This occurred to me recently when talking to a friend about their spouse who is always stressed out. This got me thinking again about how important it is to manage stress in our daily lives. Today we have more of everything then we ever had before. More access to entertainment, travel, information, knowledge, everything . It also seems like stress levels are skyrocketing as a result of our nonstop busy lifestyles. If you’re the exception to the rule then I give you credit because you are enjoying life in a way many of us do not. At least not yet. While there is no magic cure all for stress it is important to manage it for several reasons.

What is stress?

Stress is anything which is going to tax you mentally. Stress in itself isn’t a terrible thing since it’s a part of our daily lives. Life is stressful. By dealing with challenging and stressful situations we are able to adapt. Stress is also different for every single person. This is always different for every person. Anything from worrying about paying a bill. Your job or if your kid is getting good grades in school can be a type of stress for one person but not another. Understanding what is stressful for you as a person is important. Once you understand what stresses you out you can begin finding ways to manage it.

Why is stress bad?

Obi want isn't wrong is he?

Stress in and of itself isn’t bad for you. As mentioned above it serves a purpose like anything we have to deal with due to the fact that we are all humans. The problem is that like anything else to much stress is bad for you. Excessive stress is show to contribute to a large number of mental and physical problems. Including anxiety, depression, insomnia, loss of appetite, increased risk of heart disease, stroke.

People debate about why stress would put you at risk for heart disease. The specifics are somewhat debated. Part of it could be due to the fact that while under stress our body produces various hormones to help regulate it. Thins includes adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol. They help to give a boost of energy, make you feel more awake and alert. Along with other things such as regulating blood pressure.

Adrenaline in large amounts will wear down your body. Along with your ability to produce adrenaline since it’s meant to be as needed and not produced all of the time. Other factors could be more lifestyle.

Stress can have a domino effect as well for example people who are stressed out usually maintain an unhealthy lifestyles. This can lead to bad habits such as stress eating to cope with the mental discomfort. This could potentially have that domino effect going from stress eating to weight gain and then depression. Exact reasons can be debated but the bottom line is that it isn’t good for you physical or mental health in the long run.

Interesting things to make note of:

A study in the Lancet Medical Journal found that stress signals in the amygdala will cause increased inflation in the arteries.

Stress has shown to cause a wide variety of symptoms including headaches, tremors in the body, neck and back pain along with many other things.

CDC estimates put injuries and being sick as costing the economy 225 billion annually. Yes 225 billion. Dealing with stress is shown to boost your health so you get sick less often which it turns means less sick time.

What is the answer?

You have a lot of options in how to handle stress. There isn't a one size fits all since everyone deals with it different for each person. Generally speaking the best thing to do is to live a healthy lifestyle. This includes a well balanced diet, regular exercise and lots of rest. By rest I don't mean sleep but also taking time to give yourself a mental break. More research has started confirming what people have known for a long time. That resting actually boosts your memory. Taking mental breaks to do simple tasks actually seems to improve your ability to process information which you have gone over. Even the ancient Greeks recognized the need to fight the effects of negative feelings through a healthy lifestyle.

Some things you can do include:

Exercise
Mediation
Get a message
Take 5 to 10 minute breaks each hour while working
Listen to music
Read a book
Take a walk
Many more.

There is a infinite number o f ways to help mitigate stress so it's always best to find what works for you. Remember there is more then mental benefits. Research has shown that people who are happier in life are less susceptible to infections.

Fun fact did you also know that even meditating has powerful effects? Research showed that deep mindfulness meditation actually altered DNA in the human body. This resulted in things such as reduced levels of inflammatory genes causing them less physical discomfort. The genes affected were the same type of genes target by anti-inflammatory drugs. Your mind is always your most powerful tool.

Altering my DNA right now.

At the end of the day simple don't less stressful negative emotions control you rather learn how to handle them. How to keep a positive mindset and look for the glass is half full approach. Much of that actually ties into things such as your Emotional Intelligence. Which if you haven't yet you can read my first post about it here

Remember, positive, not negative. When you feel the weight of stress and negative emotions on it find a healthy way to handle it. A healthy mindset and lifestyle will work wonders in making you a happier and healthier person. Please feel free to reply, upvote and resteem. Always welcome feedback.

Resources:

Better memory

Better health which means getting sick less:

Less cold and flu problems

Cold prevention

Exercise prevent colds

Stress effects:

Heart attack/stroke risk:

Negative effect

CDC information

Greeks and depression

Meditation : Meditation and DNA

image sources:

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