Give no chance to stress

 

🌼GIVE NO CHANCE TO STRESS 

         By J.Adil

  

Give your stress wings and let it fly away.
(Terry Guillemets)

Be like a little kid, with no stress, no worries laugh and dance it out!

 

 Stress is a natural part of life and to a certain extent it is fine, fascinating and motivating but too much stress leads to problems like high blood pressure, weight gain and heart issues.

According to the MedlinePlus US National Library of Medicine; Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension.

 It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry or nervous. Stress is your body´s reaction to a challenge or demand.

 

Stress is classified into two types; Acute and Chronic stress                                    

.

Acute stress is short time stress which goes away quickly and chronic stress lasts for a longer time.
Examples of acute stress; fight with your partner or ski down a steep slope etc.

Examples of chronic stress; money problems, unhappy married life or problems at work.
If you don‘t find ways to manage stress, it may lead to health problems.
Your negative thoughts can affect your health in ways you may not realize. Besides, it matters what your habitual thought patterns are. (But don´t worry, you can change them!)

 
The physical and mental factors which cause tensions in the body such as muscle pain, tiredness, anger, digestive dilemma and sleeping difficulties are signs of stress. 

 Verily, with every hardship comes ease.
(QURAN Al-Insharah, 5-6)

 

 

 

 
On no soul do we place a burden greater than it can bear.
(QURAN Surah Al-Baqra 23:62)

 

 Anxiety and depression are extensions of stress.
Anxiety is immense worries that don´t go away while depression encompasses sadness, disinterest, hopelessness, feeling bad and guilty, restless and irritable, annoyance etc.
You have to keep in mind that the persons in your life should be a source of reducing stress but not causing it.

 

 

 

 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
(BIBLE Isaiah 41:10)

  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
(BIBLE Proverbs 3:5-6)

There is a deep relation between stress depression and anxiety.

 

a) Stress is a feeling which comes when you are under pressure for a long duration of time and too much stress makes you exhausted.
b) Anxiety is a sense of fear and worries which warns you of forthcoming troubles.
c) Depression always brings you in low moods and dis-interest in everything you like and keeps you away from others. It also brings changes in your sleep, appetite and motivations.


The common signs of stress are;
1) Lack of concentration in any kind of activity
2) Difficulty in getting sleep and staying awake
3) Memory problems and feeling angry
4) Often getting sick, body pains, headaches and a variation in eating habits.

The common signs of depression for (at least two to three weeks) are;
1) Hopelessness and sadness
2) Keeping away from other persons
3) Loss of interest in all activities and feeling restless
4) Guilty feelings and suicidal thoughts
5) Angry and ardent feelings
6) Loss of energy and motivations

The common signs of anxiety are;
1) Feelings of panic and fear
2) Feeling worthless and helpless
3) Feeling in danger and nostalgia

Stress is linked with Insomnia (a sleep disorder) as well;

 

 Insomnia is an inability to sleep and is connected with stress. The stress produces different bodily reactions in the brain, nervous system, immune system and hormones.

The brain and bodywork as if on alert and this state is known as hyperarousal which is the central operator of insomnia. According to different scientific models, hyperarousal is a function of cognitive factors and neurophysical elements, specific reactions in the nervous and endocrine system. In general, hyperarousal is caused by various types of stress in the brain and the body.

Research studies have found that all types of stress can harm sleep quality. The good news is that insomnia can be treated in different ways.

How to deal with stress and depression according to help guide.org

1) Exercise; physical activity releases endorphins, the feel-good chemicals in the brain and
improves your ability to sleep which reduces stress.
2) Laugh; Laughter decreases stress hormones and releases endorphins to promote an overall sense of well being.
3) Learn something new; Learning a new language or hobby builds confidence which helps deal you with stress.
4) Avoid alcohol and drugs; Alcohol and drugs give temporary relief from stress but in the long term, they make your problems worse.
5) Volunteer; Volunteering or community work or helping others in need can help to reduce your stress.
6) Breathing exercise; Deep breathing increases the supply of oxygen to the brain and triggers the body‘s relaxation response, which promotes a state of calmness.
7) Meditate; Meditation allows you to focus your thoughts and calms the worries in your mind causing stress.
Taking steps to manage your stress on your own can help prevent depression.

According to HelpGuide.org >Harvard;
Stress can also lead to emotional problems, depression, panic attacks or other forms of anxiety and worry.
Gastrointestinal disorders are linked with stress;
The gastrointestinal system is very sensitive to emotions, anger, anxiety, sadness, and excitement. These factors can all trigger in the gut (gastrointestinal tract or digestive tract).
There are close connection and similarities between the nerves in the brain and the gut.
The gut is controlled by the enteric nervous system(ENS), a complex of about 100 million nerves that oversees every aspect of digestion. It is strongly influenced by the central nervous system and by the gut.
According to laboratory experiments, the digestive system responds to emotional arousals and mental stress.
Stomach acid secretion can increase, which may lead to heartburn and inflammation of the oesophagus. Stress can also cause a contraction in the small intestine and colon and influence the rate at which food travels through the gastrointestinal tract worsening irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

  Furthermore, stress plays a role in many cases of asthma.
As you breathe in, air passes through the bronchioles (small airways inside the lungs) to air sacs called alveoli, where oxygen from the incoming air is passed into the bloodstream.

