“I am so stressed out,” is a catchphrase you say to yourself almost every single day of your life. As you try to cope with the mounting pressure of work, family, expectations, financial burden, physical wellbeing, you are overwhelmed with a feeling of handling too much.
Although, anything that threatens or challenges you is termed as stress, there are certain stresses which are good for you too. Such stresses, in fact, are essential to generate the right response at crucial situations – like avoiding accidents by breaking at the right time.
However, in most cases, stresses undermine your physical and mental health, often causing irreparable damages. And, still you keep ignoring this potential time bomb, and keep on with your daily charade, accompanied by your ‘unnecessary friend.’ Stop doing that, and put some stress on stress!
Understanding stress
Stress is the means through which your body responds to various demands. Incidentally, stress is not just bad or negative, but it could also be good or positive. Your body reacts to stress by releasing chemicals into the blood, which in turn generates more energy and strength. Such a release of energy and strength could be good if the stress is due to physical danger. However, if the stress is the result of emotional upheaval, and there isn’t any outlet to release the extra strength and energy, it could lead to problems.
How does stress impact you?
Stress could impact both your physical and mental wellbeing. If you are under stress, you may become sick and tired, and not able to concentrate on anything properly. It may also lead to mental breakdowns as well. Further, if you suffer from long-term or extreme stress, your body will also face the repercussions, and wear down rapidly.
However, there is an interesting side to stress as well. Experts believe small amounts of stress could actually be good. If you do not feel any stress or excitement, you may get bored easily or will not strive to reach up to your potential. Thus, understanding your stress level is imperative.
In fact, if you are able to recognise when you are stressed out and manage your stress level, you will be able to improve the quality of your life in a better manner. For instance, short-term stresses, such as stress before a board meeting, interview or any competition, may provide you with extra energy that you may require to give your best. However, long-term stress, such as constantly worrying about your family, career and finances, may drain your energy and impact your ability to perform a task.
Recognising short-term stress
Short-term stress could be the instant reaction to something that is going on in your immediate environment. Such a stress usually occur in quick bursts, and impact your body in several ways – excessive sweating, faster breath and heartbeat, cold hands and feet, muscles tightening, dry mouth, muscle spasms, headaches, fatigues etc.
Although, the burst of energy may help you in dealing with situations, especially physical, where you may need to react in a quick manner, it may have adverse effect on your mind if no reason or outlet for the stress is being provided. Such effects may include taking bad decisions, not able to enjoy life, being frustrated or anxious, inability to concentrate or work, feeling of rejection, and unwillingness to discuss your issues with others.
Recognising long-term stress
Stress lasting for a longer period of time or long-term stress could have greater impact on your mind and body. Such stress could result into impacting your appetite (you may start eating less or more), changing your sleep pattern (you may either sleep too much or not sleep at all), constantly feeling tired, worn out or falling ill (cold, flu, headaches, asthma, skin problems etc.), inducing nervous behaviour (fiddling, twitching, nail biting, talking a lot and other repetitive behaviour), as well as impacting your sex life.
If you are under long-term stress you will not be able to think clearly, deal with issues or even handle regular activities such as folding clothes, bathing or going somewhere. Your mental well-being will suffer the hardest, as you will start feeling anxious and worry contently, which may lead to panic attacks and anxiety disorder. You will feel out of control, confused, overwhelmed, while getting depressed, angry and frustrated will become a new norm. It may eventually lead to alcohol or drug abuse, and severely impact your professional and personal lives. And worse still, suicidal thoughts may lead you to take some extreme steps.
Yes, I’m stressed out. Help me!
So, once you recognise you are stressed out, what should you do? Although, there are various long-term strategies you may adopt–starting from making changes in your lifestyle to avoiding stressful situations to accepting your environment–the first and foremost thing that you should do is to simply STOP and BREATHE DEEPLY. Now, that doesn’t sound difficult, does it? Try it out, at least once a day.
Here’s a laundry list of things to do when you are stressed out.
Identify what is causing the stress. Finding out the trigger point of your stress will help you in managing it in a better manner. When you recognise what is making you stressed out, you will be able to control your reactions towards it and find a balanced approach towards life.
Be silent. Get away from every day din and meditate at a peaceful corner at least for a few minutes every day. Meditation is one of the best methods to counteract stress.
Eat nourishing food. Understand your nutritional requirements as per your mind-body type or dosha. When you are stressed out, food becomes a major catalyst in triggering different doshas. Thus, it is imperative to make conscious food choices, keeping in mind your unique dosha. In Ayurveda, three doshas—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha—are defined, which are derived from the five elements.
Exercise regularly. If you are unable to maintain a regular exercise routine, start with quick breaks and taking small walks around the office or home. Keep moving your body, which will help in providing you with more energy for managing stress.
Sleep well. Stay healthy by getting those essential snoozes. A wellrested mind and body helps in approaching any stressful situation in a calm manner, while a sleepdeprived person will only add more stress to his life. Also, instead of sleeping for long hours, focus on getting quality sleep, that will make you feel restful and rejuvenated.
Take a break. Head out, go for an annual vacation or weekend trip or simply visit your ancestral village. Get away from the daily grind. Switch-off from your worries, day-today routine and work. Cut yourself off from regular habits–checking mails, social media updates, taking official calls beyond office hours. Relax yourself in its truest essence.
Smile and be kind. Smile more, stress less, that’s the mantra. Even research indicates that smiling helps in reducing stress. Make conscious efforts to smile at life’s small events or create a happy folder and check it whenever you feel stressed out. Also, showing gratitude helps in increasing happiness, improving health and coping up with stress. But,don’t forget to be kind to yourself as well.
Stress is an integral part of human existence. You feel stressed out not just in challenging situations such as death, divorces, financial issues, but also in joyous occasions such as wedding, child birth or even small celebrations. These events are part of your life and cannot be avoided. However, learning to manage and avoid stress could help you in leading a healthy life Start a stress-free life today!
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