Stop Overloading Your Schedule
When we are too busy, even if the schedule is filled with exciting things, we can feel more stressed, simply from a lack of downtime. If the schedule is cluttered with stressful or unnecessary activities, it becomes even more draining. Learning to say no to demands on your time and cutting out the things in your life that stress you are great strategies for cultivating inner peace.;
Why Does Stress Make You Tired
Emotional exhaustion is one of the most frequent side-effects of being under too much stress for a long period. Emotional exhaustion, the state of feeling drained and worn-out due to accumulated stress is a certain sign of burnout. Individuals who feel emotionally exhausted most of the time may feel that they have little or no power over the events in their lives, thus they may feel trapped.
There are different forms of the impact of stress on ones health: these include difficulty falling asleep , lack of motivation, and display little to no energy. If left untreated, stressed-out individuals may be at great risk of different serious health issues. A person may feel emotionally exhausted because they work in a high-pressure field , they work long hours, they have and are raising children, they may be homeless, or they could be going through a difficult divorce.
You Try To Manage Your Stress Instead Of Your Stressors
The biggest myth we all believe about chronic stress is that you need to get better at stress management.
But stress management is actually a terrible solution to the problem of chronics stress because youre already stressed! Its like putting a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound.
Of course, some form of Band-Aid to stop the bleeding is important if you happen to get shot. But Band-Aids should not be the primary strategy we talk about for dealing with gunshot woundswe should work like hell to avoid getting shot in the first place!
See, when we make stress management our first-line strategy, we distract ourselves from really looking at the true cause of our stress, the stressor itself.
A stressor is the thing that causes a stress response.
If youre always stressed, the real solution is to fix the original cause of the stress not the feeling of stress itself.
For example, if youre constantly stressed at work, you could try and work on doing more deep breathing exercises throughout your day. And maybe your stress level will decrease a little. But no amount of deep breathing exercises will change the fact that youre still terrible at saying no to taking on too much work.
Feeling stressed at work is the messenger trying to tell you that something about how you work is deeply wrong. Over-reliance on stress management techniques is effectively shooting the messenger.
The far more important part of the equation is the stressors that are causing the stress in the first place.
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Stop Living Only In The Past And The Future Get Present In The Moment
Being present in the moment involves being in your body and feeling your feelingstwo things that lots of folks actually dont know how to do.
Ask yourself these two questions: What does fear feel like in your body? What are you afraid of?
If you dont know the answer to these questions, you probably arent present in the moment. Being present involves vulnerability, humility, and openness.
Being in the past or the future involves living in your head and ignoring whats going on in your body and emotions.
The past and the future stop being so relevant and intriguing when youre able to get in your body and feel your feelings. When you can do these two things, you actually;want;to be in the present moment. Try these tips:;How to;Live in the Moment;and Stop Worrying.
How To Get Stress Free
; ; ; ; ; ; Stress feels like
We get stressed due to the hustle and bustle of the day, office, home, friends, school, etc.
Sometimes we are sad, sometimes we are happy.
And when we are sad, we get stressed, and we start getting angry and irritable.
And this tension lasts for a long time; then, we do something that we should not do.
That’s why we should always be relaxed and happy.
There are some ways to stay stress-free:
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Signs Of Stress In Your Life
Before you can learn how to cope with it, it helps to learn how to acknowledge stress in your life. If youve already been used to living with stress, it may be more difficult for you to notice the signs of it during the challenging times that you face. It may not seem as out of place as it should because you feel used to it.
Learning how to identify when your stress levels are rising is the first thing that helps in learning how to cope.
Some of the;signs of high-stress levels;that you should look for in your life include:
- Headaches
- Trouble concentrating
- Change in appetite
And, those are just a few of the symptoms that you could experience. If you notice these in your life or other health problems that are out of the ordinary from the way you normally feel, its important to look into why its happening. It can be wise to talk with a doctor to rule out any possible causes for the symptoms youre experiencing. They can help you rule out more serious conditions so you can begin to learn how to cope with stress.
Learn To Avoid Procrastination
Another way to take control of your stress is to stay on top of your priorities and stop procrastinating.
Procrastination can lead you to act reactively, leaving you scrambling to catch up. This can cause stress, which negatively affects your health and sleep quality .
Get in the habit of making a to-do list organized by priority. Give yourself realistic deadlines and work your way down the list.
Work on the things that need to get done today and give yourself chunks of uninterrupted time, as switching between tasks or multitasking can be stressful itself.
summary
Prioritize what needs to get done and make time for it. Staying on top of your to-do list can help ward off procrastination-related stress.
