Saturday 30 June 2012

Personal Stress Management: Get Rid Of Stress In Your Own Way



 It is always difficult to recognize the signs and symptoms when you are in the throes of stress. Many people misunderstand the true definition of stress and would resort to medications without even trying to find out what started it in the first place. Being hasty to get rid of stress will only lead to temporary results and will return once the effect of the medication has run its course.

Personal stress management involves making your own routines that will allow you cope with problems and avoiding a possible occurrence of stress in your daily life. Here are some tips on how to get rid of stress in your own personal way.

Understanding is the key to enlightenment

The first step in personal stress management is to know what stress really is and how it can affect your life. For starters, stress is something or events in your life that will affect your emotional, mental and physical wellbeing in a negative way. Most often, stress starts off with the mind, branches off and affects your emotions, and if left uncontrolled will then begins to take its toll on your body.

Try to take some time off to reflect on what problems in your life stresses you out. You can write a diary and state all your problems there then try to analyze it one-by-one. If you can narrow the cause of your stress then you can easily find ways in getting rid of it. Talking with a close friend or a family member about your problems is also a great way to deal with it. Since stress is said to be bottled up emotions, you better find ways to release it before it blows up inside you, which is never pretty good.

Help yourself

Now that you found out how stress affects your life, all that you need to do is to get rid of it. Resorting to medications will only lead to temporary results, you need to choose a more permanent approach, and that is your mind. Stress usually rears its ugly head when we start to think about it. If we let your problems gain control over you then you will see the effects almost immediately.

You need to relax and face stress head on. Identify what causes it and find a solution to it. You may use music therapy to help you relax, or meditation to clear your mind for a fresh start.                                              Aromatherapy can also help in relaxing your mind. Certain scents like lavender and jasmine are proven to have a calming effect and can help you keep a clear head.

Start small

Problems are usually a prelude to stress. The more the problems pile up, the more stressed you will eventually become. If a certain problem comes into your life, whether career or personal, try to take care of it as soon as possible. Don’t let your work pile up or they may become too much to handle later on.

The secret to success in personal stress management is to identify the causes of stress in your life. Find a self-made routine that can help you deal with it and cope with future problems that will surely stress out.

Wednesday 27 June 2012

What Stress Can Do To Your Body




Unknown to you but stress can actually do more damage to your body than you think. Most people take advantage of their body’s limit and push it to the extreme just to get the job done, thinking that their body will adapt to the stress they impose upon it.

The truth is that, our body has a certain capacity in which it can function, exceed that capacity and you will end up in the warm embrace of the hospital bed waiting for your body to recover. Stress can affect you in many ways – physical, mental and emotional functions are disrupted making you unable to function properly whether socially, personally or career work. Stress causes more harm than good to your general health.

Effects of stress on your body

There is a certain degree in which stress can affect your body. Headaches and body pain are part of the issues a stressed person will complain of. If left unchecked, this will lead to migraine and muscle tension that will eventually lead to stiffness.

Major changes will affect the biochemical functions of your body. This could be diarrhea, constipation, nausea and dizziness. You will find it hard to sleep at nights even if you feel week and needs rest. People usually resort to medications to counter this effect, but this will only give temporary remedy.

To those who suffer from a weak heart, most often they will complain of chest pains and rapid heartbeat – the usual signs and symptoms that will eventually lead to stroke or cardiac arrest.  Note however that different physical manifestations of stress can be seen for different people, it all depends on your body’s capacity.

Behavioral problems related to stress

Aside physical manifestations of stress on your body, behavioral changes may also be noticed while under the throes of stress. Changes in sleeping patterns, lack of sleep or inability to sleep during normal slumber hours is usually the initial reactions to stress. These are usually caused by heightened emotional and mental functions which is more of the negative than positive.

Self-pity and isolation is caused by the depressed mental state of the person when certain problems crop up in their everyday life. Irritability and anger will set in when the person is bereft of his or her natural ability to rationalize which is usually the case when stressed or being burdened by problems.

How to cope

There are different techniques that you can employ to avoid these manifestations of stress in your life. The first technique, and the most important one, is learning how to relax when stress pays you a visit. You can employ techniques like meditation, breathing exercises, aromatherapy, or music therapy to induce a state of relaxation to your mind. Once you have achieved this step, you can proceed on how to deal with stress that affects your body.

Since most of your physiological functions are unbalanced due to stress, you can start by pampering your body through various massages offered by health spas within your neighborhood. Loosen those tight muscles to relieve assorted aches and pains and increase your flexibility.

Physical exercise can also help develop cardiovascular functions and strengthen your heart to avoid stroke or rapid heart rate. You also need to keep a close look out on your diet, make sure you avoid taking in junk foods and fast foods that will elevate harmful chemicals in your body. Try to stick with fruits and vegetables and take in supplements to help rejuvenate your body.