Reducing stress
Managing stress
Many of us live a stressful lifestyle without really being aware of it. Modern life exposes us to many pressures, producing a stress response from our system, including the release of adrenaline which prepares the body for physical and mental exertion but puts us under physical pressure.
The immediate chemical effect of stress is to reduce the immune system’s ability to function, making us more susceptible to disease. Long lasting stress may develop into depression, putting even further pressure on our system.
The face is the first place to show emotional or physical distress. In adults, stress becomes embedded into the dermis because slow blood flow and slow lymph drainage shows as puffiness and slower regeneration of skin cells. Thus, we can see when someone is stressed.
Other long term consequences of stress are
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased cholesterol.
- Lowered immune system.
- Blood sugar imbalance.
- Depression.
Ways to reduce stress
If the consequences of stress are complex, the solution is simple: relax.
Try to reduce the stress in your life with some simple and commonsense measures. Start by listing everything that is causing you stress and try to work out how to resolve each problem. There is always an answer, though you might need help to identify it. Learn to prioritize, delegate and eliminate. Work out what is really important to you and what you really must do. What tasks on your list can you get someone else to do?
Insomnia Stress
One of the most common manifestations of stress is insomnia.
Some stressed people who do not experience insomnia, might have problems with light, restless sleep and waking up several times during the night, which leaves them feeling tired the morning after. This in turn, can lead to headaches and general aches and pains.
Effective techniques and step-by-step exercises for mental and physical relaxation
Learn all you need to know about coping with stress in the workplace, from identifying the causes and symptoms of stress to monitoring your response to pressure and implementing coping strategies. Reducing Stress shows how to reorganize your work practices and think positively.
Top strategies for stress reduction
1) Exercise to boost your circulation and to burn out the residuals of stress chemicals in your body. Exercise also generates feelgood hormones like endorphins which induce relaxation. All you need is at least 30 minutes three to five times a week.
2) Laughing. A good laugh quickens your breathing, enhances the absorption of oxygen from the blood and works facial muscles.
3) Have sex to boost your circulation and trigger the release of opiates in the brain.
4) Have a massage; it can be a deeply relaxing experience for both body and mind.
5) Have a positive attitude. When life threatens to overwhelm you try to see the funny side of things and put the situation into context.
6) Replace frowns with smiles; it will affect the release of mood enhancing brain chemicals such as endorphins and serotonin.
7) Healthy diet. Try eating seasonally fresh produce.
8) Space clearing can also be beneficial; clearing away the clutter is the best way to create a harmonious space in your work and home.
9) Stretch. When you are at your desk try stretching your neck and shoulders for a couple of minutes.
10) Detox. Regular or even occasional detoxification of your digestive system is a traditionally recognized way of distressing an overworked body.
11) Breathing control. Controlling your breathing by slowing it down and focusing on it will help you deal with stress.
12) Talk to someone who listens to you. Having an outlet to express yourself and knowing that you are being heard is a wonderful tonic.
self-massage to reduce stress
Five minutes is enough time to rejuvenate body and mind naturally with short, simple self-massage sequences that you can do fully clothed, anytime, anywhere-at home, in the office, and even while traveling.
Ways to Improve your life:
- Improve your life learning a sexy dance
I know, you must be thinking “how the heck is learning to dance is going to improve my life?” As if you didn’t have enough things to do already trying to stop smoking, stop drinking, start a hobby... - Improve your life learning to love and accept yourself
For some people, especially young women, being happy means being in harmony with their bodies, liking what they see in the mirror. The trick however, is not just liking what you see but accepting yourself the way you are.
Comments
ver good. I need a few of your tips right now !
Excellent. Real. Not fanciful. Full of good practical stuff. It makes you realize you can control stress. Keep writing. You are good.
Some of the tips are really good. Nice Hub.
Could have done with some of this advice when I was in management. Love the cat, I think I actually used to look like that except I'm not ginger.
Practical suggestions and well written.
I think I'll use the cat picture and put it up at my desk today. See what kind of a response I get.
Great Hub, with some good suggestions for de-stressing. I think I'll put the target on the wall, so I always know where to start banging my head!
- Author
Thanks for reading and for your input guys.
I wonder what kind of response did you get Duchess OBlunt...
Interesting hub on stress in the abstract. I'm familiar with all of these things. The way that exercise works to relieve stress is that adrenaline triggers a "fight or flight" body reaction. If you then, immediately, move around vigorously, your body will flush out the fatigue toxins, use the adrenaline up and return to its normal pace.
Being extremely stressed while unable to do anything about it, helplessness, is the worst kind of stress. Cultivating a positive attitude in an unlivable situation is not enough.
Identifying your stressors is important. You may need to make life decisions such as leaving a bad job that isn't worth what you're being paid -- life's too short to waste it working for a bully. You may need to find a new roommate or seek counseling in a relationship.
