What To Do When Faced With Stress? 7 Useful Tips To Improve Your Well-being
Stress is part of our lives The pressure to get to work on time, finish that final project that needs to be turned in first thing at school, cook for a large number of consumers at a restaurant; They are stressful situations.
However, when stress is prolonged its effectiveness disappears and its effects can be fatal, since the consequences go from the psychological to including the physical. So that… what to do about stress? Let’s see it throughout this article.
To some extent, stress represents a source of energy that makes us take action, as it activates the nervous alert system by releasing stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol; speeds up the heart rate and raises blood pressure. Once the problem is over, the body usually regains its balance and tranquility, but sometimes there is too much tension and that wears down our quality of life.
We’ll see now some psychological effects of excessive stress which affects thinking, emotions and behavior:
As a consequence of situations that prolong stress, the mental state in which the person is found can cause physical illnesses and psychosomatic reactions such as:
In Mexico, 75% of the population suffers from work stress, higher than countries like China and the United States, says the WHO. This is due, according to Dr. Armando Ahued, to an imbalance between what is required in the work area with the ability, knowledge and profile of the worker
What to do when faced with stress?
It should be noted that High levels of cortisol (stress hormone) cause a decrease in the body’s defenses, which makes us more likely to get sick. All the more reason to prevent your stress from lasting until such times.
Sometimes, the solutions we try to relieve stress end up aggravating the problem. Some people They resort to substances that are harmful to their health, such as smoking, drinking alcohol or taking other drugs to relieve stress. However, in addition to not achieving it, the person acquires addiction to the substance and will have to deal with withdrawal syndrome, so both problems will keep him or her restless and his health is even more in danger.
On the other hand, food is also usually a common resource. According to Fernando Fernández-Aranda, coordinator of the Eating Disorders Unit at the Bellvitge Hospital in Barcelona, Stressful situations influence our mood, modify food intake, causing us to eat in large quantities, so we try to address negative emotions by eating. What is known as emotional hunger. This strategy, beyond not relieving stress, runs the risk of gaining weight.
Instead of managing stress, it manages us. The way you face situations makes the difference. That’s why I share with you certain suggestions that you can put into practice to lower those stress levels.
1. Do what is within your power
We commonly become stressed by circumstances that are out of our control or for trying to do several activities at the same time
Do what is in your hands, establishing priorities. Don’t hesitate to ask for support from someone you trust. It is not always possible to do everything yourself. When in doubt about what to do when faced with stress, this is one of the easiest steps to follow, since it is based on focusing your efforts on specific actions that we already had in mind.
It is not convenient to focus your life only on work or school. Do you live to work or work to live? Your response can determine the level of stress you have or can reach.
Without a doubt, work is very important to obtain the quality of life you want. But rest, relationships with others, such as family, partner, children, friends, should not be neglected. Even the relationship with yourself.
Allowing stress to take over your life and suffering its psychological and physical effects It is a form of abandonment and neglect of yourself, because it is about your health, which if lost is difficult to recover. Setting aside leisure time is so important as to complement it with your usual tasks, since it is the time that allows you to escape from everyday stress.
Do not allow the balance to fall towards one extreme or the other, because excesses have never been healthy. Seek balance in the areas of your life. If the work you do is physical, look for quiet pastimes; But if your job is sedentary, look for active hobbies.
3. Nurture your relationship with others
Try to spend time with the people you love and express your love to them. Hugs help reduce stress, because by having that contact with the other, cortisol (stress hormone) decreases and the brain releases oxytocin (known as the love hormone), serotonin and dopamine, which produces in us and in the other person a pleasant sensation.
4. Exercise regularly
Considered the best natural remedy to combat stress. Exercise allows you to release that accumulated energy. Produces hormones in the brain, such as serotonin which allow us to have a feeling of well-being, which also gives the benefit of avoiding emotional problems such as anxiety and depression.
After exercise and a tiring work day, a restful rest is necessary. Sleep decreases the amount of stress hormones in the body, so without adequate rest, tiredness and stress will build up with the next day’s activities, which can lead to anxiety and depression over time.
It is therefore very important to respect approximately 8 hours of sleep to prevent stress from prolonging.
6. Perform breathing techniques
This is a very useful relaxation technique for those moments when stress dominates you: start by breathing deeply, inflating your abdomen (not your chest), Hold the breath for a few seconds and exhale it through your mouth slowly
Try to focus on the air that enters and leaves your body, or think about positive affirmations, so that you can distract your mind for a moment from that stressful situation you are experiencing. Do this technique over and over again until you feel a little calmer.
7. Seek professional help
If you prefer or if discomfort persists, taking into account other factors, In psychotherapy you can learn to manage stressful situations in an appropriate way
Conclusion
Stress is part of life, but it is important to keep it under control to the right extent that it allows us. resolve what threatens our emotional balance
A good quality of life is not only the result of work, it also involves rest, exercise, nutrition and the love of the people around us, including the love you have for yourself. In short, reflect on where the balance of your life is leaning and seek balance as much as possible.
