H2a
Stress is an psychological and emotional state of a person which can be caused by any unpleasant human experience which causes the person to feel uneasiness and distress
But stress is not always a negative experience. It can also prove to be positive in certain situations where it causes the person to perform better and push his limits. Stress is a natural response when the body and mind find it difficult to cope with the situation. It produces a fight or flight response . For example when escaping a car accident from very close.
WHY DO WE EXPERIENCE STRESS ?
Every person experiences stress in day to day life . The intensity and regularity of it may vary from person to person.
There can be various reasons for stress and its sources need to scrutinised and objectified for better treatment and understanding of its roots
H3a
Environmental Factors
Factors that are not in our direct control but dictate our environment
H4a – Family
Family feuds and (emotionally and financially) unstable family environments are major causes of stress in one persons life as one spends almost 1/3 to 1/2 of the day in their homes
Friends – Toxic friend circles and peer pressure can cause a person to do things they don’t really want to do.
Example – Trending things like tattoos or use of drugs for recreation
Work stress – High pressure jobs with targets and deadlines can often take a toll on a person’s body and mind.
Health and social factors – Health factors like chronic illnesses and social norms around them that are taboo in a society or community are often reason for stress
H3a
Personal – The reasons/factors that are in your direct control most of the time if not all.
H4a
Bad eating habits – Regular consumption of fast food and not eating on proper schedule leads to lethargy and dizziness which produces frustration
Bad sleeping habits – Insufficient sleep and poor quality of sleep deprives a person of their productivity
Poor hygiene – Keeping poor standards of hygiene results in getting sick regularly
Procrastination – It is a habit we have all struggled with at some point of time in our lives. Not completing our work at time and then we keep running against time to keep up with our schedule. Delaying your tasks usually ends at point where the gravity of the situation hits you in the face and its usually too late by then.
Drug abuse – You might have seen someone in your known struggling with drug abuse. How it hampers their life and deteorates their relationships.
H2b Types of stress
H3b
Acute stress – This happens when you feel a sudden rush of flight or fight reation triggered by your mind and body.
Like escaping a car accident from closeby.
Episodic acute stress – Frequent episodes of acute stress.
Certain professions like law enforcement and fire fighters go through stressful situations everyday as their jobs causes them to navigate through life and death situations.
H3b
Chronic stress
High level stress for an extended period of time. A prolonged period of stress can contribute to physical pain and drains a person of their pyschological resources
May cause headache, upset stomach, migraine , insomnia , low energy etc.
H2c
Tips – Anti-dotes for your stress
H3c
These are very simple, tried and tested techniques which have been known to keep the mind
fresh and relieve it from stress
Meditation – The answer to everything in life, isn’t it?
Meditations helps you to stay focused on present and break your never ending bonds with your past trauma and anxious future predictions. It helps to calm your mind and look at the dilemma at hand with clarity
Journaling – I know it sounds boring. But give it a try . Write your heart out . Maybe it won’t turn out to be so great for you . May be it could. But you won’t lose a dime if you gave it a try.
It helps you to better understand your stressors.
Why did you reacted the way you did?
What can you do if the sitution arises again?
Getting proper sleep – Sleep’s ability to regulate the immune system, and even improve it, is an essential aspect of a stress-free life.
Exercising – Another antidote to almost anything related to body. Exercies helps to release hormones like endorphins and endocannabinoids that help block pain, improve sleep, and sedate you.
Exercising helps to reduce the production of stress hormones like cortisol in the body
Counseling/talking to family members or friends – Penting up hard feelings inside yourself won’t help.
Talk to a frend who knows you inside out. Sometimes even before we say anything our friend or sibling knows what’s going through your mind. We also find that we are not alone to find ourselves in such situations.
- It helps to understand the situation from a different perspective
- Talking to someone that we look upto
- Talking to a counsellor provides you with expert insights and tools for stress management
Moreover if you don’t feel comfortable sharing your thoughts and emotions with a known person, a counsellor can be your perfect confider.