Stress Relief and Management

How to manage your stress and relieve yourself from it

Stress is a normal human reaction to raising challenges and tough situations. It's an inevitable part of our life that we all encounter from time to time. By itself it's not necessarily bad, as it can actually force us to solve problems. But if it becomes a prolonged situation and how we deal with it can become a serious health issue.

What is stress and how to deal with it
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	Stress Causes Health Problems Stress is a natural reaction to any changes that require our response and adaptation. It involves changes in our physical, mental and emotional mechanisms. While moderate stress can help us with problem solutions, chronic stress can cause a variety of health issues and long-term problems.

People work, play, study, and do things everyday, which can sometime clash, resulting in stress. It's almost impossible not to feel stressed one way or another, which is even more compunded by our modern lifestyle choices.

Stress and anxiety

Stress and anxiety are usually inseparable companions in tense situations. They cause stress hormones to flood the bloodstream trigerring a rise in blood pressure and heart rate. The release of stress hormones also causes intestinal muscles to contract, leading to indigestion and other bowel problems. Millions of dollars are spent annually on anti-stress mdeications, psychiatric care and counselling.

Learn to control your stress with some immediate steps to relieve it, as well as long-term actions to control it better and reduce its health effects on you.

Getting stress relief

Although you can't completely stop stress reactions, you can help your body and the brain deal with it and be more in control of such situations. This can decrease your stress response.

Here are some effective ways to control stress:

Laughter heals

Laughter has always been the best medicine. Try to laugh more and miantain your sense of humour. It will rlease positive hormones and make your less prone to react negatively to situations where you feel losing control.

Breathe

Watch your breathing. We tend to hold our breaths when under stress. Sometime just breathing deeply will reduce stress reaction. Take slow deep breaths when you anticipate or are in a stressful situation, be it traffic, office, family, relatives, etc.

Meditate

Do some meditation. Find a quiet place and sit comfortably. Close your eyes and focus on clearing your thoughts. Imagine being in a peaceful situation, or remember past situations when you felt calm and relaxed.

Write it down

Writing can be a good therapy. It allows you to literally scribble away your fears and apprehensions, taking their power away. By keeping a journal or a diary, or just recording your thoughts as needed, it helps you reflect on the situation and deflate its emotional buildup.

Aromatherapy

This is a well-known stress relief method. Inhaling, sniffing, or just smelling essential oils helps relieve stress. The specific scents are used to induce feelings of calmness and relaxation. This serenity comes from lavender oil, chamomile, eucalyptus, tea tree, citrus, and other aromatic oils.

Get a pet

People who have pets know well how these make them more comfortable and happier. They keep you a good company and benefit your health in many ways. Choose a dog or a cat, both of which are very playful. But there are other pet choices, if your affinities are different.

Stress management can be very simple to undertake. It can be as simple as getting a pet or breathing slowly. Stress and anxiety need not cause you to spend money on psychotherapy or anti-anxiety pills.