stress woman with hair across her faceStress can affect us emotionally, physically, mentally and behaviorally.

Becoming aware of the symptoms, and how to be proactive at reducing stress and handling it more effectively, is one of the best ways we can better help ourselves.

The following symptoms are recognized in Web MD, as signs of stress:

Emotional Symptoms of stress:

  • Becoming easily agitated, frustrated or moody.
  • Feeling overwhelmed, like you are loosing control.
  • Difficulty relaxing and quieting your mind.
  • Low self esteem.
  • Avoiding others.

Physical Symptoms of Stress:

  • Low energy.
  • Headaches.
  • Upset stomach.
  • Aches, pains and tense muscles.
  • Chest pain and rapid heart beat.
  • Insomnia.
  • Frequent colds and infections.
  • Loss of sex drive or inability.
  • Nervousness.
  • Ringing in ears.
  • Dry mouth or difficulty swallowing.
  • Clenched jaw or grinding teeth.

Mental/Cognitive Signs of Stress:

  • Constant worrying.
  • Racing thoughts.
  • Inability to focus.
  • Pessimistic and very negative.

Behavioral signs of Stress:

  • Changes in appetite.
  • Procrastinating, avoiding responsibility.
  • Increased use of substances, alcohol, drugs cigarettes.
  • Nervous behavior, nail biting, fidgeting etc.

If you are under a lot of stress it can undermine your personal relationships, your professional relationships, affect your career, as well as your self-confidence and self worth.

You cannot ignore stress and hope it will go away; either remove stressful situations altogether or apply some of the following techniques to help reduce the stress in your life.

Techniques to help alleviate stress:

stress relief exercise yoga meditation1) Exercise:  Any form of exercise that gets your blood pumping and allows you to release endorphins or neurotransmitters like serotonin or dopamine, can improve your mood and reduce stress. Take a power walk, or the stairs if you cannot get to the gym.

2) Healthy Diet: You need to nourish your body with proper fuel to have it function correctly.  Be sure to eat a balanced diet with healthy choices, being careful to not skip meals and cut down on caffeine.

3) Sleep: Stress can create issues with your ability to sleep, and in turn that can cause more stress. Getting the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep during times of stress can make a huge difference.

  • Try changing nighttime habits to increase sleep
  • Natural supplements and teas that induce sleep
  • Hypnotherapy for insomnia
  • Meditation before bed

4) Meditation: Learning to meditate can reduce your stress level, lower blood pressure, as well as allowing you to have “clarity of thought.” Learning to focus on your breathing and regulate it can help people that suffer with anxiety or panic attacks. Work at least 15 minutes of meditation into each day.

5) Positivity and Laughter: Look for the bright side of each situation and a reason to happy every day.  People that have an optimistic out looks on life are healthier, successful and have better relationships than pessimistic people. Use laughter as an outlet, it will help you reduce stress and give you a reason to smile.

6) Hypnotherapy: A great tool for dealing with stress is through Hypnotherapy and using your mind to help you protect yourself. You learn to form a protective shell shutting out stress and negativity. You remain calm peaceful and relaxed in a healthy state during difficult situations.

7) Get Help: If you can not handle the stress yourself and you notice you are falling into depression contact a professional to help you through this. There is too much at stake to just try and ignore it and hope it goes away.

 

Stress can affect all areas of your life so take control and do something about it now!