Stress Effects
Life is full of hassles, frustrations, and demands. In fact, stress has become a way of life. However, life is actually the way you look at it. A glass can be half empty, or it can be half full. Perspectives differ, and so does the manner of handling situations. Stress is a normal response of our body to various events that are physically and mentally demanding. When you perceive stress, your body releases stress hormones that prepare it to handle the situation. This causes you to breathe faster, your heart rate increases, your muscles tighten, and your body gets prepared to fight. Our mind and body work together; thus, any situation that causes your brain to act faster would result in mental stress.
Stress and Mental Illness
Mental stress can significantly affect our physical health, depending on the manner in which we handle everyday situations. In fact, stress has become one of the major causes of many diseases in today’s world. Mental stress also affects the way we think; it hinders our logical and rational thinking. There are many causative factors for stress. External factors such as relationship difficulties, work, family, financial problems, life changes, and so on could give rise to stress. Internal factors such as lack of assertiveness, perfectionism, inability to accept uncertainties, pessimism, are also known to give rise to stress. While these are a few factors responsible for stress, stress can also be self generated. A situation that demands a lot from you, or forces you to adjust, gives rise to stress. This totally depends on your perception. If you are an optimist, you can easily find a way out of things than worry and trouble yourself. But if you are pessimist, you end up stressing yourself out, and in turn, create problems for yourself.
You may feel out of control when you are under stress, but you can always change the way you respond to things, or the way you handle things. Managing stress involves taking care of your thoughts, environment, emotions, and actions. Definitely, you cannot eliminate stress completely out of your life, but you can control how much it affects you. You can practice a few relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, deep breathing, and the like. This helps your body and mind relax and reduces your everyday stress levels. Relaxation techniques also help boost feelings of joy and serenity. One of the best ways to handle stress is to adapt to situations that you cannot change. Change your lifestyle, spare sometime in the day for yourself, indulge in meditation or yoga to help relax, alter situations, and take smart decisions.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle, eat well, and exercise regularly to keep mental stress at bay.