Does it feel like you have a great weight on your shoulders? Do you get easily exasperated and annoyed? Are you experiencing frequent mood swings and outbursts of rage or sadness? It looks like you’re stressed, my friend. Life is full of hassles and stress can originate from several areas such as work problems, family stress, school stress and even emotional stress in personal relationships. The stress response is the body’s defense mechanism to difficult situations. Hence, in some ways, stress protects you from danger. Think of it as the adrenaline kicking in to help you deal with an extreme situation; that is how those mothers are able to lift a car heavy weight of their endangered toddler. However, being in a constantly stressed state is bad for the mind, and ultimately the body. Gradually, a person who is constantly under stress becomes irritable, depressed and even physically ill. It is said that the body is more susceptible to disease when it is put under stress. You find yourself getting those pesky headaches, or the cold that won’t go away.
It is important that you understand when you are stressed. For some people, because they constantly find themselves in a tense environment, it becomes difficult to separate the stress from normal quality of life. It is also important to have a healthy reaction to stress. How do you respond to stressful circumstances? Do you pig out on chips and soda? Do you burst into tears at the slightest provocation? Or are you the one who screams at everyone around you. There are ways to combat stress without harming yourself. The main thing is to find a way to relax and get your mind off whatever is troubling you. There are several healthy ways to do this.
1. Read a book. This has got to be the number way to keep calm. A good story is the best thing to take your mind to a happy place where you have no worries. The flow of the words and the various scenarios keep your mind and your hands occupied long enough to ease the stress.
2. Listen to some music. Every one listens to music, no matter the genre. Music is a universal language, it is food for the soul. You may choose to dance or meditate on the lyrics of the song, because truly music helps with all sorts of feelings; there’s literally a song about everything.
3. Pray. This should be number one really, God is the ultimate stress reliever. He can do anything so just ask with a heart ready to receive from him.
4. Exercise. You might be thinking, that this involves a lot of activity; but exercise is a proven stress reliever. Exercising is known to release endorphins into the body. These endorphins are feel good hormones, which give a natural “high”. Just the perfect thing to keep your mind relaxed. So run on the treadmill, go for a swim, or even take a walk with your dog any day you feel down in the dumps.
5. Meditation. Just reflect. Do some deep breathing exercises; clear your mind. Do a 15 minute dynamic yoga session and you’ll end up feeling as refreshed as ever. You just might have an epiphany about that Darlington pair when you’re done.
I already feel the stress fading away, how about you?