HOW TO AVOID STRESS
Life is the blend of joy, happiness, sadness, and sorrow. Even though man must survive in his environment. An average man desires joy and happiness. To have food in abundance, be properly clothed, and find shelter are the most basic desires of Man.
Unfortunately, man cannot exist alone; for this reason, man must interact and relate with fellow men. In relating with others, man encounters different characteristics, financial problems, and legal problems, to mention a few. The effect of this is a devastating state of mind. The question is, how is the man expected to cope and respond to these challenges? These questions will be answered in this article.
Meaning of stress
Stress is how the body reacts to changes in physical, emotional, and psychological working conditions. It could also be an uncomfortable feeling of physical or emotional tension.
The human body has ways in which it reacts to stress. Scientists hold that at the instance of stress, the human body releases adrenaline and cortisol: which tends to increase brain activity, make muscles tense, and increase heartbeat due to increased blood flow rate. Stress is said to exist in two forms; which are acute and chronic stress.
Acute stress is a short duration stress that could vanish quickly depending on the initial stress factor. Situations that induce this type of stress include missing steps while walking, sudden application of brakes, scuffles, etc.
Another type of stress is chronic stress. Stress is said to be chronic when it lasts for a long period, and has seemingly become a norm. That is, it could be described as stress one has gotten used to and does not necessarily consider stress anymore. This type of stress is usually a result of problems at work, unemployment, general failures, heartbreak, broken homes etc.
When one experiences stress, the brain and entire body become overworked. The inability to manage this type of stress could lead to depression or suicide. Despite all these consequences of stress, some persons may not even know they are under stress. Here are some signs one could look out for to examine their stress level. Emotional signs like easily getting angry, behavioral signs like not having time to do the things you enjoy, psychological signs like concentration and retention problems, and physical problems like blood pressure changes. Unfortunately, people claim to cope with stress by carrying out more dangerous habits like smoking and excessive alcohol intake.
Stress could also bring positivity. This type of stress gives you the alertness to carry out a particular task that had been delayed and successfully meet your deadline.
How To Avoid Stress
- Regulate your diet and ensure it is healthy
When one is under chronic stress, there is a tendency to overeat foods you enjoy, although they may be futuristically harmful to your health. Diet, as we know, is an important contribution to good health. Overeating foods you enjoy exposes you to eating foods deficient in nutrients that contribute to body regulation of stress. Hence, eating a balanced diet is ideal and reduces the consumption of highly processed foods. To stay healthy, fruit and vegetables, cereals and nuts are recommended to regulate effect of stress.
- Spend quality time with family and friends
Giving some time to your friends and family could help you ease off and relax. At least having time to go to places of interest with them reduces mental stress and rejuvenates the mind. Also, in spending time with friends and family, you find people to share your experiences with, and they will console you and advise you on how best some decisions could be taken.
- Avoid procrastination
You need to strategize on the best way to meet your deadlines, either at school or at work. A simple piece of advice that will help is your ability to differentiate between important and urgent activities. Once you can do this, there won’t be any need to rush or put yourself under pressure to deliver a particular task. Therefore have a schedule for all your major activities that have a deadline, and strictly abide by them. In situations where your schedule is overtaken by events, re-strategize and reschedule them conveniently. This will help to avoid stress and pressure.
- Know when to say no
Stress can be caused by external factors. As an individual, you don’t have to bite more than you can chew. Therefore, accept jobs you can, and as the need demands, discuss the task you won’t be mentally fit to carry out with your boss or superior. Also, don’t agree to deadlines fixed by clients without proper analysis of your schedule. In essence, be sensitive to your mind and do not take jobs that will degenerate your health.
- Create time for physical exercises
The era of digital technology has confined jobs people do to sitting all day on their devices and laptops. The effect of this is a sedentary lifestyle. Research has shown that those who live sedentary lives are more exposed to stress that may result in obesity. Hence, when your job doesn’t require you to move about, you could do yourself a favour by creating time for exercise. Simple exercises like strolling, jogging, stretching of arms, or a massage could help prevent stress.
- Reduce screen time
A lot of people are constantly on their devices to while away time. They tend to spend time chatting, watching videos, or gaming. All these are time-consuming activities and may eat into time for sleep, meals or other tangible things one was supposed to do. The consequence is trying to recover the wasted time by overworking yourself. In the process, many people end up getting stressed out. Therefore, it’s advisable to set limits on your screen time and be cautious about utilizing your time properly.
Conclusion
As much as it is important to work and make life worth living, it is also necessary to be conscious of physical, mental, and emotional health, as a breakdown in any of these could metamorphose into greater health challenges.
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