Well, are you managing your stress levels? 

By Nandini Chopra

Stress will probably affect all of us at some time in our lives.  People usually say that I am stressed but they don’t know the reason why they are feeling stressed. Thus, to minimise the stress one should firstly find the reason then look at different techniques to eliminate this.

 In simple words, stress  is characterised as an anxious or tense state of mind brought on by challenging circumstances. It is a normal human reaction that pushes us to deal with risks and obstacles in our lives. In physics, the term “stress” describes the interaction between a force and the resistance to that force. Hans Selye was the first to introduce this phrase into the medical lexicon to define the “nonspecific response of the body to any demand”. Stress can be caused by anything that frustrates, enrages, or unnerves a person in their thoughts or experiences, a challenge or demand causes your body to experience stress. 

When it serves to keep you safe or help you accomplish a deadline, stress can be beneficial in short spurts. Suffering from any level of stress can rapidly cause individuals to lose their ability to make sound decisions. This affects health, family, and career alike, since stress in one area of life inevitably affects others. It mainly affects emotions. Those who suffer from stress are far more likely to indulge in destructive behaviour.

Aside from death and divorce, there are a number of other life experiences that can cause high stress levels. And so, taking care of yourself is crucial in managing stress. Make sure to get enough sleep, eat healthy, exercise daily, spend time with your family and friends, and share your problems with someone who according to you is the right one. When one shares their problem 90% of stress reduces. Also, take breaks when needed. Self-care also involves setting healthy boundaries, learning to say no, and making time for activities that you enjoy. There are mainly two types of stress. Acute stress is a short- time stress that goes away after sometime. This includes situations such as sitting an exam, starting a new job, giving a speech or being faced with a work deadline. Whereas chronic stress is long-time stress. It can affect both our physical and psychological well-being by causing a variety of problems including anxiety, insomnia , high blood pressure, it can be treated with therapy such as CBT (Cognitive behaviour therapy) where a therapist works to enable a person to modify their behaviors, thoughts and feeling concerning stressors.

In today’s era, numerous people are going through work – related stress. The main stress at the workplace is due to heavy workload, infrequent rest breaks, and long work hours. When you are under stress, your entire body becomes tense and your posture changes. Make a conscious effort to relax your body while at work so that you can reduce tension and alleviate the damaging effects of your physical response to stress.

Finding a balanced lifestyle is essential to our overall well being. Physical activities can concentrate the mind and help to reduce the outward symptoms of stress, while hobbies such as painting can provide emotional calm. Major techniques which can be used to reduce stress firstly, relaxing with a new hobby. Choose an activity that you really enjoy doing to beat stress. A hobby also helps boost one’s self esteem. Secondly, exercising daily is widely recognized as beneficial in reducing stress and anxiety levels and also improves sleep. However, take care, since those who exercise vigorously while highly stressed are prone to injury. Always remember to start gradually and build up to a regular exercise regime. Thirdly, connect with supportive people.

In conclusion, stress is very important as it  helps you to meet your daily challenges and motivates you to reach your goals . so, Good stress is vital for a healthy life. As Bill Phillips said,  “Stress should be a powerful driving force, not an obstacle. Which  suggests that stress can be viewed as an opportunity rather than a hindrance.”