Yoga has become a popular method of stress relief and exercise among all age groups.
While yoga styles differ, most share a common goal to join your body and mind.
Yoga primarily does this by increasing body and breath awareness.
Some studies have examined yogas effect on mental health. Overall, research has found that yoga can enhance mood and may even be as effective as antidepressant drugs at treating depression and anxiety .
However, many of these studies are limited, and there are still questions about how yoga works to achieve stress reduction.
In general, the benefit of yoga for stress and anxiety seems to be related to its effect on your nervous system and stress response.
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More Tips On Stress Management
Sadly, being overwhelmed at work has become commonplace in many industries in the United States, with an astounding 83% of US workers reporting that they are suffering from work-related stress. The US has been deemed the most overworked developed nation on the planet.
Some of you are nodding your head knowingly, while others might be doing a questioning head tilt right now. Heres the dealdata provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that the average productivity of American workers has increased since 1950. Unfortunately, since that time real wages have remained largely unchanged , meaning that to earn the same amount that we did in 1950, we have to work approximately an extra 11 hours each weekand an unthinkable 572 hours a year. Sounds a little bit stressful, doesnt it?
To put things into perspective, here are a few statistics to chew on:
- People are so overwhelmed at work that its costing American companies over 300 billion dollars a year and over $190 billion in healthcare costs. This is partly because feeling overwhelmed at work manifests itself in increased sick days, decreased productivity, poor mental and physical health, more errors on the job, and increased turnover.
- Moreover, stress at work is not just costing us money but also our lives. With a staggering 120,000 deaths annually attributed to work stress, something needs to change.
Internalized capitalism is this idea that our self-worth is directly linked to our productivity.
Stress Makes It Difficult To Control Your Emotions
Its no secret that stressed people can fly off the handle. But new research reveals just how little stress is actually required for you to lose your cool.
A 2013 study by neuroscientists found that even mild levels of stress can impair our ability to control our emotions.
In the study, researchers taught subjects stress control techniques. But after participants were put under mild stress by having their hands dunked in icy water they could not easily calm themselves down when shown pictures of snakes or spiders.
Our results suggest that even mild stress, such as that encountered in daily life, may impair the ability to use cognitive techniques known to control fear and anxiety, lead author Candace Raio, Ph.D., said in a press release.
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Stop Overanalyzing Situations That Havent Happened
The first step to living a stress-free life is to stop overanalyzing imaginary scenarios. Its easy to spend time in the world of worst-case scenarios. People tend to cultivate this world for one of two reasons.
First, because if you know what the worst-case scenario is, then it wont surprise you when it happens. Second, if you know what the worst-case scenario is, then you can do everything in your power to control the universe so the worst case never happens.
If thats really the world you want to cultivate, then become a professional risk assessor. If not, then ask yourself how you are benefiting from continuing to live that way.
Does it make you feel better about yourself and your life? Does it make you want to leap out of bed in the morning, eager to embrace the worst-case scenario? Does it bring you joy or fulfillment?
If your answer to these three questions is no, then stop living in the future and bring yourself back into the present.
What To Do If Youre Feeling Acute Stress Or Having A Panic Attack
As youve probably noticed above, weve talked about the long-term solutions to stress resistance at work. But what if youre experiencing acute stress or a panic attack? What should you do if this happens?
Note: If you find yourself experiencing panic attacks, its essential you get in touch with a professional, either a doctor or a psychologist, to help.
If you are feeling overwhelmed right now, here are some steps you can take:
Once you have got through the worst of it, its time to commit to some self-care. Get in touch with your health professional and find out why this happened and what you can do about it.
Thanks for joining us to learn more about stress management. Remember, if you are feeling stressed or down all the time, the best thing you can do is reach out and get help.
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Focus On What You Have Not What You Dont
The easiest way to stop focusing on what you dont have is by not watching TV commercials. Marketing teaches us to focus on what we dont have, and advertising campaigns spend millions of dollars convincing us that we must have what we dont yet have.
Can you think of a marketing campaign that teaches you to enjoy what you already have without buying something to enhance it? Odds are you cant.
In a world dictated by Super Bowl commercials and Facebook ads, it takes stalwart focus to recognize what you have more than what you dont. If you want a stress-free life now, get stalwart, and stop letting other people dictate your focus.
In order to do this, try cultivating a gratitude practice to help refocus your mind toward what is good in your life. You can get started with this guide.
