Are you stressed?
When you think about the word “stress” what comes to mind? Work? Traffic? An argument?
Did you know that getting married is in the top 10 most stressful life events?
Pregnancy and having a child is in the top 15.
A change in financial state, having a mortgage, and trouble with the in-laws are in the top 20!
Everything from the holidays to changing your schools, recreation, churches, working hours, sleeping hours, personal habits and living conditions are all in the Top 41 Major Life Stressors List. There are so many situations in life that we just accept as “tough” or challenging, but don’t realize they are MAJOR stressors that are having a MAJOR effect on our health.
The Effects of Stress on the Body
Stress can take it’s toll on your body. Symptoms like headache, stomach ache, rapid breathing, insomnia, heartburn, pounding heart, high blood pressure, tense muscles, fertility problems, erectile dysfunction, and low sex drive can manifest as a result of stress. Wow!!
What to do to diminish STRESS
The best thing we can do is manage stress and our response to stress. Stress has numerous effects on our body and many times we’re not aware they are stress related. Finding ways to de-stress your life can help fight off these effects and give peace of mind. There are many different ways to keep your body healthy in a stressful environment/situation.
When in doubt EXERCISE!
Exercise is your body’s natural stress reliever. Physical activity releases endorphins which are our “feel good” hormones. Performing well in the gym or on the athletic field/court/track can help you boost your self confidence which helps fight off depression. Some studies even show that the rhythmic nature of many activities (running, cardio equipment, repetitions with weights) has a soothing effect on the body and mind. Plus exercise can be just a means of getting out any aggression you have built up in a safe and positive way.
Sit still and Meditate
Rarely do we get a chance to actually sit still and just breathe. For many newcomers to meditation the big challenge is to actually allow yourself to be still. Even if it’s just for 5 minutes. Once you allow that to happen, you can begin to detach from the stresses that are weighing you down (consciously or unconsciously). Yep, that’s right. Many people aren’t even aware of the stress that is affecting them.
Taking 5 minutes, at first, to sit still and allow yourself to just breathe and think about nothing is all it takes. Using an app like Insight Timer, can help you track your sessions, and provides not only a timer but also 100’s of free guided meditations to help you focus on aspects of your life.
Once 5 minutes is no problem you can bump it up to 10 minutes, or do two 5 minute sessions per day, morning and evening. This can be a great way to start your day off focused and finish your day off unburdened from the stress of the day.
Get Plenty of Sleep
If you’re “losing sleep” over stressful situations, it can be hard to fall asleep. Getting to sleep reduces stress hormone, Cortisol, that affect your body in negative ways (high blood pressure, weight gain, lower immune function and bone density).
Using some of the tips to help get to sleep can help you doze off and fight off the dreaded insomnia so you can wake up refreshed and ready to go.
Though we may not always be aware of stress creeping up on us, it’s always good to take a minute to check in and see if there might be anything stressing us out. Just implementing a few of the tips above can help fight off the stress we may not even know is affecting us. It’s definitely worth a shot. Your body will feel great as a result!