consequences that will be permanent.
On the other hand, excessive stress that occurs frequently or over an extended period can be damaging to both the mind and the body. Due to the nature of life, it is not feasible to rid one’s life of stress. However, we can learn to avoid stress whenever feasible and to cope with it whenever it cannot be avoided.
When Does Stress Become an Issue?
There are instances when a moderate level of stress can assist us in achieving our goals and making us feel more invigorated. But stress can become problematic when it lasts for an extended period or when it is experienced in a highly severe manner. In certain circumstances, our physical and mental health might be negatively impacted by stress.
What are the Types of Stress?
Acute Stress
Everyone, at some point, will experience acute stress. It is the instant response of the body to a novel and taxing circumstance. It’s the kind of anxiousness you may experience after squeaking out of a car accident by a hair’s breadth.
Acute stress can be caused by activities that you truly love doing, which may sound counterintuitive. It’s the sensation you get when you’re on a roller coaster or when you’re skiing down a steep mountain slope that makes you feel a little scared but also excited. These brief bouts of acute stress often won’t cause any lasting damage to you. They might even be beneficial to your health.
Your body and brain get valuable practice in creating the optimum response to future stressful events when they are put through stressful conditions. When the threat is no longer present, your body’s systems should go back to functioning normally.
Acute severe stress is a completely different animal. This type of stress, such as when you have to deal with a scenario in which your life is in danger, can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder also known as PTSD, or other mental health issues.
Chronic Stress
Having chronic stress means that you have experienced significant amounts of stress over a lengthy period. This kind of prolonged stress can have a detrimental effect on one’s physical health. A state of chronic stress can lead to several recurrent symptoms, including headaches, an upset stomach, and trouble sleeping.
Episodic Acute Stress
When you experience acute stress on a more regular basis, you are said to be suffering from episodic acute stress. If you tend to be concerned and worried about things that you believe have a chance of happening, this could happen to you. You can have the impression that your life is in disarray, and it seems as though you are moving from one catastrophe to the next. It’s possible that certain careers, like being a police officer or firefighter, put people in high-pressure circumstances on a more regular basis.
Set Time for Availability
Many people suffer from stress every day due to our modern communication. We can be reached at any time of the day and through a wide variety of channels. This also creates the feeling that we are missing something and smartphone or computer applications are simply the relaxation killer.
Being offline more often is absolutely important. But abandoning it is not that easy, because an important message could come. But that doesn’t happen most of the time, right? So, you should be reducing the time to use your smartphone at least it should not be touched in the first hour after getting up. Furthermore, the last hour of the evening should be dedicated to yourself, instead of social media apps. In between sports or a walk should also be done, but the smartphone should be in flight mode.
Entertain Yourself
Especially with the self-employed and with employees in the home office, it can be observed that they often only concentrate on work and they forget to dedicate quality time for themselves. But a little entertainment in between can encourage creativity.
There are many options here, but it is important that this time has nothing to do with work. Many choose the option of video games or songs. Series and films are also suitable, for which there have always been streaming providers such as Netflix, HBO Max, or Apple TV+. YouTube and Spotify are also great platforms but a lot of time is also wasted trying to find the right videos or thee playlists.
Power Naps
It is a widely accepted fact that power naps can have very positive effects on our body and health. Many people from all over the world take advantage of the power nap. This can reduce the stress level and also reduce tiredness considerably. Numerous researchers have already come to this conclusion. If a person has issues of sleep disorder then, he/she can use the herb in vaporizers which can be bought from a trusted site like smokingthings. It will help to get a content sleep.
Stress hormone levels can be decreased and the immune system also gets benefited significantly with power naps. It can also protect against burnout syndrome. Many countries have the rule to get powernaps at the offices and even at schools. So, power naps are really helpful. The lunchtime would be the best time to get this. It can be taken even by sitting on the chair and the maximum time could be 7-10 minutes.
Other Tips on How to Deal with Stress
Eat Healthily
The ability to properly manage stress and one’s diet are closely related. When we are under a lot of pressure, we frequently forget to eat wisely and turn to snack foods that are high in sugar and fat instead. You should try to steer clear of sugary foods and instead prepare ahead. Fruits and vegetables are almost always beneficial, and research has shown that eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids can alleviate some of the negative effects of stress.
Take Tea
A significant amount of caffeine consumption is associated with a transient increase in blood pressure. In addition to this, it has the potential to stimulate your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, causing it to operate at an accelerated rate.
Green tea is a great alternative to caffeinated beverages and energy drinks. It has less than half the amount of caffeine that coffee does, and it is also packed with beneficial antioxidants. Additionally, it includes the amino acid theanine, which has a relaxing effect on the nervous system.
Be Active
It’s not necessary to go to the gym and lift weights or train for a marathon to count as exercise. During a tense scenario, getting up from your desk to take a little stroll around the office or even stretching while standing can provide almost instant comfort. Endorphins are released when blood is pumped around the body, and this can almost instantly improve a person’s mood.
Conclusion
It is natural and quite normal to experience tension from time to time. However, prolonged exposure to stress can result in a variety of medical symptoms, mental symptoms, and unhealthy behavioral patterns. Try to lighten and manage your stress by employing a few basic tips. But if you find that you can’t cope, you may reach out to your doctor.