Are You Too Busy
If you’re feeling tired and stressed because you have too much going on, like lots of after-school activities, you might feel better if you drop something, even if it’s just for a semester or so. Sometimes lots of activities even if they’re all fun can make you feel stressed by keeping you busy all the time. On the other hand, if problems at home are bugging you, some after-school activities may actually help you relax and feel better.
Getting enough sleep and eating healthy food are two great ways to help handle stress.
You also can use relaxation exercises to get rid of stress. The easiest one to do is to inhale slowly and deeply through your nose, and then exhale slowly through your mouth. Do this two to four times, but don’t take in too much air too quickly because it can make you feel lightheaded and dizzy.
You can do exercises like this anytime, without anyone noticing. You can even do breathing exercises in class if you’re nervous before a test.
Lowers Heart Attack Risk
A good sex life is good for your heart. Besides being a great way to raise your heart rate, sex helps keep your estrogen and testosterone levels in balance.
When either one of those is low you begin to get lots of problems, like osteoporosis and even heart disease, Pinzone says.
Having sex more often may help. During one study, men who had sex at least twice a week were half as likely to die of heart disease as men who had sex rarely.
How To Go From Bad Stress To Good Stress
When kids believe they can handle a challenging task, it can be exciting for them. Take reading, for instance: A new book can be like an adventure. They may encounter new words, or the book may be longer than usual. But confident readers see these stressors as challenges that they can and will master.
But what about students who struggle with reading and have to take Great Literature? They know its probably going to be a long and challenging journey.
That doesnt necessarily mean theyll experience bad stress. The level of stress they feel depends on past experience.
How can you help your child beat school stress? An expert suggests setting a competence anchor. Find out how.
If they had support and got through similar challenges, they might experience tolerable stress, instead of bad stress. They might think, Ive done this well before and I can do it again.
These kids know from experience that they can go to the learning center teacher for help. They might be able to use recorded books, or even watch film versions of the books.
Having had supports that helped them through similar challenges, theyre pretty sure theyll be able to get through this course and learn a lot. Maybe they can even enjoy it. And if they do, their success will carry over to the next challenge.
Here are some things you can do to help your child feel successful and avoid bad stress:
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Zinc: For A Healthy Nervous System
Zinc is another mineral required for overall health and mental well-being.
Its found in the highest concentrations in the brain, especially in the hippocampus.
It plays a vital role in modulating your response to stress.
Zinc is required to synthesize GABA and balance the activity of this calming neurotransmitter.
Along with vitamin B6, zinc is also a cofactor in the production of serotonin.
In fact, zinc can be taken as either a standalone treatment for depression or in conjunction with antidepressants.
Zinc enhances the effects of SSRI antidepressants together, they work better for major depressive disorder than antidepressants alone.
Zinc deficiency is a well-known factor in central nervous system and mental health disorders.
Low levels of zinc have been linked to anxiety, depression, memory loss, dementia, bipolar disorder, and Alzheimers.
Unfortunately, zinc deficiency is surprisingly common an estimated 2 billion people are deficient worldwide.
On the other hand, too much zinc can also be problematic.
Zinc intake of 50 mg per day or more can result in copper deficiency.
Talk It Out With A Friend
When youre feeling stressed, take a break to call a friend and talk about your problems. Good relationships with friends and loved ones are important to any healthy lifestyle.
Theyre especially important when youre under a lot of stress. A reassuring voice, even for a minute, can put everything in perspective.
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Vitamins And Minerals For Anxiety And Stress: Take The Next Step
Virtually all vitamins and minerals are important for overall health, mental well-being, and your ability to cope with anxiety and stress.
But a few, specifically the B complex vitamins, vitamin C, and the minerals magnesium and zinc, excel at helping your body offset the negative effects of stress.
Eating a diet that includes a wide variety of fruit and vegetables and some animal foods will help ensure that you get enough of these nutrients.
But if you dont regularly eat as well as you should, consider supplementation.
If you arent sure where to begin, start with a high-quality multivitamin-mineral supplement.