Meanwhile, blood returning to the lungs gives up carbon dioxide, which collects in the alveoli and is drawn back through the bronchioles to be expelled as you breathe out.

 

 The autonomic nervous system, which constricts (contracts) and dilates (expands) the bronchioles, is highly sensitive to stress. Strong arousal, perceived threat, upsetting news or an emotional confrontation can provoke the bronchioles to constrict, which makes it more difficult to move air in and out.

 

As a result, stress and intense emotions, such as fear or anger, can trigger asthma attacks (combats of breathlessness and gasping) in some people who have asthma.
Also, cold weather and exercise can do the same.
 

 

Some of the key risk factors of stress are genetic tendency, exposure to certain allergens, viral infections, raised levels of certain allergy markers in the blood and intense family stress early in life.
Laughter is a great stress reliever in that it´s fun, easy and free. It´s also effective even before it happens! New research shows that even only expecting or awaiting laughter can affect stress hormones in a positive way which impacts your health in an optimistic move.

 According to helpguide.org Stress Management;
Improve your ability to handle stress:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1) Get moving, regular exercise can lift your mood. Your body can fight stress better when it is fit.

2) Connect to others, spend time with people who improve your mood. It helps to calm your nervous system and trigger relieves hormones.

 

 

 

 3) Engage your senses, another fast way to relieve stress is by engaging one or more of your senses- sight, sound, taste, smell, touch or movement. The key is to find the sensory input that works for you. For instance, listening to a song makes you feel calm? Or smelling coffee? So experiment to find what works best for you.

 4) Boost your resilence, becoming more flexible doesn´t necessarily happen overnight, but with some practice, you can work to optimize your response to stress.

Science-based strategies like reframing your thoughts, carefully facing your fears, employing self-compassion, meditation and practising forgiveness can all provide a noticeable boost to your resilience.

 

 5) Find time to exercise, as daily exercise can help reduce stress and make it easier to get quality sleep. It also gives other benefits for your health.

6) The concept of sleep hygiene is to focus on how to use your habits and routines to your advantage when it comes to sleep.
It also includes optimizing your sleep environment so that you can relax and rest easy when you turn in for the night.

7) Upgrade your sleep hygiene; Avoiding caffeine late afternoon, setting consistent sleep schedule and following same bedtime routine every night. Also making your bed comfortable and supportive and your bedroom free of excess external light or sound that might be disruptive.

 

 

 

   8) Get your rest because feeling tired can increase stress by causing you to think irrationally. At the same time, chronic stress can disrupt your sleep.

 

 

Whether you are having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night, there are plenty of ways to improve your sleep so that you feel less stressed and more productive and emotionally balanced.

9) Learn to relax, you can´t eliminate stress from your life, but you can control how much it affects you.
Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation and deep breathing activate the body to de-stress. 

When practised regularly can reduce your everyday stress levels and also increase your ability to stay calm and collected under pressure.

10) Learn to say ´No´. A common cause of stress is that many people will still agree to take on additional responsibility. Learning to say ´No´ to additional or unimportant requests will help to reduce your level of stress and may also help you develop more self-confidence.

11) Be assertive instead of aggressive and keep a positive attitude. Accept that there are events that you cannot control.

12) Manage your time; At times, we all feel overburdened by our list of tasks which is a common cause of stress. Accept that you cannot do everything at once, therefore prioritise your tasks.

13) Get enough rest and sleep. Your body needs time to recover from stressful events. Don´t rely on alcohol, drugs or compulsive behaviour.

14) Rest if you are ill. If you are feeling unwell do not carry on with your illness. A short spell of rest will enable the body to recover fast.

15) Eat a healthy diet! Eating refined carbohydrates and sugary snacks can worsen symptoms of stress, while a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, high-quality protein and omega 3 fatty acids can help you better cope with life´s ups and downs.

There are stress management techniques and psychotherapies aimed at controlling a person level of stress especially chronic stress for everyday functioning.

 

 

 

 

 CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 Understand stress and learn how to de-stress yourself in different ways and different situations following the guidelines and tips given from the HelpGuide.org >Harvard and other sources. De-stress for progress to lead a stress-free and healthy life.

 

In my opinion, everyone has more or less stress but to de-stress yourself for progress is a great thing. De-stress yourself by helping others in stress, to reduce their stress.







Disclaimer: The contents expressed in this article or blog are author´s personal views only and are at the sole discretion of the reader to agree or disagree and in no way constitute any direct or indirect obligation of the author in the way it perceived or practised. The author strongly recommends readers to disregard any part of the content deemed to interfere with the reader´s well being.

Photo source: Unsplash HomeUnsplashPhotos for everyone