One of the important things about talking with others about your stressors is that they are likely to react to things you take for granted as normal -- when they aren't normal and you shouldn't have to put up with them. Abuse in both private life and the workplace creeps up by slow increments. It's not a sudden thing where one day you get along fine and the next the boss turns into an irrational abuser playing psychological war games on you. No, at first an abuser only pushes a little at a time and builds up to where unacceptable situations are so normal you get used to it -- and used to swallowing the stress because it's too hard to see that it's not healthy to get picked on every day, put up with threats of physical violence or economic blackmail, put up with harassment of any kind.
The best way to tell whether you're overreacting to normal irritations in life or underreacting to serious abuse is to discuss it with people outside the situation whose lives will not be affected by your decision in any way. Friends who live all the way across the country are a good example. They can spot it if you're making excuses for an abuser or have to talk yourself into going to work every day for a week because of the boss.
If you're self employed, there comes a point with certain clients where they are no longer cost effective due tc the amount of cost and trouble and stress they put you through. This point varies depending on the business but every self employed person does find some problem customer that is just not worth the money. Keep them and you lose money from doing nine times the work for a tenth the pay, half the time they stiff you or demand refunds anyway.
Unfortunately a seriously large number of people continue to act like grade school brats all through adult life. They get away with it because people put up with it and each one thinks they're the only one or in some way deserves it or just got used to it.
So there's my two cents on stress. Knowing who you are and what you want in life helps a lot too. Internal conflicts can be stressful, like going in the wrong career direction just because it's a bit more lucrative at the time.
very informative. thanks for this.
Excellent article on stress - enjoyed it.
nice tips
i juz lv ur tipz ..it ll really help me in gettng rid ov stressssss..
The technological way to de-stress is through brainwave entrainment CDs. This is simple, fast and effective. Binaural beats, etc that are embedded in the music directly influence your brainwaves and can relax you in few minutes.
Excellent. Real. Not fanciful. Full of good practical stuff. It makes you realize you can control stress. Keep writing. You are good.
good hub, supplements to manage stress like theanine could be mentioned
Excellent hub! Very informative and useful practical tips on how to deal with stress.
I have had a really stressful week at work and i found this great site on how to deal with stress with stress relief techniques. I just wanted to share it!
http://www.everythingaboutstressrelief.com
Thanks for the great hub. I really enjoyed it!
I love the pictures. Here are some of the stress relief tips that help me...there is a free video...enjoy
Thanks, I needed that....love the "desserts" one :)
Fantastic Hub!!! I loved it. Laughing while reading those pictures you have there already reduces your stress as you read! Perhaps check out my take on reducing stress? https://hubpages.com/health/7-Great-Ways-to-Calm-D... I think the hubs tie in well, a possible link up?
This is for RobertSloan: you are correct: our entire country is filled with people being broken down by INTENTIONAL STRESS. This is being done by the use of electronic equipment which transmits fake feelings and disturbing thoughts. The victim mistakes these "artificial emotions/thoughts" for their own and begins to hate themselves.
Two years ago, I was so miserable that I had very little desire to keep on living. Today, I've learned to filter out these DEMORALIZATION TACTICS. First, if we are being flooded by "fake fear" and "fake disgusting thoughts".....we don't have to accept them as our thoughts. This will cut off your "shock" reaction to these false messages. A good mantra is: "If it's bad, I didn't think it". Then FORGET ABOUT IT. You generate positive feelings by bursting out of the rut you are in by stimulating your mind to fight, not submit. Video games work pretty well. Ignore ALL NEGATIVE MESSAGES, PERIOD. Note that your EARS WILL RING when you are being "stressed" by this rapacious group.
An un-stressed person is emotionally and mentally stronger, thus they are less open to being "programmed". If you cannot break someone down, you cannot re-educate them like most people have been. You are dead-on with JOB STRESS being used as a MIND-BREAKING FACTORY. After one assignment, I could not remember my past life for an entire month. THAT JUST ISN'T NORMAL. When "they" can gang up on you to produce fake stress, you can take Clonopin, Zoloft and Abilify to shut them out.
You can read up on tips to "escape electronic prison" at my HubPages site under the topic ELECTRONIC HARASSMENT. Due to the things I've learned, I now enjoy an almost normal existence. I'm not rich, but there is a lot more "muchness" to the fabric of my soul/self-esteem/confidence. My job was killing me inside. If they are going to drive us half-mad, they should be responsible for compensating us for pain and suffering.
There are expensive tools that can detect this microwave-mind-f7ck, so theoretically you could document each "anxiety attack" and an increase in this energy. Getting educated about detecting this crap is the next step for me. I can tell you that the "stress energy" is land-based, because it gets worse when I drive into any city. If we can prove WHAT THE SOURCE IS (I suspect Cell-Phone Towers), we can sue these companies for having this effect on us!
Thanks for this info
HubChallenge day 11
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