There have always only been twenty-four hours in a day and three hundred and sixty-five days in a year, but it seems that people are trying to pack more into their per hour, minute and day than ever before. The more that is accomplished, the greater the level of future expectation becomes. As demands on a person’s time become more and more pronounced, the pressure to do escalates and the result is often stress, anxiety or depression. None of those three things are what anyone wants. However, of the three, stress and anxiety are the easiest to manage. Depression is a very serious medical condition. Depression is a common mental health problem and is significantly different from mere unhappiness or sadness. Depression is related to changes in the levels of certain chemicals in the brain. These changes can make the depression very difficult to break out of without treatment. It is clear that stress is usually not as acute as depression, and it is stress that will be discussed here.
Stress is the most common aliment of modern age. It has been found to be part of the cause of peptic ulcer disease, coronary heart disease, depression, autoimmune disease, hypertension, diabetes and even cancer. Stress is experienced when there is an imbalance between the demands being made on our available resources and our ability to cope with those demands. Stress in its simplest terms may be defined as “a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense”. Stress is a process, not a diagnosis. Stress is often defined as a non-specific response to stimulus and many people se it as tension and irritation. We all need a certain amount of stress in our lives. A moderate amount is healthy and helpful. Watson Wyatt a consulting firm and trusted business partner to the world’s leading organizations on people and financial issues has said in a study of over ninety companies that stress was the leading cause of employees quitting their jobs.
Stress is so significant because it brings with it feelings of loss of control or lack of choice during particular situations. This lack of control makes people feel trapped, anxious and often helpless to affect change in their situation. Stress and its effects are a major factor in mental ill health, especially anxiety and depression. Feelings of stress or anxiety instruct the nervous system to initiate the “fight or flight” response, which is characterized by shallow breathing, increased blood pressure and heart rate, as well as an increase in muscle tension.
Now that it is established exactly what stress is and how dangerous the more severe cases can be, the question becomes what can be done about it? First, develop “flexible control” in your life. Know that you cannot control every detail of your life. Life is unpredictable and sometimes things just happen that are out of your control. Developing self-acceptance skills will assist in numerous ways. One of the main reasons is that this will prevent the negative consequences of low self-esteem and self worth.
Here are some breakthrough sure-fire ways to reduce stress levels in your life to make it manageable, this will allow you to use the good and moderate stress levels in your life to warn you abut things that you need to pay attention to. It is important to listen when your body gives you these alerts.
1. Short bursts of meditation, daydreaming, sitting with a cup of tea or even simply staring out the window will produce a calming effect and reduce stress.
2. Get up fifteen minutes earlier each morning. That gives you a little more time to eat something, run back to get something you forgot, or enjoy a cup of coffee before heading out the door.
3. Write it down. Write down goals, errands, chores, due dates for projects and library books. In addition to a “To Do” list, keep a “Have Done” list too.
4. Do something special and totally unexpected on a whim.
5. Assume that others are doing the best they can and be willing to forgive when the situation arises. Learning to forgive others goes a long way in showing you how to forgive yourself.
The five points above are terrific way to reduce or eliminate certain stresses in your life. Here are a couple additional things you can do. Think of it as bonus material – my reward for your having gone this far in my article. Delegate new jobs. Say no to avoid additional responsibilities. Learn to ignore others’ criticism sometimes. Jogging is another great way to reduce stress in your life. Whether by allowing you the time to think about life’s problems or time to escape them for a while.
Another great way to reduce stress in your life is to take a vacation. Vacations are away to escape from the usual busy times and get a different perspective for a week or two. Be careful though. Don’t try to do too much on your vacation and plan everything out. If you do, that relaxing time you planned just becomes work. Keeping up with schedules and deadlines when you try to cram too much into your holiday never works. It will just lead to more stress, ironically the very thing you are trying to avoid.
Stress can also be reduced though simple breathing exercises that you can do wherever you are.
Breathe in through your nose, hold for five seconds and exhale through your mouth. Repeat this process ten times and you will begin to feel the release of tension and stress and you focus on your breathing. Not only will the slow inhale of oxygen make you feel better, but you will experience the release of stress as you exhale. Things like breathing and meditation help by refocusing your attention elsewhere for a brief period. Meditation and stress relief exercises restore the body to a calm state, helping it repair itself and prevent any damage. The physical effect of meditation on our bodies decreases our heart rate and slows breathing.
Aromatherapy is another method some people should consider to help them reduce stress and feel better. The idea of aromatherapy is that the scents from these essential oils have a beneficial effect. Stress relief is not about escaping stress; it’s about keeping everything in perspective. Meditation practices teach the basic skill of how to live in the present for fifteen to twenty minutes. But mindfulness skills teach you to live a present-cantered life, day in day out
As has been seen stress is a part of life. Not all stress can or should be avoided. Learning how to recognize when too many things are crowding into you life and being able to say no at appropriate times is one the best things that you can do for yourself and the people that you care about. If you see someone whom you think is overstressed today, take them aside and warn them of the physical and emotional dangers of such a course. You can educate them about deep breathing exercises and meditation. Doing all these things will help you build up both psychological and physiological defences against future stress. This however is not a one-time fix. Be on guard against future increases in stress levels. Catching yourself experiencing these things early means that you are more in control of your own life. One key is maintaining a proper physical, spiritual, and emotional balance in your life. Do these things and you will not only be healthier but happier too.
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Author: Steven Milbrandt
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