Press Play For Advice On Resilience
Hosted by Editor-in-Chief and therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast, featuring legendary composer and talk show host John Tesh, shares how to motivate yourself when you’re struggling, how to use visualization in a helpful way, and the one kind of list everyone should create for themselves. Click below to listen now.
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Trigger : Fleeing The Stressor
If you believe stress is bad for you, then it makes sense to want to avoid stress at all costs. That will likely lead you to trying to escape the stressor through some other activity. For example, have you ever had an important project you need to do thats stressful, and you keep coming up with mindless ways to procrastinate? Some other examples include:
- Eating when not hungry
- Binge watching TV or videos online
- Shopping
- Drinking alcohol or taking drugs
- Gambling
What Is Ocimum Sanctum
The herb grows in tropical climates. Also referred to as Tulsi in Hindu, Indian mythology recognizes it as a holy herb and attaches great significance to its medical value. Ayurveda, the oldest surviving ancient medical system, acknowledges the use of Ocimum sanctum in various diseases, digestive, skin, and respiratory infections. Also referred to as Holy Basil, the herb has attractive violet flowers, green stems, and leaves with a spicy flavor used in preparing Asian dishes.
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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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Bad Stress Vs Good Stress
Everyone has felt stress, at some point, during the course of his or her life. It is a word that can arguably be used to define the effect that hard working, everyday life has on the majority of individuals in society. As we grow older and begin to accept more and more responsibility in our lives, the potential for stress and stressful situations grows almost by the week.
In some of the worst cases, a buildup of stress that is not eased or addressed can lead to a breakdown of both physical and mental health. This is the major reason why adrenal fatigue has become such a common phenomenon in todays world. However, though the very nature of the word seems to suggest otherwise, there is such a thing as good stress. It is really important to understand which life events and situations are bad stress and which are good stress.
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It Can Make You More Resilient
Learning to deal with stressful situations can make future ones easier to manage, according to a large body of research on the science of resilience. It’s the idea behind Navy SEAL training, Dr. Shelton saysalthough you can certainly benefit from less extreme experiences, as well. “Repeated exposure to stressful events gives the chance to develop both a physical and psychological sense of control, so when they’re in actually combat they don’t just shut down,” he says.
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This idea may even hold true at a cellular level: A 2013 University of California San Francisco study found that while chronic stress promotes oxidative damage to our DNA and RNA, moderate levels of perceived daily stress actually seem to protect against it and enhance “psychobiological resilience.”
Tip : Make Quick Stress Relief A Habit
Its not easy to remember to use your senses in the middle of a minior or not so minocrisis. At first, it will feel easier to just give into pressure and tense up. But with time, calling upon your senses will become second nature. Think of the process like learning to drive or play golf. You dont master the skill in one lesson you have to practice until it becomes second nature. Eventually youll feel like youre forgetting something if you dont tune into your body during challenging times. Heres how to make it habit:
Start small. Instead of testing your quick stress relief tools on a source of major stress, start with a predictable low-level source of stress, like cooking dinner at the end of a long day or sitting down to pay bills.
Identify and target. Think of just one low-level stressor that you know will occur several times a week, such as commuting. Vow to target that stressor with quick stress relief every time. After a few weeks, target a second stressor and so on.
Test-drive sensory input. If you are practicing quick stress relief on your commute to work, bring a scented handkerchief with you one day, try music another day, and try a movement the next day. Keep experimenting until you find a clear winner.
Have fun with the process. If something doesnt work, dont force it. Move on until you find what works best for you. It should be pleasurable and noticeably calming.
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Why Is It Good For You
When people experience positive stress, they adapt either cognitively or physically and basically become healthier, stronger and possibly happier. They are more likely to experience positive feelings like pride, fulfillment and gratitude, and may become physically stronger too.
Studies also show that manageable levels of life stress may enhance psycho-biological resilience to oxidative damage.
Eustress has many things in common with hormesis, which is considered a favorable/beneficial biological response to low exposures to toxins and other stressors. The term hormesis comes from the ancient Greek word hormáein, which means to set in motion, impel, urge on.
