Stress Awareness Day: Keep It Under Control
No one can deny that the past two years or so have been especially overwhelming. What with the pandemic and the ongoing worry over climate change, it’s easy to be consumed with concern for the future. Additionally, we encounter stress in our usual day to day lives, regardless of any overarching external factors. In today’s blog, we talk about how this reaction comes to be, why it can be a helpful response, and what to do when it stops being beneficial. What’s more, we impart some methods on how to relieve and relax your mind and body.
What is Stress?
The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. Biologically speaking, it is an organism’s response to a “stressor” such as an environmental condition. In humans and most mammals, it offsets our “fight-or-flight” response. Thus, our bodies dedicate energy to more relevant body systems that adapt to the threat at hand. Meanwhile, other nervous systems work to return the body to its neutral position.
Ultimately, this response helps our bodies adjust to new situations and keeps us alert, motivated, and ready to avoid danger. However, this becomes a problem when “stressors” continue with periods of relief.
The Types
Biologically, there are five types of stress.
- Acute Time-Limited. A short-term challenge such as a natural disaster or a major accident.
- Brief Naturalistic. An event that is normal but nevertheless challenging.
- Stressful Event Sequence. Stressor that occurs and then continues to yield stress into the immediate future.
- Chronic. Exposure to a long-term stressor such as being a caregiver. This is when permanent changes to a persons physiological, emotional, and behavioural responses occur.
- Distant. A stressor that is not immediate.
The Effects
Long-term exposure to stress without relief can result in:
- Rapid Breathing. When stressed, you breathe faster in an effort to quickly distribute oxygen-rich blood to your body.
- Heart Issues. Stress also makes your heart beat faster. This is also linked to oxygen being diverted to muscles so you’ll have more strength to take action. Thus, raising your blood pressure.
- Tense Muscles. More oxygen means tenser muscles. Without the chance to relax, this leads to body aches, back and shoulder pain, and headaches.
- High Blood Sugar. Your liver produces extra blood sugar to give you a boost of energy. If experiencing a chronic response, your body cannot keep up with this surge. Additionally, this plus the rush of hormones, rapid breathing, and increased heartburn can upset the digestive system. Thus leading to heartburn, nausea, vomiting, or a stomachache.
- Weakened Immune System. Stressors stimulate the immune system — which is great for immediate situations. However, overtime this will weaken the body’s response to foreign invaders. Additionally, it can increase the time it takes for you to recover from an illness or injury.
- Psychological Symptoms. Include: irritability, anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
Keeping It Under Control
Dealing with stress? Check out these methods of keeping it under control.
- Get Your Body Moving. At the end of a busy work day, or when going through a prolonged stressful event, use exercise to release positive chemicals in the brain.
- Practise Mindfulness. Appreciate what you’ve accomplished, not what you didn’t do. Additionally, learn to say no to tasks you do not have the bandwidth to do.
- Relaxation Activities. Try meditation, yoga, and/or breathing exercises.
- Keep calm company. Surround yourself with people who foster relaxing and enjoyable energy. Allow yourself to be cared for.
- Talk to a Professional. Unable to control your stress? Firstly, it’s not your fault! But, you may want to consider talking to a therapist or healthcare provider.
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