Find Satisfaction In Your Jobor Find A New One
If you know that its not your personal life thats getting you down, then it might be your job. Work-related stress can be physically and mentally exhausting and can make your life feel like a train wreckespecially during these troubled times.
If you find yourself going straight home from work every day, plopping down in front of your computer or binge-watching TV shows so that you dont have to think about your dayexamine that. Think about what realistically you can do to improve your situation.
If its a coworker issue, try talking to your boss or HR about it If its you who may the cause of the problems, try a different approach toward people try doing the opposite of what you have been doing so far. If youre working in a toxic environment, consider changing companies. Easier said than done sometimes, but finding a new job is a lot less stressful than allowing a black kigyo to potentially kill you with work.
Start by polishing your resumethis action alone will boost your confidence, let you realize how far youve come and what you could possibly do next. Then simply start contacting recruiters and create your profile on job search sites. New vision, new opportunities will immediately start brightening your day because youll know that you are moving forward.
The Effects Of Chronic Stress
Your nervous system isnt very good at distinguishing between emotional and physical threats. If youre super stressed over an argument with a friend, a work deadline, or a mountain of bills, your body can react just as strongly as if youre facing a true life-or-death situation. And the more your emergency stress system is activated, the easier it becomes to trigger, making it harder to shut off.
If you tend to get stressed out frequently, like many of us in todays demanding world, your body may exist in a heightened state of stress most of the time. And that can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can suppress your immune system, upset your digestive and reproductive systems, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, and speed up the aging process. It can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems.
Health problems caused or exacerbated by stress include:
Change Up Your Normal Routine
4. Volunteer
Try volunteering. It can reduce stress, and if you bring your little ones along, it will help them acquire good values.
When you do something for someone less fortunate, you forget about your issues and cultivate gratitude, McFall says. Additionally, you develop greater human connections, which decrease isolation and loneliness, both of which can contribute to stress.
Dont know where to begin? Volunteer Match can connect you with local volunteer opportunities.
5. Make time for friends
Lets be honest here: Parenting can be exhausting. Sometimes a good old-fashioned girls or boys night is the perfect antidote for feeling stressed out by kids, work and household duties.
My girlfriends and I have a monthly standing Friday night date, where we leave the kids with our partners or sitters and head out for a night of fun, says mom of two Nicole Schultz of Scarsdale, New York. I swear, I can be super stressed out or in the worst mood, but as soon as I get out of my house and we get together, were laughing for three hours straight. I always come home revitalized and feeling recharged, even if its a late night!
6. Spend time in nature
The next time you get the urge to do the dishes or scroll through Instagram when your little one is taking a nap, consider weeding in the back yard instead. The reason? Spending time in nature is a proven stress-reducer.
7. Laugh
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Questions To Ask Yourself
Whos in my support network? Everyone should have people in their life who are positive influences, support providers, and role models for healthy living. They can be friends, family members, mentors, spiritual leaders, colleagues, and mental health professionals.
What activities do I enjoy? Your work might be enjoyable, but everyone needs hobbies that arent about competition or personal accomplishment. What helps ease your worries and makes you more mindful about your body? These activities might include reading, dancing, gardening, board games, crafts, etc.
What are my sleep habits? If youre getting roughly 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night, youll be able to think more clearly, boost your immune system, and concentrate better on work and relationships. A simple step such as turning off screens an hour before bed can make a huge difference in your sleep quality.
Am I saying no to unnecessary tasks? Ideally you should be able to pass on tasks that demand too much of you, arent your responsibility, or dont fall in line with your personal values and objectives. If youre not sure where to start, take a look at your schedule and to-do list, and see what can be delegated or removed completely.
Am I organized? Start to declutter your life. When you can manage tasks with an accurate schedule and prioritized to-do list, you reduce the unnecessary anxiety that can accompany a cluttered and confusing agenda.
Symptoms Of Uncontrolled Stress
Like in any medical condition, the starting point towards the resolution of the problem that is stress is symptom recognition. Stress is your bodys way of protecting you it is a normal physiological response to any threatening event that comes your way. But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing harm to your health and life in general. Below are some of the common warning signs and symptoms of too much or uncontrolled stress. If you seem to be experiencing many of the symptoms listed, then it likely indicates that you are not coping with the stress in your life effectively.
Cognitive Symptoms.
Cognitive symptoms refer to problems that have anything to do with brain processes like thinking, attention, perception, memory, reasoning, and problem solving. The most commonly observed cognitive symptoms of poorly managed stress are as follows:
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Memory problems
If you make your own coffee in the morning, chances are youre only making the same boring kind everyday. Now its time to put an end to the cynical habit and turn you into an instant coffee connoisseur.
