Stress : Impact on human being & how to manage it

Hi folks! A lot of you have come across the word “Stress”, and can say one or two things about stress. Well, however smart you are on the topic, I am here to tell mind blowing things about this little fella here. Without further ado, let’s define the word Stress.

What is Stress?

         Well we are going to be defining stress in medical terms and according to the Medicine Net, “Stress is a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. It can be external (from the environment, psychological, or social situations) or internal (illness, or from a medical procedure).”

Now, that we know the meaning of Stress, what causes this mental tension in our body. Is it a natural problem or self-induced? We are about to find out..stay tuned.

Causes of Stress?

A lot of things could be factors that trigger stress. Life problems, emotional problems, financial problems, they are uncountable.

1.  Chance of loosing the job

Whether you own a family of not, losing your major source of income can be very demoralizing. It could lead to anxiety or panic attacks which come from the stress of not having a job. That is when the bills start to become noticeable, piling up because you have no idea of paying them off. How sad.

2. Death of loved ones

Losing someone you love can automatically put you in a state of oblivion. Some people can’t handle the trauma and eventually kick the bucket too. It is an inevitable experience that all of us have experienced at a particular point in time in our lives.

3. Getting married

Yes! Even getting married is stressful. Although the sound of the wedding bells and chirping birds can be delightful, the thoughts of what to do next, the arrangements and preparations for the D-day, the gifts for the guests, are enough to give one a panic attack especially if the marriage is an arranged one.

4. Anger

This is a major stress stimulant. Anger is as a result of stress and stress makes you angry hence their similarity. What majorly causes anger is when you are overwhelmed by stress around you. Take for instance our first point, loss of a job. The bills are overflowing in the mailbox and you have no clue of resolving that issue. One day, you wake up and have a huge outburst. That is ANGER. When you are angry you are tensed up and that automatically stresses your body mentally. Can you know understand how both of them work together to tear one apart?

5. Work

Now, this topic is a bit broad but I’ll try to narrow it down as much as possible. Ranging from speeches given in front of colleagues to working long hours, all these can act as stress factors. Imagine that your kids have a recital by 6 pm and you want to attend but your boss decides that that night, you will be staying longer hours to complete a project that could be finished any other day. How would you feel? No other better word to describe it than the word “STRESS.”

Phew! That was stressful, wasn’t it? Hahaha. Anyways, now that we know what we know what causes stress, let’s find out what its impact on our health.

IMPACT OF STRESS ON HEALTH :

Here are just a few of them:

1. Stress exacerbates medical conditions like asthma, pain, heart problems and so on.
2. Stress can cause headaches and migraines
3. It is responsible for hypertension and fluctuations in blood pressure of man.
4. Stress can lead to depression.
5. Last but not the least, it can cause overeating. Some people handle stress best by adding weight, which is dangerous too.

Fortunately, all these effect of stress mentioned above can be avoided. How? Read on to find out!!

WAYS TO MANAGE STRESS :

1. Sleep more: Sometimes what gets us cranky is just lack of sleep. So whenever life look like it wants to take a nosedive, just relax, sleep and by the time you’re up, your problem will be bygone.
2. Engage in physical exercise. Exercises like swimming, Ta Chi, could help to relax the mind and forget about your worries. Try them out and you will be fine afterwards.
3. Reduce your intake of alcohol, caffeine and nicotine. These substances are triggerers that increase your stress level rather than reduce it. So BEWARE!
4. Talk to a friend. It could be your mum, dad or someone you count on. Talking about your problems helps to relieve them. That is one of the fastest ways to put it behind you.
5. Time management. Managing your time to get your activities for the day sorted out is a way of reducing your stress. Less of procrastination and more of acting. In that way, you will be happy to find out that you have a clean slate.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed this article     

Author: Etudo Nneamaka Margaret.