Stress – How To Manage Stress

Can stress be avoided? Every day in our lives comes with stress that sometimes threatens our peace of mind. Stress accumulated due to work deadlines, financial challenges, relationship issues, conflicts, etc., can be challenging to us as humans as they threaten our sanity most of the time.

But can this be avoided as stress, to a great degree, has become part of most people’s daily lives?

What Is Stress?

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. It can result in many different physical, emotional and behavioural responses. Everyone experiences stress occasionally, but our response to it matters most of the time.

Stress is how our body responds to new things around us. This can be positive or negative. The stress of an upcoming presentation can make you stay awake longer to prepare for the presentation. Still, stress that stretches over a longer period without relaxation or relief to the individual becomes a problem.

Causes Of Stress

There is always a root cause of everything, including stress. Here are some of the causes of stress and they include the following:

1. Financial issues
2. Health concerns
3. Unrealistic expectations
4. Studying for a big test or presentation
5. Death of a loved one
6. Relationship issues
7. Major life changes ( moving, separation, etc.)
8. Environmental actors ( noise, pollution, etc.)

Here, we have listed some of the causes of stress in people’s daily lives.

Types Of Stress

Stress, like every other thing, varies in type. That’s why we will discuss some types of stress in this article. They include the following:

1. Acute Stress
2. Chronic Stress
3. Episodic Acute Stress

Let’s learn more about them.

1. Acute Stress

Acute stress is a short-term stress that happens within a short duration, which can be positive or negative. Acute stress has symptoms such as increased heartbeat, sweating, headaches, nausea, difficulty focusing, feeling overwhelmed, and anxiety, amongst other feelings. This stress revolves around a sensitive situation, and the person is relieved once the problem is over.

2. Chronic Stress 

Unlike Acute stress, chronic stress lasts for an extended period because the issue sensor lingers for a certain period, either negatively or positively. Chronic stress is most times caused by financial issues or toxic relationships, and this causes a strain on the emotional, physical, and mental life of the person. Some of the symptoms of Chronic stress are low energy, irritability, headaches, depression, constant worrying, and sleep disturbances, amongst others.

3. Episodic Acute Stress 

Episodic acute stress is when you experience acute stress regularly. With this kind of stress, you never get the time to return to a calm, relaxed state. Episodic stress frequently affects people working in certain professions. The symptoms of Episodic acute stress are similar to those of acute stress.

Effects Of Stress 

Although an overlooked concept, stress greatly affects many’s daily lives. Here are some of the impacts of stress:

1. Headaches
2. Feeling overwhelmed or burned out
3. Changes in appetite
4. Difficulties concentrating on decision-making
5. Digestive issues
6. Weakened immune system
7. Mood swings
8. Irritability or bad temper
9. Loss of sex drive
10. Increased heartbeat, amongst others

How To Manage Stress 

Although stress, to some, is part of their daily life, they still need to manage their stress level to keep them relaxed and in check. Being stressed out or burnt out isn’t good for your overall health, as it can create certain problems that will be detrimental to your health. Here are some practicable ways to handle stress and they include the following:

1. Identify when it is a problem
2. Identify the causes
3. Reorganise your schedule
4. Eat Healthily
5. Exercise
6. Make time for hobbies and interests

Let’s get started.

1. Identify when it is a problem

The best way to know you are stressed and manage it is to differentiate between when you are stressed and when you are tired. Identify when you are strained because of a problem before looking for ways to solve it.

2. Identify the causes 

Identify what could be the reason why you are stressed. This requires you to analyse yourself, your work, and your relationships to determine the exact cause of your stress. Identifying this is the key to solving the problem.

3. Reorganize your schedule

When the problem and its cause have been identified, the next thing you have to do is to reorganize your schedule. Reorganizing your schedule helps you effectively give time to whatever is stressing you and solving the problem. The more organized you are, the less stress you get to pass through.

4. Eat Healthily

To a certain extent, good food improves your mood and energy for work. Healthy eating or dieting can help your brain function well and enhance overall well-being.

5. Exercise

To a great extent, exercise is a very important way to fight stress. When you exercise, you lift your mood and be energized and excited about your work. This keeps you fit, healthy and in a good mood as well.

6. Make time for hobbies and interests

You should always make time for what you love doing. Hobbies can keep one relaxed no matter the situation around them and relieve them for the moment. Although hobbies are sometimes a temporary means of relaxation, they still help a lot.

Although one’s sanity is constantly being threatened by stress, we can still fight it.