Why is eustress good for you? The reason its considered a form of good stress is because its linked with mental and even physical health improvements.
These can include:
- Improved endurance, stamina and heart health. For example, many studies have found that people who engage in moderately intensive, regular exercise experience lower levels of oxidative stress and inflammation, as well as many other benefits.
- Emotional well-being, due to experiencing more positive feelings
- Increased self-esteem and confidence
- Cold exposure/cryotherapy
- Heat exposure, including use of saunas and light-emitting lasers
- Some even consider consumption of alcohol to be hormetic since its been tied to prevention of heart disease and stroke in moderation
Try The Queen Of Herbs
What is Ocimum good for? This herb not only helps to prevent or treat various diseases but it also may help you manage stress and improve your quality of life. Instead of serving your friends a cup of caffeinated tea, why not serve them a cup of Ocimum sanctum tea and show them that you care about their health?
As its a natural extract, you can consume Ocimum tea 2-3 times a day. Additionally, this all-natural herb is a great alternative not only to caffeinated teas but also to over-the-counter and prescription drugs.
Its time to try it out and share the experience with your loved ones. We sell Ocimum extract in small, 100g sizes as AHHH! Stress Relief Support. We also sell the extract in larger sizes . For more information, we recommend that you start with the FAQ.
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How Can We Handle Stress In Healthy Ways
Stress serves an important purposeit enables us to respond quickly to threats and avoid danger. However, lengthy exposure to stress may lead to mental health difficulties or increased physical health problems. A large body of research suggests that increased stress levels interfere with your ability to deal with physical illness. While no one can avoid all stress, you can work to handle it in healthy ways that increase your potential to recover.
There are several other methods you can use to relax or reduce stress, including:
When Stress Is Actually Good For You
We rarely hear people say, “I’m really feeling stressed. Isn’t that great?” But if we didn’t have some stress in our livesthe “good stress” varietywe’d feel rudderless and unhappy. If we define stress as anything that alters our homeostasis, then good stress, in its many forms, is vital for a healthy life. Bad stress can even turn into good stress, and vice versa.
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Reframe Your Thinking About Stress Itself
Stress responses, including faster heart rate and breathing, evolved to improve our performance in stressful situations. Reminding yourself of stresss evolutionary value may improve your performance and paradoxically reduce feelings of stress, in that youre not adding stress about stress to the stress the original trigger aroused.
Research Identifies Health Impact Of Different Responses
Most of us have come to think that stress is bad for us, but it is really part of our fundamental survival system. Stress can be harmful and dampen the immune response if it is chronic or ongoing. But short-term stress-the “fight-or-flight” response-may actually be beneficial, according to research by Firdaus Dhabhar, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of research at the Stanford Center on Stress & Health.
Q: What are the different kinds of stress responses?
We define stress as a constellation of events that begins with a stimulus or challenge-a stressor-that is detected by the brain which activates the fight-or-flight systems in the body-the biological stress response. Acute or short-term stress results when the biological stress response is activated for minutes to hours.
Repeated short-term stress is experienced during most day-to-day living situations. Although we need to conduct more studies to better understand this, it appears that most reasonably healthy people can deal with repeated short-term stressors as long as there are sufficiently long periods when stress-related biological factors are at very low levels, such as when the person is at rest.
Q: Tell us how there might be benefits to stress.
Q: While acute stress may be beneficial in the right circumstances, what about chronic stress?
Q: How can stress impact the development and progression of cancer?
Q: How might stress play a role in other medical conditions?
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Stress Can Build Resilience And Encourage Growth
Even though stress can feel overwhelming, it also forces people to problem-solve, ultimately building confidence and skills that are important for future experiences, says Peter Vitaliano, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the School of Medicine at the University of Washington. With increased resiliency and confidence, people tend to feel less threatened and more in control of their situations, he says.
Allison Berwald, a licensed clinical social worker in New York City, says that using stress to face your fears or challenges can also help you work through experiences instead of avoiding them. After facing a fear, you will feel more equipped to handle it in the future, since you have already experienced it, she says.
