There are some simple techniques and activities to ward off stress causing anxiety and frustration and other issues and determining whether you have been happy lately, or if happiness is something that you are able to maintain in your life.
Firstly, it can help though to identify - Do you handle stress well, as good as you used to, or as well as you think?
For most people it is said that it gets harder as the years go by as we tend to have more aches and pains as we age or go through adversity, trauma or illness but here we ask, how can we deal with our stress and anxiety better?
Generally we can handle stress unless something specific has happened, if we take on too many responsibilities and not able to handle them or if circumstanaces completely change often without our intentions.
It may be simple to identify if you have been successful or not at attempting to deal with stress over the years or months by asking yourself these questions;
Do you feel or look healthy for your age?
Have you put on excessive weight?
Are you taking a lot of medication for ailments you may be able to reduce or resolve?
Have you been to jail for an avoidable offence?
Can you honestly say you are happy with your life?
Are you taking illicit or recreational drugs often?
Have you been in relationships that made you feel very unhappy or stayed in them for too long or been abused in them?
Answering anyone of these questions will help you to decide whether you need more support and should get it, or whether you can handle stress well or whether you have been happy lately and need to find your 'happiness from within again'.
Too much stress is dangerous and can cause many ailments and whether you decide to get the support of a Life or Executive Coach and other suitable professionals depends on many things.
Sometimes you may just be feeling overwhelmed or overstressed and want to address it which is incredibly healthy - being happy and healthy is definitely worth it.
Why Is Stress So Bad For Us?
As strange as it sounds, we need the body’s 'stress response' ("fight or flight") to get us through tough times but then the body need to return to a state of homeostasis (its ‘resting-normal state’). However additional stress can cause more conditions and contribute towards other debilitating diseases.
Stress increases the risks for chronic disease, to which the body is already more vulnerable after a lifetime of wear and tear (and perhaps unhealthy habits, such as a poor diet or not exercising).
Protecting ourselves from the damage of chronic inflammation is so important as science has proven that chronic, low-grade inflammation can turn into a silent killer that contributes to many issues including; cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and other conditions.
Getting simple tips to reduce or handle stress, to fight inflammation and to stay healthy can be life-saving.
Why Do We Need Stress?
This may sound like a strange question - but we do need stress in our lives, it’s how we handle it that becomes important and being happy is not an emotion associated with what is required or necessary when you are dealing with stress.
When you sense a threat or danger, your body rises to the challenge of knowing what to do next – stay, leave, flee, run, walk, talk or otherwise do something in general that requires more energy or in this case - different energy.
We need adrenaline and cortisol for a variety of things and here the body starts releasing stress hormones, tightening your muscles, making your blood pressure rise and your heart and lungs work harder, and releasing a surge of fat and sugar to give you energy.
When the danger or problem or situation subsides, your body need to go back to normal state of being and you go back to your life without the ‘stress’.
This is where PTSD may arise if we still ‘feel’ or ‘worry about’ the incident or situation of stress. (more about PTSD in another article)
But we need stress and we need happiness.
Knowing What To Look For With Stress?
Some people ‘feel’ stressed often and if you get stressed out frequently and are not able to cope, it is not good short term or long term.
If the stress response becomes constant and causes ongoing harm, including chronic inflammation — the persistent activation of the immune system, it can sharply rise the risks for many diseases such as dementia, heart disease, and stroke.
Fighting Stress Fairly
The best way to cope with stress is to something about and not let it get on top of you and here are some suggestions;
· getting substantial sleep or rest (getting to bed at a reasonable time)
· eating a predominantly plant-based diet,
· exercising regularly – daily
· meditating or practising mindfulness
· staying socially connected – calling someone or catching up (zoom time may be the only way)
There are also many studies that say that having a pet can be great to ward of stress or signs of depression or caring for someone or something like gardening or having plants. Gardening can be fabulous as you are outdoors, in fresh air and generally requires some movement or activity and you are seeing things grow and in nature.
The question of wine, caffeine and other drinks comes into question quite often and here we advise to look at one's entire life and surroundings to determine one's intake and to consume moderately.
Practicing healthy habits helps you become more resilient and better able to adapt to life’s challenging situations as a stress response will always appear and you will be more ready for it.
Something else that helps: quelling the body’s stress response whenever you feel triggered.
Try any of these tips for on-the-spot relief as many relaxation techniques and exercises can be beneficial and we include some that we enjoy the most;
Doing A Relaxation Exercise.
Start by taking some slow breathes as it reduces your heart rate, it will also aim to lower your stress hormones. In order to keep in this state aim for a few breaths at a time and increase it as you go along.
Try some imagery exercise: "Imagining being in your favourite place, a holiday or vacation spot, albeit the beach, a forest, the bush or in nature”
Whilst you’re in that space continue imagining all the sensations you’d experience there.
This includes all the calming effects of the sights, sounds and smells, including the waves, the smell of the ocean, and the breeze. Imagine then how it is affecting how you feel positively and allow your to feel the brushing of the breeze against your skin or the water as you walk through the ocean.
