Today is the beginning of the Mental Health Awareness week and one of the major underlying precipitant of mental health disorders is stress.
Stress is your body's way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. Its not altogether a bad feeling as it helps us work harder to meet our goals but in excess it can lead to lot of health problems like depression,sleep disorders,obesity,sexual dysfunction,gastritis,menstrual disorders,cardiovascular diseases like hypertension.
COMMON CAUSES OF STRESS
• Work: Having to wake up early,return late,deadline pressure,dysfunctional relationships with colleagues can all lead to stress.
• Financial difficulties: Increasing bills,loans,debts
• Health problems: Acute or chronic illnesses can lead to stress but note that worrying over health problems will lead to more health problems.
• Family and relationships: Heartbreaks,divorce,taking care of kids can culminate in stress.
• Major traumatic life events like loss of a loved one,displacement from homes,wars etc.
• Societal pressures: The pressure to meet up with societal expectations. The pressure of having a perfect body,perfect relationships,perfect financial status.
HOW TO MANAGE YOUR STRESS
• Identify the stressor and eliminate or alter it
• Take enough time to rest,sleep well.
• Eat healthy-Reduce intake of alcohol,caffeine and high carb diets,they rather worsen the situation.
• Find a destressor-For some people it could be taking a vacation,listening to music,taking a walk,sex,spending time with loved ones.
• Learn alternative ways of coping with the stress.
• Exercise regularly
• Plan your time- set aside time for yourself to relax.
• Talk about it,talking about it may help you feel better. Resolve conflicts with family,friends,bosses and colleagues.
•Seek professional help-You may need to talk to a doctor or therapist depending on the cause of your stress.
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