Stress Can Affect Your Love Life
Sex is a pleasurable and effective way to relieve stress. But stress can also get you out of the mood quicker than you think.
A 1984 study found that stress can affect a mans body weight, testosterone levels, and sexual desire.
Numerous studies have shown that stress especially performance anxiety can lead to impotence.
High levels of stress in pregnant women also may trigger changes in their children as they grow, specifically behavioral and developmental issues.
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Cut Out Things That Add To Your Stress
Sometimes, the best way to reduce your stress is to cut something out of your life. Get rid of the things that are adding to your stress so you can experience more peace.;
Watching the news, being constantly connected to your digital devices, drinking alcohol, and consuming too much caffeine are just a few of the things that may add more stress to your life. Making some changes to your daily habits could be instrumental in helping you feel better.
Living Too Much In Your Past
Your past is… your past. It happened. Learn from it and let it be. There is nothing you can do to change it, so the sooner you accept it for what it was, the quicker you will be able to make peace with it.
Stop holding people to standards that you created in your mind years ago. Take people for who they are and what they have to offer now. You will be pleasantly surprised to see how much people can change and mature over the years.
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How Does Stress Affect The Body
The mind changes the structure of the brain and the nervous system. The nervous system influences the body directly and also through the endocrine system. This leads to increased heart rate, constriction of blood;vessels, high acidity in the stomach and the kidney needs to overwork. The root cause of heart problems, Kidney disease, Gastritis, Thyroid problems, autoimmune diseases like arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Menstrual problems like PCOD, Uterine Fibroids is Stress. With the right stress management, most of these can be reversed.
Originally published in sarvanan.com
Acute Versus Chronic Stress
The experience of stress can be either acute or chronic. Acute stress usually occurs in response to a short-term stressor, like a car accident or an argument with your spouse. Acute stress can be very distressing, but it passes quickly and typically responds well to coping techniques like calming breathing or brisk physical activity.
Chronic stress occurs when stressors dont let up. The roots of chronic stress can vary widely, from situations people can control or avoid to difficulties that are hard to escape . Because people respond differently to stressful circumstances, a situation that one person might find tolerable can become a source of chronic stress for another.
Chronic stress can damage both mental and physical health. Being chronically stressed may leave you feeling fatigued, sap your ability to concentrate and cause headaches and digestive difficulties. People prone to irritable bowel syndrome often find that their symptoms spike with psychological stress.15 Though acute stress can heighten certain immune responses, the wear-and-tear of chronic stress is bad for the immune system.16 Chronic stress can also affect cardiac health, with multiple studies finding a link between chronic stress and the development of coronary artery disease.17
The American Psychological Association gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Beverly Thorn, PhD, in developing this fact sheet.
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Nine Ways Stress Is More Dangerous Than You Think
From early aging to heart problems, the effects of the day-in, day-out grind can damage your health in irreversible ways.
High-pressure workdays, long commutes, raising kids, not enough sleep or exercise, trying to make ends meet.
The accumulated stresses of everyday life can damage your health in irreversible ways from early aging to heart problems to long-term disability.
Some people believe stress makes them perform better. But thats rarely true. Research consistently shows the opposite that stress usually causes a person to make more mistakes.
Besides making you forget where you put your keys, stress also can have dramatic negative impacts on your health.
Here are nine examples:
Ways To Eliminate Stress From Your Life
Post written by Leo Babauta.
You often see articles on ways to unwind and relax after a stressful day, which I always find useful, but for me the most important advice would be to get to the source of the problem, and cut stress out before it even happens.
I dont believe that a stress-free life is possible. Stress is a response to challenges in life, and a life without challenges is too boring to contemplate. However, I do believe that most of the stress in our lives is unnecessary, and that it can be eliminated by taking some simple steps. It cant be accomplished overnight Ive been eliminating stressors in my life for awhile now, and Im still not done. But I think its a worthwhile goal.
Lets first take a look at an example its a little extreme, but it exemplifies the typical stressors in peoples lives. Lets say Fred gets up in the morning, waking up late, and now has to rush to get ready. Hes so rushed that he spills his coffee on his shirt and has to change, a nicks himself shaving. He heads out the door and then has to go back in the house because he forgot his wallet. He gets in the car and realizes he forgot his keys.
Again, this is a bit extreme, but you can see through this illustration some of the things that stress people out. There are many more, of course, and I wont cover all of them here.
But these sources of stress can be eliminated with a little thought. Heres how:
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