For those who dont know, there are officially 38 different ways to make coffee. All, except decaffeinated versions will give you the same buzz that can either make you extremely productive or give you anxiety.
The only difference here is taste. And when it comes to coffee, taste matters. A lot.
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You Need A Drink After Work
Occasionally getting together with your office pals and relaxing over cocktails is great for blowing off steam. But if happy hour is a critical part of your workday, says Hobfoll, and you feel you need a drink or cant wait ’til the end of the week, it can be a sign youre far too stressed at work.
You Having Trouble Sleeping Well
If you find yourself waking up and worrying or ruminating over things, it could be a sign of anxiety or depression, says Dr. Colgan. After a long day, sleep should come easy and getting into bed should finally be a time when you can shut your brain off. If you feel tired but have a difficult time falling asleep, its possible you have stress-related fatigue.
What to do: Talk to your doctor if this is regular occurrence. Discuss whether your chronic stress may have led to depression, says Dr. Colgan. When youre not sleeping well, everyday annoyances might make you feel even more overwhelmed and frustrated because youre more vulnerable. A tired body is not well prepared to cope with stressful situations and ward off illness, says Tuit. She suggests addressing your sleep issues by asking yourself if youre getting six or more hours of sleep each night. If not, determine whats interfering with that. Cutting back on caffeinated and alcoholic beverages and increasing exercise can also improve sleep patterns, she says.
Also Check: How Can You Tell If Your Stressed
Theres So Much To Do But You Have A Difficult Time Deciding How To Start
It can be hard to know where to start when youre to-do list seems like its a mile long. In fact, it can be so overwhelming that you end up doing nothing- because making a decision on what to do first is too overwhelming. This is called analysis paralysis.
What to do about it: One thing thats really helped me is overcoming the need to be perfect. If youre a perfectionist, it can be really hard to make decisions and take action because youre so afraid of getting it wrong or making mistakes. Here are 5 Ways to Overcome Perfectionism and Embrace your Imperfect Life.
Signs And Symptoms Of Stress Overload
The most dangerous thing about stress is how easily it can creep up on you. You get used to it. It starts to feel familiar, even normal. You dont notice how much its affecting you, even as it takes a heavy toll. Thats why its important to be aware of the common warning signs and symptoms of stress overload.
Cognitive symptoms:
- Other mental or emotional health problems
Physical symptoms:
- Chest pain, rapid heart rate
- Loss of sex drive
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Withdrawing from others
- Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax
- Nervous habits
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Bonus Tip Get A Weighted Blanket
I know I said that was the last tip, but I just have a quick bonus tip, and that can be summed up in two words weighted blanket.
There are incredible and I recommend everyone has one! I hate sleeping without mine now.
My own one was a gift so Im not sure where its from, .
So, hopefully those calming tips will really help you when youre feeling super anxious or super stressed. They definitely, definitely help me!
I do want to offer you something else though, I have a free checklist about the self-care routine I used to get over depression.
Now I know this post wasnt specific to depression, but this self-care routine is so so good for improving your mental health in anyway so I just wanted to offer it to you as if youve been feeling really stressed for quite a while, whilst these tips in the post will definitely help, you also obviously need to work on your mental health as a whole so you dont have that feeling of stress all the time and thus this self-care routine can really help!
GRAB YOUR FREE DAILY SELF-CARE CHECKLIST HERE
How Stress Affects Your Body/mind
Your adrenal glands are the heroes of your moment-by-moment response to pressure and stress.
- They are the size of a walnut and sit left and right at the top of your kidneys
- They make and secrete adrenaline , cortisol the stress hormone and other hormones.
- They turn processes automatically up and down 24/7 depending on need.
However, when the demands on you outstrip your resources, your adrenal glands, like two members of your 24/7 personal protection team, step up their protective processes. Theyre now constantly alert. Theyre beginning to feel the strain because they were designed in ancient times for short bouts of stress only to help you escape from marauding animals,
So, after a prolonged and highly stressful situation or event, the demand on your adrenal glands is above that which they were meant to do. No wonder then that your body/mind begins to buckle!
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You Rarely Take Lunch Breaks Or Coffee Breaks Even A Bathroom Break Is A Luxury
As a human being, you need decent food, sleep, exercise, and social time. Too bad your work self didnt get the memo. If you feel so pressured at work that even your most basic needs have fallen to the wayside, youre overly stressed, notes Stevan E. Hobfoll, Ph.D., chairperson of Behavioral Sciences at Rush University Medical Center. Luckily, science has the answers: Research shows that working out mid-day listening to music and just taking deep breaths can help reduce the production of cortisol.
