What’s in your hefty backpack: happiness or unhappiness?
Did you know that happy events and unhappy events can be a major source of stress? Almost anything can cause stress. Even the word stress may be enough to set your nerves on edge. Chronic stress can affect your health and these health changes may be hard to notice at first. It’s important to know your limits and control how you respond or chose to respond to stressful situations.
There are at least three different types of stress:
- Routine stress related to work, family or other responsibilities.
- Stress due to sudden negative change, such as losing a job, divorce, or illness.
- Traumatic stress due to a major event such as a serious accident, or a natural disaster.
We all react differently to stressful situations, but stress can weigh you down and become heavier over time. Some signs of your body’s response to stress are:
- Headaches
- Chest pain
- Stomach pain
- Difficulty sleeping
- Short tempered
- Depression
- Fatigue
When your stress level becomes higher than your ability to cope, you need to make changes to restore balance. Here are simple techniques to help you balance your stress level:
- Avoid. Plan ahead and rearrange as needed, are simply ways to avoid a lot of stress. The reward of increased efficiency will be extra time.
- Alter. Some problems cannot be avoided. Take control and try to change your situation for the better. Small problems often create larger ones if they are not resolved.
- Accept. Sometimes we have no choice but to accept things as they are. Talk it out with someone, practice positive self-talk and learn from your mistakes.
- Adapt. Refuse to replay a stressful situation. Redefine success and stop striving for perfection. Reframe the issue and look at the big picture.
Stressors, good and bad, are a part of every life but too much stress can make your journey through life difficult. Know your limits and practice stress management techniques to help you hike through life at a steady pace.
“Getting stress out of your life takes more than prayer alone. You must take action to make changes and stop doing whatever is causing the stress. You can learn to calm down in the way you handle things.” – Joyce Meyer
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To Your Success,
Althea
Althea A. McLeish Wilson, RN, MSN
Promoting inner health & outer beauty!
Helping you thrive, not just survive!!
PS. Inner Health & Outer Beauty Store: Health & Wellness with Althea♦
PPS. Did You Find This Helpful? If so, please feel free to share!! Leave a comment or contact me at althea@altheamcleish.com.
References:
Healthy Lifestyle – Mayo Clinic♦
Fact Sheet on Stress – National Institute of Health♦
