Why is it important to have ways to manage stress? Well, chronic stress is actually quite dangerous to us as humans. It can affect both our physical health and mental health, which could lead to too much stress.
It can have a compounding effect that makes it hard to improve ourselves and lead to serious illness. It can affect our daily mood, which will affect many aspects of life.
This is not just about the stress of getting into a car accident or even feeling some road rage. This is about the constant stress in life we may lead and how best to manage that stress. Everyday stress needs to be managed and monitored. No one needs to feel stressed all that often, and we should be able to talk about it openly.
Stress harms us more often than we think
Research shows that it can cause heart problems as one of many issues, according to the American Heart Association. High blood pressure, depression, anxiety, stomach issues, and muscle stress are also very common issues. In fact, your physical health can be impacted even more by this mental health problem. You may even have so much stress that you give yourself tension headaches.
Understand fight or flight response and our physical health and mental health
Learning how to reduce stress or relieve stress is important, but first, it’s key to know where the stressors come from. Our body activates its fight or flight response as we reach stressful situations.
When you go into fight or flight mode, actual stress hormones are released to handle life’s stressors. These stress hormones are known as cortisol that’s actually released to protect us. This will raise our blood pressure and even raise our blood sugar. Having your blood pressure consistently raised due to stress is unhealthy as it can lead to heart disease.
Yet the problem is when we produce too much or too consistent cortisol. It will lead to poor habits such as stress eating and weight gain. There’s also a higher risk of getting sick. This, in turn, leads to being less physical with less energy and even more stress. Multiple studies show how critical stress management is. We need to work on eliminating the ill effects of stress.
The fight or flight mode can be initiated much easier these days, with more chances for a stress response. This is due to the fact that we have too much to do these days and don’t always have enough sleep. Our anxiety can peak when we feel overwhelmed. Let’s look at some healthy ways to combat stress.
What are the ways to manage stress then and feel good?
The first step in reducing stress is knowing where it’s coming from. Are you constantly in stressful situations due to the nature of your work, or is it something else? Keeping a stress journal will help you with knowing what your triggers are. It will also help you monitor your stress level.
Once you have the identity of what causes your stress, then you can focus on the necessary actions to take. Here are some other tips to get a sense of how to eliminate stress.
1. Consider a relaxation response as one of many ways to manage stress
One of the ways to manage stress is through actual relaxation techniques. These can include taking deep breaths, meditation, and many aspects of yoga. Deep Breathing is a way to bring your stressful life to a pause and reduce anxiety. Taking deep breaths helps with your nervous system as well. It will help the nervous system to take a moment for a much-needed rest and break.
Doing meditation in a comfortable position helps to put you into your own thoughts. You can separate out the negative thoughts and question why they are important to you and how to handle them. It is a way of doing self-talk to only have a conversation with yourself.
Yoga helps to promote healthy ways through exercise and discipline and supports both the body and mind. It also helps with progressive muscle relaxation. Make sure to incorporate these relaxation techniques on a daily basis. Any of these activities will trigger a relaxation response to help bring down your heart rate and blood pressure.
2. Get physical to reduce chronic stress
We mean regular exercise to help your body stay healthy. Going to the gym, for a run, or joining a workout class; all of these can help to manage stress. Working out will also help promote your health and mitigate chronic stress. When you exercise, you’ll release endorphins which are their own natural mood boosters. You’ll also have the side effect of possibly a stronger body.
You also want to combine this with other healthy habits such as good nutrition and rest. Well-nourished bodies will work more effectively, and getting the appropriate amount of sleep will repair the body. This will help both your physical health and mental health and overall well-being. When looking for how much sleep you need, keep a consistent 7 to 8 hours.
Also, make sure to avoid alcohol and other items that may damage your body. Physical activity and healthy habits will lead to a stronger immune system to protect you from stressful situations.
3. Time management helps with stress management
If you’re also looking at how to be productive on top of managing stress, then time management is critical. You only have so many hours in the day and energy to spend. Consider using a planner app as a way to track everything and organize your thoughts. You can use it for your stress diary and for planning out your personal and professional life.
By knowing what the day will bring you, you won’t feel overwhelmed. A daily schedule will keep you organized, in control, and on track.
4. Keep strong connections to reduce stress
Family members and friends. Spending time with family members and friends can also help with chronic stress. You want to be able to talk to them and keep things positive. At the same time, they are there to help you deal with your stressful life and will provide much-needed support. They tend to be good listeners and hopefully provide a positive outlook.
You may even find yourself wanting to talk to a professional if your anxiety and chronic stress levels get too high. They help provide you with their own techniques and dig deeper into the root of the stress.
5. Take a moment for yourself
Sometimes you need to do nothing but take a break for yourself to manage stress. Whether you want to take a walk or relax on the couch, it’s fine. You can recharge your energy, take a deep breath and feel much more prepared to take on the world. Consider some leisure activities as well whenever you’re feeling stressed. It will help you stay in a positive mood.
Conclusions
A great way to organize your thoughts would be to consider using Mindomo. You can digitally make a stress diary or a stress response list and track your progress. You can also use it to support your time management needs which will help to handle a stressful situation.
There are plenty of visually appealing templates to consider to start your journey. You’ll be able to relieve stress in no time. Take the time to consider these tips and focus on keeping a positive approach.
Keep it smart, simple, and creative!
The Mindomo Team