You Have Trouble Sleeping
Maybe you have trouble falling asleep, or staying asleep. Or maybe the quality of your sleep doesnt leave you feeling refreshed and energized. When your stressed, your body isnt able to get into that deep, relaxed state you need to feel completely rested.
What to do about it: Aside from trying a guided meditation, practice deep breathing exercises before you fall asleep or journaling. When youve got a lot of stress, you might not have a constructive way to release it all. Writing it all down can help release it and give you some clarity around your issues.
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Things To Do When You Are Feeling Stressed
1. Get more sleep.Prioritizing your sleep is not something that lazy people do. Making sure we get enough sleep is like making sure you drink enough body youre treating your body right. Youre giving yourself time to recharge. You allow your brain to take a rest and come back on a full battery. There is nothing wrong with that! Let yourself rest. Youll notice a huge change in your ability to function.
2. Eat food that makes you feel good.Lets not drift into food shaming here. When I say food that makes you feel good, thats exactly what I mean! If you want that amazing smelling burger on the menu, get it! If the day feels more like a salad kind of meal, then go for it! The best thing to do for yourself is to do the thing that will make you feel happy, energized, and alive.
3. Indulge in a guilty pleasure.I dont actually like the term guilty pleasure but Ill use it so that you catch my drift. Do something that you usually feel guilty about doing, except replace your guilt with only pleasure! Love the fact that you are enjoying doing a particular thing. Tell yourself you dont need to experience shame for taking care of yourself.
6. Relax and detox in a sauna.This takes the bath idea to the next level. If youre a member of a commercial gym, youve got this at your fingertips. Let the toxins emerge from your skin, and youll leave the sauna feeling like a new person!
21. Dance in your underwear to a favorite song.For freedoms sake.
49. Stargaze.
When Should I Talk To A Doctor About Stress
You should seek medical attention if you feel overwhelmed, if you are using drugs or alcohol to cope, or if you have thoughts about hurting yourself. Your primary care provider can help by offering advice, prescribing medicine or referring you to a therapist.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Its natural and normal to be stressed sometimes. But long-term stress can cause physical symptoms, emotional symptoms and unhealthy behaviors. Try relieving and managing stress using a few simple strategies. But if you feel overwhelmed, talk to your doctor.
Recommended Reading: What Effects Can Stress Have On The Body
Decreased Energy And Insomnia
Chronic fatigue and can also be caused by prolonged stress.
For example, one study of 2,483 people found that fatigue was strongly associated with increased stress levels .
Stress may also disrupt sleep and cause insomnia, which can lead to low energy.
One small study found that higher levels of work-related stress were associated with increased sleepiness and restlessness at bedtime .
Another study of 2,316 participants showed that experiencing a higher number of stressful events was significantly associated with an increased risk of insomnia .
These studies show an association, but they dont account for other factors that may have played a role. Further research is needed to determine if stress can directly cause decreased energy levels.
Other factors that may play a role in decreased energy levels include dehydration, low blood sugar, a poor diet or an underactive thyroid.
Summary Stress is associated with fatigue and disruptions in sleep, which may result in decreased energy levels.
What To Do When You Are Really Stressed Out
I hope you are enjoying the start of your summer! This months newsletter is dedicated to what to do in the moment when you are really stressed out. I have written previously about holding your center when things are falling apart or where you are having a major life stressor. .
Acute stress such as worrying about deadlines, being late, performance anxiety, or dealing with frustrating customer service, can unfortunately be very harmful, and therefore is critical for you to interrupt and halt the stress response and ideally prevent it from occurring.
I want to point out that all stress is not bad, as we need some positive stress to energize and motivate us, and increase our focus and performance. This is called EUSTRESS.
We also need the stress response in emergent situations.
You see, when you get stressed, your body pumps out adrenaline , and cortisol, hormones that work to get your body and mind ready to fight or flee. Your heart rate increases to pump blood around the body, your pupils dilate so you can see better, your respirations get faster and shallower, blood is directed away from the stomach and sexual organs to the large muscles of the arms and legs, so you are ready for action.
But many of us, including myself, have gotten aggravated and stressed, out of proportion to situations that are not life threatening. We catastrophize. This excessive stress reaction can damage our minds and bodies.
For these Acute Stressful Situations, I recommend the following:
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