Everyone experiences some form of stress every day. Stress can come from something as trivial as running out of batteries for your wireless mouse or an incident that weighs heavily in your heart and mind, like an unresolved family problem. Whatever its nature, stress has an undeniable impact on an individual’s mental and physical health.
Stress-Induced Illnesses
To put into perspective the gravity of what stress can do to one’s health, below are some of the health problems that can develop when a person experiences long-term stress:
- Adrenal fatigue
- Heart disease
- Obesity
- Asthma
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Anxiety and depression
Stress is truly far-reaching effects. It has even earned the moniker of “silent killer” for a reason: chronic stress can have detrimental effects on the body and even lead to premature death. Stress management, therefore, is crucial for achieving holistic health.
Stress Management Tips
- Consult a specialist about your symptoms – Stress may not be the only cause of your mental and physical health problems; and even if it is, you could have symptoms that can be remedied by specialist treatment. Fortunately, there are plenty of wellness and treatment centers that specialize in treating the conditions listed above. In Salt Lake City, for example, patients can seek treatment for adrenal fatigue at health centers that also offer therapies for musculoskeletal conditions, autoimmune diseases, Celiac Disease, and Type 2 Diabetes.
- Exercise regularly. Note that the keyword here is “regular,” not intensive. Yoga and stretching exercises, jogging, and cycling are good examples of light exercises that are easy to do regularly. Physical activity helps reduce stress by increasing the body’s production of endorphins. These are chemicals in the brain which, in turn, increases dopamine production. Together, these neurochemicals act as painkillers and boost feelings of happiness and wellness.
- Put yourself in happy situations and environments. Find things that make you happy and do your best to constantly be in those situations. Similarly, avoid people and places that bring you so much anxiety. Unless you’re ready to address and put an end to these stressful factors, best avoid them to give your mind and body a break from their detrimental effects.
- Eat good, nutritious food. This goes beyond stress-eating and indulging in delicious food that gives you so much pleasure when you eat them. The long and short of it is you can fight stress better when you’re healthy. Also, since stress has physiological symptoms, you need to avoid food and drinks that amplify those symptoms. For example, if stress is causing you to sleep poorly at night or have high blood pressure, you’d best avoid caffeine and fatty food.
- Practice relaxation techniques. Meditation is a good example and habit to get into. It calms your thoughts and relaxes your body, plus the deep breathing exercises that come with it will be good for your body as well. Relaxation techniques require you to be proactive in managing your stress, and doing something is often more effective at reducing stress than simply telling yourself to stop feeling bad or tired and just cheer up.
There are more ways you can do to reduce your stress, but these can be a good start. If you can manage your stress, you can live healthier and happier to boot.