As you can, hold onto these images for as long as you can and in only a few minutes you will notice the relaxing calming effect.
Stretching Your Muscles.
As your muscles tense up under stress it is important to relieve them often and to do this by stretching is very simple.
Whilst sitting on a chair or on the floor or ground, or whilst standing, inhale, raise your arms overhead, lace your fingers together, stretch for a few moments and then release your fingers
Exhale as you lower your arms to each side. Repeat a number of times at least to get the best benefit.
If you can go outside and sit on the ground or in nature – if only for a few moments it will help even better.
Taking A Mindfulness Break.
Being mindful can help elicit the relaxation response by bringing you to the present moment and it can break the cycle of stressful thoughts or feelings.
Here it is similar to a real-time imagery exercise where whilst you are doing something relaxing – you also come to notice all the fantastic ways it is affecting your sense.
For example if you enjoy having a cup of tea you begin to notice all the great things about the experience where you begin to notice;
· The warmth of the cup in your hands and how soothing it is
· The feelings of the warmth of the water as it touches your lips
· How the scent of the tea makes your senses feel even more calm and relaxed
· The water as it goes down your throat warm and relaxing
By slowly relaying everything that is happening it can help to thoroughly enjoy and relish in the experience even longer.
You can use this similar mindful observation whilst doing anything you enjoy including, a walk in the busy, a swim in the ocean, a stroll along a favourite street.
Taking a walk (meaning faster than normal)
Depending upon where you get your information experts suggest exercising at least 120 to 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, such as a brisk walk, as it is important for all aspects of health in general.
If you’re feeling even more motivated or after a particularly stressful period it can helpful to walk it off and if you’re feeling triggered to help "burn off" stress hormones, counter muscle tension, and release the body’s feel-good chemicals, which promote relaxation.
Asking yourself if it’s really worth it.
Try to put things into a different perspective by asking if the cause of your stress will matter a year from now, or if it’s worth the health problems that stress can cause. Often creating a list of what it is that is actually upsetting you can make the issues not seem so insurmountable.
Using positive self-talk to better support you.
Positive self-talk is essential to remain healthy, motivated and feel confident. When you’re self-critical, that automatically activates the stress response and when you give yourself praise and support, it helps reduce stress."
The words that you choose that you say to yourself internally and your self talk can make all the difference to how we feel and simply by choosing words like; 'You can do this now', 'this is possible', 'prosperity is being built' and 'I am doing this' can change how you feel in an instance.
Even if things don't all go your way, you are still doing the best you can with the skills that you have at this time.
Reaching out to someone helpful for help.
It is healthy to be self-sufficient and independent, but it’s also healthy to ask a friend or family member for some support. This may simply be to listen to your concerns or more greater as to help you with activities.
Often we don’t want to ask anyone for help but there are so many great people and support services available today to assist with getting groceries, mowing the lawn, or lifting something heavy.
Asking for assistance in general, especially as we age or if we have had an accident or illness and more pain can be incredibly difficult.
Asking for help and support is probably the greatest lesson one can learn and help to relieve a burden, which is either physical, emotional or mental and therefore lift the load and reduce your stress.
Using Laughter As Therapy.
"Laughter has been referred to as ‘internal jogging’ according to Dr. William Fry, and may provide a source of healing. It reduces stress hormones and becomes an expression of joy, optimism, and hope,"
Experts also suggest watching a movie or television to help you to laugh or call a friend who always makes you feel happier and here we need to see how happiness causes a rippling effect on one's body and life choices.
(at RSN we personally suggest engaging in Laughing Yoga as developed by developed by Indian physician Dr Madan Kataria and are trained in Laughing Yoga)
Reducing loud noise in your environment.
Reducing loud noise that can trigger a stress response can be very important as noise can make it difficult to focus or think about something you may be thinking about.
There is also low medium humming noise such as that of a television in the next room or neighbours, children or traffic. In these situations it may be beneficial to invest in some ear plugs, some television ear plugs or some sound proofing.
Sometimes just closing the door or putting up a new sound proof doors or walls can greatly assist to remove unwanted noise.
Playing some enjoyable or soothing music.
Music can incredibly helpful to elicit the relaxation response but often you need to be present and engaged in the sounds you’re hearing in order for you to get the benefit of it. Often if your mind is wandering to a stressful place, music won’t help in the same way it would as if you were focusing on it or using it to engage in meditation or deeper relaxation.
Counter negative thoughts with positive thoughts.
Creating a sense of more appreciation can counter balance how you feeling simply by writing down what you are grateful for and reviewing the list. As grandparents of my time would say to ‘count your blessings is to feel blessed’.
These simple techniques and activities aim to ward off stress that can cause ongoing anxiety and frustration as happiness is something that you are able to maintain in your life but sometimes requires different thinking and different ways of being to maintain.
If you have any condition or pain such as arthritis or another condition making walking difficult, we suggest that you ask practitioner about other aerobic exercises you may be able to do.
As a service to our readers, RSN provides this information as interest only and no content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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