Overcoming Stress

Stress can actually help to motivate you to complete tasks and get things done. Too much stress however can have a detrimental effect on your health and wellbeing. Stress often occurs when you feel overwhelmed and unable to manage the situation. Stress releases a chemical called cortisol which if maintained at high levels for prolonged periods of time can have a damaging effect on your health and wellbeing. Therefore, it is important to regularly take time to relax and unwind to prevent burnout. There are various stages of stress and the later stages become automatic and will continue to release stress hormones leading to a possible burnout, unless there is an intervention to help reverse the process towards healing and recovery.

·      Symptoms of Stress

·      Causes of Stress

·      Stages of Stress

·      Overcoming Stress

Symptoms of Stress

Stress can have an impact on our health and wellbeing, which can have an effect on our mood or behaviour. Most of the time you will notice symptoms of stress, however there are occasions where you may not notice the symptoms of stress and just keep going.

Here are some of the psychological symptoms you may experience:

·      Irritability, or feeling angry

·      Being Overwhelmed

·      Anxiety, nervousness or fearful

·      Racing thoughts which you can’t stop

·      Depression

·      Inability to enjoy things

·      Isolation

·      A lack of interest in life

     And some of the physical symptoms you may experience are:

·      Insomnia

·      Feeling tensed or worried

·      Racing heartbeat or chest pains

·      Getting headaches or feeling dizzy

·      Having issues with your stomach

·      Sexual dysfunction

·      Losing or gaining weight suddenly

·      Period or menstrual cycle changes

·      Sweating

     Behavioural changes can also occur when you are stressed which can get even worse if high stress levels are prolonged for a long period of time, some of these behaviours are:

·      Being snappy or irritable

·      Withdrawing from people or places

·      Getting angry easily

·      Increased difficulty in making decisions

·      Having memory problems

·      Smoking or drinking more than usual

·      Over spending or shopping

·      Inability to enjoy or have sex

·      Exercising too much or a reduced amount

·      Eating more or less than usual

These are just some of the symptoms of stress that you could experience. You could also experience more than one of these symptoms. If you do notice any of these symptoms, then it may be a sign to relax and unwind. Stress can also make other health issues worse.

 

Causes of Stress

Stress can be caused by various reasons and it may not always be easy to identify the source of what is causing you to feel stressed. It may be because you feel pressured or helpless about a situation in your life. A major life event such as a bereavement, getting married or having a baby can cause you to feel a lot of stress. A lot of little things can also mount up and cause you to feel stressed. Each person can handle different levels of stress and what one person doesn’t find stressful another person may be filled with dread at just the thought of it. Hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are released when we are experiencing stress which can be beneficial for some, such as increased energy or concentration, while also being unhelpful to others causing unwanted symptoms or behaviours. Prolonged stress can have a detrimental effect on our health and wellbeing, so steps should be taken if you feel that your stress is getting out of hand.

Areas of your life that may be causing stress could be:

•        Feeling pressured at work or not having a job

•        Difficult relationships with family or friends

•        Having financial issues

•        Experiencing housing problems

•        Social or worldly events

•        Having health issues

Stages of Stress

There are five stages of stress which are alarm, resistance, recovery, adaptation, and burnout. Identifying what stage you are in can help you to take the necessary steps to prevent stress becoming a major problem in your life. You may not go through them in any particular order. The stages of stress are:

Alarm

During this stage your body will alert you that you are experiencing stress which could be triggered by a situation. At this stage the fight or flight reaction will be experienced releasing adrenaline and you will have an increased heartrate and blood pressure. Some symptoms you may experience are dilated pupils, to let in more light, dry mouth, sweating, and cool skin as your blood flow is redirected away from your skin and towards your brain, eyes, ears, nose, arms and legs.

Resistance

This is the stage where your body is releasing anti-inflammatory hormones in order to help your body to return to a healthy condition by calming and settling it. At this stage you should try and identify what is causing your stress and try to positively correct them, making a plan on how to avoid or improve them in the future.

Recovery

This is the most crucial stage. At this stage it is important to move towards equilibrium and recovery. Taking action at this stage can help you from experiencing more serious stages. Having regular sleep, eating a well-balanced diet and exercising can aid in the recovery of your stress. Removing yourself from the stressful situation even temporarily would help speed up your recovery.

Adaptation

At this stage your body is adapting to the stress, locking itself in a detrimental state of being. Unless there is an intervention at this stage then things are likely to just get worse. Once your body adapts to the stress you will experience a lack of energy, low self-esteem, sleep issues, and emotional problems. If you are unable to remove yourself from the stressful situation then you can help prevent long term damage by being kind to yourself and not being so hard on yourself, considering options you may have previously overlooked and keeping an eye on how you are thinking and feeling.

Burnout

If you are unable to remove yourself from the cause of your stress or have already adapted to it, then the risk is that you will experience burnout. Signs of a burnout are; feeling emotionally drained, extreme exhaustion, negativity, scepticism, catastrophic thinking and detachment. It’s important to make changes at this stage as continuing living at this stage can have irreversible effects on your health and wellbeing. Things that can help at this stage are taking a break from the situation, reconsidering your options and goals, and taking time out to relax, recover and reward yourself.

 

Overcoming Stress

Identifying what stage of stress, you are experiencing can help you take the required steps to bring a sense of equilibrium back into your life and reduce your stress levels. There are many ways that may help you to overcome and reduce your stress. Here are some examples of how you can go about it:

•        Removing yourself or making changes to a stressful situation

•        Eat a healthy well-balanced diet

•        Enjoy a warm soak in the bath

•        Going for a walk

•        Exercising, which will release endorphins to help you feel good

•        Meditate

•        Practising mindfulness

•        Do something you enjoy doing

•        Reconsider your goals and lifestyle

•        Organise your life and time better

•        Get regular sleep

•        Be kind to yourself and learn to love you

•        Give aromatherapy a try

•        Spending time in nature

•        Going on holiday or having a break away

•        Listen to music or watch a movie

•        Read a book

•        Write a journal

Some of these examples will work better for some than others, take your time to find what works for you. Even just making small changes can bring a big improvement to the amount of stress that you experience. Focus on the things you can change and that you can control, rather than the things that are out of your control. Maintaining a healthy support network and social life can help you to be more resilient to stress. This can include people such as family and friends, colleagues at work, fellow students or peer support networks. Identifying what triggers cause your stress can also help you prevent it reoccurring in the future, or limit its effects on you. These triggers can be one off events, things that come up often, ongoing events or something that you are concerned that might happen again. If thinking about what your triggers are, upset you too much then stop thinking about them, and try to focus on something positive like the steps you’re going to take to relax and unwind.