When we refer to stress it normally goes along the lines of ‘Argh, I’m so stressed out’ or ‘My stress levels are through the roof!’, stress is seen as a bad thing. However what we’re really referring to is the feeling or being overwhelmed and frazzled.
Stress is a psychological and physiological response to danger, it’s the flight-or-fight response that helped us survive! Stress isn’t a bad thing in small doses, it can help us deal with challenges and motivate us.
The stress response
To understand stress and how to manage it, it’s useful to understand what happens in our bodies during the stress response or fight-or-flight.
The stress response kicks in when we feel threatened or in danger. This fear triggers the release of hormones in the brain, which include adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones prepare our body for action, whether that’s getting ready to fight or preparing to run away. As a result our heart rate increases, your blood pressure increases, your breath gets quicker and your senses become sharper. These physiological changes increase your strength, prepare your muscles and speed up your reaction times.
In most situations our body realises that the danger has passed and our brain and nervous system kicks in to tell us that we no longer need to feel threatened. The parasympathetic nervous system slows our heart rate and our breathing, our blood is directed back away from the muscles to the rest of the body.
Whilst stress is a normal physiological response, it is not a response that is meant to be sustained for long periods of time. Stress is a response that uses a lot of energy and takes it toll on our system.
Prolonged periods of stress can cause the following problems:
- Depression and anxiety
- Sleep problems
- Autoimmune issues
- Digestive problems
- Heart Disease
- Weight problems
- Memory issues
Like so many things, stress can creep up on us and can have many causes. It can also be external, such as work commitment or buying a house, but it can also be internal and self-generated.
Stress is also about perception. Whether we perceive an event as positive or negative can have a huge effect of how we deal with or respond to it. We’re all individual and all have different trigger points when it comes to stress, what fazes one person may not faze another. Whatever your triggers for stress or the symptoms that you experience there are ways to deal with it.
Exercise
Exercise is a great way to help with stress. Physical exercise causes the release of endorphins in the body, also known as the happy hormones they can help lift your mood and feel less stressed.
Talk about it
Talking to a friend, colleague, coach or counsellor can be a great way of relieving stress. It can be easy to bottle things up and try not to let it get to you. By talking it through in most cases you are also able to talk through and find a solution to the problem along with getting support, you may even find that they have experienced the same stressor!
Mindfulness
Taking a moment out of your day to breathe and reset is a great way of reminding your body and mind that everything is ok. If you haven’t tried mindfulness before there are lots of fantastic apps like headspace that can help you get in to great new habits.
Sleep
Sleep is essential for health and well being. Good sleep habits can not only help with stress levels but also the problems associated with it. Story time isn’t just for the children, the app Calm has great evening stories for adults that can help you turn off your brain, and get some quality shut eye.
Conclusion
Stress is a both a psychological and physiological response to a stressors and is a matter of mindset, working on our mindset and how we perceive things can help us deal with stress and in the long run lower our stress levels.
If you’re interested in finding at out how mindset can help you deal with stress you contact Inspiring Success via the website here.