What is stress and why are we so stressed out? There are good and bad stressors.

Merriam-Webster, defined stress as a constraining force or influence: such as:

a: a force exerted when one body or body part presses on, pulls on, pushes against, or tends to compress or twist another body or body part; especially: the intensity of this mutual force commonly expressed in pounds per square inch

b: the deformation caused in a body by such a force

c: a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation

d: a state resulting from a stress; especially: one of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium ·job-related stress

Stress will always be part of your life; it’s how you handle it that determines your overall health and happiness.

First, let’s break down what stress is, Stress, in a nutshell, is your body responding to the demands you PUT on it from being a parent, going to school, work, not getting enough sleep etc.  Now let’s discuss where we get our stress from.

Places stress comes from:

Being a Parent

Parenting is an amazing thing, but you and I know being a parent consumes and overwhelm us at times. I have two kids ages 7 and 12 and they both have different needs and wants, so trying to ensure they are happy, meet up with other parents for play dates and the demand for Parents Teacher Association (PTA) involvement at our kid’s school increases our stress level.

Sometimes it may feel as though there is not enough time to give our children or the attention they need from us due to other outside sources. As parents, when we feel we are lacking with our kids, what do we do to reassure them? We go extra hard on additional outings and activities, which result in more stress.

As I settle into single parent life and living in a new country, there were additional stressors where I had to figure out childcare in a foreign country, find a place to live, went through a divorce and transition into a new job with a highly active role and demanding role.  My stress level was high and it did affect my health.

Job

Well we can’t just quit your job because we need the income to support our families and ourselves.  Whether you’re an entrepreneur or work for a company, there will be stress. Stress can’t be avoided, but it can be controlled and reduced.  Job stressors come from the amount of work (i.e. tasks) and the people we lead and work with daily.  When you have difficult employees or co-workers, believe that they will add additional stress to your life.

As a government employee, there’s lots of high stress that are present due to the tempo of what is going on and the urgency of the issue.  The key for me is finding that balance and letting go of things I can’t control and become a worrier.

Environment

Our environment plays a significant role in the stress that we encounter.  According to takingcharge, “Perhaps most importantly for health, the environment can create or reduce stress, which in turn impacts our bodies in multiple ways. This is because our brain and our nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are constantly interacting.”

Depending on where you are, your environment can trigger certain emotions that increases your stress levels, which raises your heart rate, anxiety level, blood pressure etc.  If the environment is too loud, it can affect how your body responds.

School

It’s important to get a great education and as you progress in your studies the more difficult the classes become.  Conducting research, meeting deadlines, being a parent, and working is a lot on the body and mind.  But this type of stress can be viewed as a positive stress because, in the end, there is a great reward, your diploma!

Finance

When you have a limited income and are unable to keep up with paying your bills additional stress is added. The worries of losing everything due to low or no income is scary and put you in a state of high stress, which affects your health, and mental states.

What Can You Do To Reduce Stress Daily?

You can’t eliminate stress, but there are many things that you can do to reduce it. Here are 10 things you can do to reduce stress in your life or someone else’s life:

1. Walk 30 minutes daily– Going for 30 minutes walks a day will change your life for the better. Walking daily changes your attitude, mood, appearance, and overall health. Click here to read an article written by Megan Rabbit on “7 Incredible Results You’ll Get From Walking 30 Minutes A Day.”
2. Attend a Cardio Class (Zumba, Kick Boxing, or HIIT) – Just like walking, attending and participating in a cardio class will boost your confidence, keep you fit and if you love to dance this is a win-win situation for you.
3. Take dance lessons– I love dancing and with dancing you burn many calories, you become fit, you have fun and you become a better dancer.

   

4. Meditate– Mediating allows you to ease your mind from all the noises and chatters in your head. It also brings your entire body to a peaceful state. Many people use meditation to reduce their stress. An article published by Julie Corliss, focus on the research on mindfulness meditation and the research conducted, “suggest that mindful meditation can help ease psychological stresses like anxiety, depression, and pain”  You don’t need a big space to get started, all you need is a floor and time. Make time for what matters, and taking control of your stress, matters.
5. Start Journaling-Journaling empowers you to let go of all your thoughts that are built up in your head that have you stressed out, worried, and scared by writing them down. It allows you to reflect and ask questions to get clarity on your life. Read the article by Benjamin P. Hardy on “Why Keeping A Daily Journal Could Change Your Life”
6. Go For a Run-Running is so beneficial for the body and mind. From personal experience, I run when I’m stressed. By me running, my mood is better, I’m re-energized, and my stress is reduced.  This is one of my go-to activity whenever I feel overwhelmed and I burn lots of calories and it gets me in shape.  If you don’t like running, click here to read six benefits of running, you may change your mind.  checkout my article on anxiety on how I used running to tackle it.
7. Read Daily– Some people may not care to work out, but they may enjoy a great book. So reading different genres of books gives you the opportunity to take your minds to a new place to imagine and great your own images.
8. Get 7 to 8 Hours of Sleep-Much sleep is always needed! This is something I don’t get enough of at times due to work, being a single parent so I notice the difference when I get under seven hours of sleep. My blood pressure rises, I’m not focus, and my heart rate increases. So get your 7 to 8 hours in if you can every night.
9. Attend a Show– Attending a comedy show and laughing does wonder for your mind, mood and body. (Comedy, Classic, Play). According to helpguide, “Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh.  Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.  It also helps you to release anger and be more forgiving.” Check out the article here to read the benefits of laughter and it will show you why you should laugh daily.
10. Prioritize Your Life-Look at what is important to you in your personal and professional life. Determine what needs to be done, not what you want to get done. We tend to add in unnecessary tasks and activities that add no value to our day, besides additional stress.

Remember stress affect you by how you tackle it; if you let it consume you, it can put in a place where you feel you are unable to let go of it. Stress is a silent killer, and many of us go through life not controlling our stress level and then we realize it is too late.  When you first acknowledge the stressors and understand why you are stress, you have control of how you react and what actions you can take.  Take control of it now if you have not!

Stress comes in all types of package, from being a parent, work, financial responsibility and your environment.  If things become too much, then take a break, walk away from it for a while or save it for the next day.  Allow your mind to reset from all stressors.  Pick one of the ten ways to reduce stress and get started.

Question: How do you reduce stress in your life?

Shevvymac

“Motivation Accountability Change”