As people are trying to face the competition from outside and in order to cope with modern technology, they are affected by stress. It has become a common thing in this modern era. Stress is nothing but the way your body responds during a nervous situation. People also experience stress when they are facing threats from someone.
In other ways, stress can protect you from the threats occurred to you. It is also sometimes very helpful to you. For instance, when you are attempting an interview you will be under a lot of stress and that will motivate you to prepare well for the interview. All you need to do is try to learn how to handle stress. If you master this thing, then you will get success in your life.
Overview
Stress sometimes also tests your stamina and courage. That is what keeps you going on during a workshop or a presentation at your office. Stress plays a vital role while playing a video game and it helps you concentrate on the game. You will face troubles only when you are not capable of handling stress. Sometimes, it can interfere with your daily activities and instead of getting stress into your control, you will surrender to stress. At this point, stress can cause damages to your life and ruin your relationships. It can also cause damage to your
- Health
- Mood
- Productivity
- Relationships
- Quality life
If you are often falling into the traps of stress, then we would advise you to take this seriously and consult your primary care provider. It has been observed in a study that thirty-three percent of people experiencing high levels of stress at one point in their lives. With the help of a medical professional, you are able to back to your normal routine. Your healthcare provider may give you some tips to deal with stress.
What are the indicators of stress?
As per health professionals, the symptoms of stress are categorized into four types. These includes
- cognitive symptoms
- emotional symptoms
- physical symptoms
- behavioral symptoms
Worrying all the time, unable to remember things, nervous or anxious thoughts, unable to concentrate on things, poor judgment, and only concentrating on the negative impacts are considered as the cognitive symptoms of stress.
Feeling unhappy all the time, unable to enjoy other people’s company, feeling overwhelmed, anxiety, agitation, mood shifting, irritability, getting angry for no reason, and getting diagnosed with emotional health problems such as depression or anxiety are considered as the emotional symptoms of stress.
Frequent colds or flu, body pains, Diarrhea or hard bowel movements, unable to enjoy sex like before, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, and fast heart rate are considered as the physical symptoms of stress.
Nail biting, pacing, loss of interest in food, getting addicted to alcohol, unable to quit smoking, overuse of drugs for relaxation, getting difficulty in sleeping or unable to sleep, becoming irresponsible or neglecting responsibilities, and withdrawing from others are considered as the behavioral symptoms of stress. It has been observed in a study that getting diagnosed with insomnia can lead to experience high levels of stress.
What are the effects of chronic stress?
Emotional and physical threats are not distinguished by the nervous system. The effects of stress will be dangerous if you are unable to cope with it. For instance, if you are unable to meet the target in your job every month, your stress will increase as the days are getting close to your deadline. If you know how to manage it as you look for the ways to finishing the target and getting successful in doing so then the effect of stress can below.
If you are feeling stress all the time, like many of us to cope with this modern world, there are higher chances of you may get diagnosed with serious medical issues. Chronic stress has the capability of disrupting every stress in your body. It can damage your
- immune system
- upset your digestive and reproductive system
- can lead to heart attack and stroke
- speed up your aging process
depression, anxiety, insomnia, constipation, autoimmune diseases, skin diseases, reproductive issues, heart diseases, obesity problems, thinking and memory problems are the health issues caused to you due to the excess stress.
When to see a doctor
If you are unable to handle the symptoms of stress yourself or symptoms persist even after taking the necessary steps, then we would advise you to seek medical attention. Your healthcare provider may find out what triggers the condition and helps you to deal with it. In this case, you can also consult a psychiatrist or any therapist who is able to identify the triggers of your condition. Your therapist may help you to find out the coping tools that you can use to deal with your problem.
We would also advise you to call 911 or visit your physician immediately if you are experiencing the below problems. These includes
- Getting difficulty in sleeping or unable to breathe
- Jaw or back pain
- Excessive sweating
- Pain radiating into your shoulder and arm
- Dizziness or nausea
The above symptoms can cause a lot of damage to your body and put your life at risk. We would advise not to take the above symptoms lightly as they are considered as the warning signs of a stroke or heart attack. Identifying the above symptoms and consulting your primary care provider can reduce your risk of getting diagnosed with other diseases. It has been observed in a study that stress was associated with weight gain in overweight people.
What are the causes of stress?
Stressors are defined as the daily situations and pressures that will make you feel stress is known as stressors. It is also considered as the main cause of stress. people often think that the work environment and being a bad relationship makes them experience stress. however, anything that demands high returns from you can cause stress. The solution to this problem is to quit that work or learn to manage it effectively. The following are the high demands that put yourselves in stress. These includes
- Getting married
- Buying a house
- Going to college
- Receiving a promotion
As per health professionals, the causes of stress are divided into two types.
- External causes of stress
- Internal causes of stress
Major life changes, children, family, work environment, school, unable to maintain a relationship, unable to provide time to your loved ones or family, and facing problems related to finance are considered as the causes of external stress.
All-or-nothing attitude, pessimism, expecting too much from you or perfectionism, unable to accept the truth, lack of flexibility, negative thinking, and negative self-talk are considered as the causes of internal stress.
Death of a loved one, getting near to retirement, divorce, marriage reconciliation, marriage separation, loss of a new job, imprisonment, marriage, injury or getting diagnosed with cancer, and death of a close family member is considered as the stressful life events that can contribute to stress. It has been observed in a study that an increased level of stress was associated with higher levels of the symptoms of depression in two-forty adults. We would advise you to consult your physician immediately if you are experiencing the symptoms of a mental health condition.
How to manage stress?
There is no specific treatment designed to treat the symptoms of stress. All you can do is learn some of the techniques to handle stress. we would advise you to explore stress management strategies. There are many ways to handle stress properly. Following are the various ways to manage stress
Exercise
Exercise is considered as one of the coping tools to manage stress. Doing physical activities regularly can offer you relief from mental stress. It has been observed in a study that the people who work out daily are less likely to develop stress in their daily life than those who don’t work out. It also promotes sleep and lowers your stress hormones.
Say no to caffeine
Consuming high levels of caffeine can increase your chances to experience stress and anxiety. We would advise you to take caffeine in a low quantity if you are unable to stop taking it.
Write things down
It is one of the effective methods to combat stress. keep a record of what’s triggering the condition can be helpful to ease the symptoms of stress.
Chew Gum
It’s hard for you to believe it. but it is a super-easy way to combat stress. It has been observed in a study that people get stress relief greatly when they chewed strongly.
Available yourself to your loved ones
We would advise you to spend some quality time with the members of your family during your stressful times. It has been observed in a study people who don’t connect with others are more likely to develop the symptoms of depression and stress.
Yoga
Yoga can offer great benefits to you and it has become an effective method of stress relief among all age groups. Yoga can improve your mood and work as an antidepressant drug to you. It can lower your
- Levels of cortisol
- Blood pressure
- Heart rate
It is considered as one of the effective techniques for stress reduction.
Listening to music
Listening to music during a stressful situation can relax your body and mind. Along with music, nature sounds can also be very relaxing. Listening to music is considered as one of the best ways to get relief from the symptoms of stress.
Express your feelings
We would advise you not to keep your feelings to yourself. Learn to express your feelings during tough situations and talk to the people you trust most.
Conclusion
Stress is a problem you can’t escape in your life. Due to this reason, we would advise you to learn the strategies to handle stress and plan your day well. Doing exercises regularly and open up to people are the easiest ways to combat stress.
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25405876
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21784145
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20164571
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666312000943
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19331256
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12652882
Sirisha B