Stress Management

Definition:

Body and mind affect each other’s functioning. When the mind is stress out, it gets reflected in the body in the form of high blood pressure, high sugar levels, indigestion, acidity, heartburn, ulcers, skin rashes, headache, nausea, cancer, eating disorders, psychosomatic pains etc. It may trigger asthma, migraine etc.

Stress Management

Stress Management:

Because of these harmful effects of stress, the body’s capacity to function reduces. At times, it may cause serious threat to one’s life. Hence, it is very important to learn to relieve and also to manage stress, in order to have a long and healthy life.

Symptoms of Stress

Anger and Aggression: While under stress a person starts doubting they own capacity and efficiency because they feels inadequate or incapable of performing certain tasks. This creates a lot of either anger or frustration and sometime, may result into aggressive behaviour.
Irritability: Under stress people get irritated for no reason. Additionally, there is loss of patience, loss of sense of humour.
Sleep Disorders: A person under stress may not be able to either sleep at all or in some cases sleep excessively.
Eating Disorders: A person under stress may lose appetite or in some cases, tend to overeat resulting in harmful effects on body.
Anxiety: Stress may cause a lot of anxiety and restlessness. In detail, the person under stress may not to able to concentrate and unable to focus on any activity, making things more complicated.
Depression: In a few cases a person under a lot of stress may go into depression.
High BP: Body also mind are closely connected. Hence stress in mind creates stress in the body and under stress, blood pressure may rise.
High Sugar Level: In brief, Stress may increase the blood sugar levels.
Headache or Unexplained Body Pains: Stress may cause either headache or body aches in different parts of the body, without any physical reason for it.
Sometimes, there may not be any symptoms for stress but the trauma manifests in the form to heart attack, Stroke etc.

Causes

What causes stress ?

Relationship Issues – Conflicts in relationships is a major cause of stress.
Life style – Working for long hours, sedentary life style, unhealthy food habits, along with insatiable urge for money causes a lot of stress.
High expectations from oneself and from others – The peer pressure, the pressure of constant deadlines builds up a huge stress. When a person has very high expectations from himself/herself without corresponding efforts, there is a fear of failure which causes lot of tension. At the same time, having unrealistic expectations from others also is a definite reason for disappointments, resulting in stress.
Physical and Emotional Abuse – When a person is physically or emotionally abused and unable to defend himself/herself for various reasons, it causes frustration. This results in anger also stress.
Competition – Unhealthy competitions with others create a feeling of inadequacy also result in lower self esteem and sadness, thereby causing stress.
Health Issues – Chronic also serious health issues cause lot of tension.
Suppressed Emotions – Lack of freedom to express own emotions also feelings, amounts to stress.
Lack of Assertiveness – Inability to say “No”, when wanting to say so, inability to fight for one’s own rights, causes tension and anger.
Boredom – Lack of creative/interesting occupation may cause stress especially in old people or people with physical disabilities.
Low self esteem, feeling hopeless and helpless – If a person has low self esteem and does not value oneself, it causes lots of negativity and stress.

Ways to relive Stress