Chronic Stress Management
Don’t let stress become a way of life, use chronic stress management techniques to become a happier, healthier you. Stress is any external or internal stimulus that requires a change or a response to prevent an imbalance in the body, mind, or emotions. A factor capable of stimulating such a response is called a stressor.
Stressors may be physical, psychological, or a combination of both. Maintaining and supporting our health requires us to be proficient at managing stress. A stressor is not always a negative event; a wedding or funeral may be equally stressful. These events are types of acute stress which are bodies are capable of handling in most cases. Chronic stress is when the body has so many stressors that it doesn’t have time to recover and restore the balance it requires. Everyone has stress in their life, but it’s important to know when it is becoming unhealthy. Stress can affect the body in many different ways, physically and emotionally.
Chronic stress symptoms can be difficult to detect because it affects people in different ways. However, there are a few common chronic stress symptoms that include: headaches, more frequent colds and flu, sleep problems, constant feeling of frustration, general anxiety, and a decrease in sex drive. The body’s natural relaxation response can be an excellent way of managing stress and counteracting the negative affects that chronic stress causes. Relaxation techniques like deep breathing, muscle relaxation, meditation, visualization, tai-chi, and yoga can all be used to activate the relaxation response. Not only does the relaxation response bring the body back into balance; it also reduces stress hormones, relaxes the muscles, and can reduce heart rate and blood pressure. Here are some stress management tips to help get started to a healthier more balanced life:
• Have time to relax, once or twice a day
• Choose a time that works well
• Have at least 10 to 20 min. set aside
• Choose a relaxation technique that is right for you
• Don’t practice when your sleepy
• Take a class (yoga, tai-chi, meditation, gardening) to help get started
• Get a professional massage
• Listen to music
• Journaling
• Aromatherapy
All of these stress management tips can help decrease the everyday stress that is impossible to avoid.
Not all stress has harmful effects on the body, some types are fun and exciting like bungy jumping or hang-gliding. Some types help you handle an emergency (fight-or-flight stress response); but chronic stress can have severe negative side effects. Chronic stress causes the autonomic nervous system to over-activate, which causes physical symptoms that can severely impact our daily lives. Depression, diabetes, hair loss, obesity, anxiety disorders, sexual dysfunction, ulcers, tooth and gum disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and possibly cancer are all conditions that are influenced by chronic stress.
With the help of organizational skills, a healthy life style, time management, and of course relationship skills anyone can decrease the effects that chronic stress has on the body. The best way is to avoid anything that causes stress, but in today’s busy lifestyle that is unrealistic in most cases. So remember it is important to use chronic stress management techniques to prevent the stress from damaging the body.
Learn how to relieve pain in Chest Muscles and avoid Chronic fatigue.