Stress is a persistent and an inescapable fact of life; however, falling victim to it is not inevitable. When stress is unavoidable, you can use coping strategies and healthy practices to soften stress’ burden on your life andyour well-being. In this article, we’ll discuss how stress affects your health and how you can manage it, one step at a time.
Stress Takes A Physical Toll
Stress may start as a mental or emotional manifestation, but it can quickly become physical distress when left unchecked. Many medical professionals have acknowledged the connection between the body and the mind, and it’s commonly accepted today that emotions and physical health go hand-in-hand.
When the body detects a threat, it uses more energy to compensate and protect itself. Unfortunately, stress through perception is only sometimes short-lived in the modern world.
This means your body is placing itself into survival mode much more than needed to keep you healthy. Over time, the unleashing of stress hormones wreaks havoc and leads to intense migraines, chronic fatigue, essential tremor symptoms, and so much more.
Stress Grows When We Resist It
Your stress worsens when you resist it instead of dealing with it in a healthy manner.
Physically, you may experience heightened anxiety; ruminating or excessive worrying is just one way stress can take a physical toll on you. Another physical symptom is lethargy as your body tries to compensate for the energy used to address the perceived threats.
This can result in mental and physical consequences of stress. With stress left unchecked, it can grow into a severe problem.
How To Manage Stress
When managing stress, it is important to address symptoms (mental or physical) proactively. Deal with it immediately to eradicate the issue as quickly as possible. Stress management means taking up healthy lifestyle practices like getting enough sleep, exercise, and sunlight daily.
It may also mean seeing your doctor regularly to monitor symptoms and conditions. The healthy habits you adopt can help you keep stress under control so that it does not become a big problem.
Learn To Do What Is Effective
Many people turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms when encountering stressful situations. It may feel better to indulge in a cigarette or junk food; some people even drive themselves crazy by worrying so much that theycan’t sleep. Sometimes, even the things that feel bad for us feel better than doing what would ultimately be effective and address the stress in our lives.
For example, worrying will help you think your way out of a problem, but the way out may be to let go of your worries instead of letting them consume you.
The belief is that releasing your concerns and dismissing limiting inhibitions, even when it feels impossible, is a complicated practice. However, once you learn to focus on the positive and not allow yourself to dwell on whatever is bothering you, you allow yourself to take back your life.
The same can be said about physical health. If you don’t take your medication, see your doctor, exercise regularly, etc., you may feel relief from less responsibility, but then you suffer the consequences of poor physical health. Doing what is effective, not what feels better now, is how you successfully manage stress.
Make The Decision To Move Forward And Manage Stress
Ultimately, managing stress is about deciding to move forward with what needs to happen and not what keeps you in a state of complacency or fear. Consider the above suggestions as you learn to manage stress and protect your health.
