The symptoms of stress often build up gradually before you start to notice them. Stress can affect how you feel, think, behave and how your body works.
Now is the perfect time to learn how stress affects your lifestyle and tips to better manage it. Here is what you can do to take the edge off and reduce stress:
- Learn to relax. Relaxation is important for both the mind and body. Yoga and deep breathing can help increase your ability to stay calm and reduce stress-related symptoms. Massage therapy can also be of tremendous benefit for this.
- Exercise. Body movement improves circulation and releases endorphins that make you feel calm and energized.
- Avoid caffeine and sugar. Both caffeine and sugar stimulate the body to produce hormones that increase stress levels.
- Laugh out loud. Did you know giggling has been thought to lower blood pressure?
- Be a ‘DEAR’ – stands for “drop everything and relax!” – if only just for 30 seconds!
- Stay Focused. Instead of trying to tackle everything at once, make sure to prioritize your “to-do” list and take each task one step at a time.
Even the smallest amount of stress can take a toll on mind, body & spirit. Some of these symptoms include could be:
You may feel:
- irritable
- anxious
- low in self-esteem
- low in mood
You may find that you:
- have racing thoughts
- worry constantly
- imagine the worst
- go over and over things
You may notice that you:
- lose your temper easily
- drink or smoke more
- talk more or talk faster
- change your eating habits
- feel unsociable
- are forgetful or clumsy
- act unreasonably
- find it difficult to concentrate
You may experience:
- headaches
- muscle tension and pain
- stomach problems
- sweating
- dizziness
- bowel or bladder problems
- breathlessness
- dry mouth
If you think any of this might be you, find the best way for you to relax! Find a way to get your body to relax and unwind for periods of time to that it is not constantly in a state of stress putting additional pressure on it and often being the cause of illnesses. Whether it’s taking a weekend break, having a mssage, going for a walk or reading a book!
