What Is Chronic Stress and How to Battle It?

Jul 6, 2021

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What Is Chronic Stress and How to Battle It? In 2007, the American Psychological Association announced that stress had become a significant health crisis. Because of some unpredictable factors – such as an ongoing global pandemic – today, the situation has worsened.

Stress isn’t a feeling you can get rid of quickly. It affects your health – both mental and physical – thereby becoming a cause of persistent aggravation for the victim. With prolonged time, the feeling can turn into “chronic stress.”

Here, we’ll talk about ways to control this form of stress.

Tips to control chronic stress

How do we define chronic stress? It’s a constant, prolonged, and overwhelming feeling of stress caused by private affairs or traumatic events. If left untreated, this complication results in several mental (anxiety or depression) and physical (blood pressure or heart attack) problems. Remember that stress is a perfectly natural response in the face of danger. It compels us to take the necessary action to escape a dangerous situation. But chronic stress exerts this pressure on the human body excessively for a lengthy period. So, this condition makes it difficult for a person to function normally in society. Here we shall discuss specific strategies you can employ to combat stress and redeem your mental stability:

Get professional help
Firstly, you must contact an expert, licensed, and trustworthy counselor/psychologist. They can suggest methods exclusive to your needs and tailored to your convenience. Besides, regardless of which region you belong to, you can avail yourself of mental therapies. If you reside in California, try therapy for stress San Francisco CA, to rid of any mental issues. They’ll use high-success methods such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to improve your mental state. So, don’t risk your well-being and visit an expert therapist immediately.
Identify the symptoms
Secondly, it’s essential to become self-aware about how your body is reacting. So, it would help if you learned which symptoms indicate that you’re going through a stressful situation. The severity of symptoms depends upon the patient’s mental health. The signs of chronic stress include fatigue, irritability, and headaches. Additionally, the patient may suffer from low self-esteem and lack of sexual desire. They may feel nervous, helpless, and restless, and their appetite and digestive habits can also change.
Eat nutritious meals
Ensure that you’re consuming a balanced diet filled with nutrition. It’ll help you overcome the stress and regulate your emotions. Avoid drinking too much coffee and don’t consume alcohol excessively. Also, stay away from processed food; instead, eat a diet composed of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Moreover, don’t skip breakfast since it’s one of the most important meals of the day.
Try some hobbies
Hobbies relax you and keep your mind engaged in some meaningful activities. You can choose from myriads of pastimes ranging from knitting and painting to traveling and gardening. Some people also prefer watching a movie, playing board games, shopping around the city, or doing sports, e.g., golf. You may pick up journaling as a pastime to write about your experience with chronic stress. This hobby is helpful for people who can’t share their sufferings with another person.
Eliminate your triggers
What triggers a stressful episode in you? Which events/activities make you feel stressed out? Find out these triggers and try to control/eliminate them. For some people, it’s their employment that’s making them feel trapped. Similarly, others are frustrated about their living situations. Try to change these conditions or – at least – learn to cope with them. Journaling enables you to record your daily schedule. So, it’ll help you discover things or even people who stress you out.
Exercise regularly
Exercise isn’t just beneficial for stressed individuals. It benefits everyone by improving their health – both mental and physical. It contributes to enhancing your physical fitness as well as uplifting your mood. Furthermore, it stimulates the release of endorphins which causes a feeling of happiness. Working out moderately for 150-200 minutes every week helps you maintain fitness, HHS explains. It’ll also help digest your meals while getting adequate rest every night.
Try meditation
Meditation can help you recover from the consequences of stress. Harvard Medical School explains that several exercises can help you calm down after experiencing a stress attack. For instance, performing belly-breathing exercises for 10-20 minutes allows you to feel tranquil again. It’ll release your tension while regulating your heartbeat. Moreover, there are several yoga options for patients to experiment with to repel any impact of chronic stress.
Set some limits
Don’t compel yourself to perform tasks you can’t handle. Instead, only engage in activities you can tolerate. For some patients, these activities remind them of a traumatic experience that caused this stress in the first place. Cut back on non-essential activities and reduce your involvement in painful doings. Don’t accept responsibilities you can’t afford or tasks that are painful to you. Set some limits and let your employers/relatives know which actions may endanger your mental health.
Get enough sleep
Sleep contributes to healthy mental stability. An adult should sleep for 7-9 hours daily on average. So, you much commit yourself to sleep early and get a sufficient amount of sleep. It will help you overcome your anxiety and restlessness. Turn off your smartphone before going to bed and read some literature instead. It’ll make you more relaxed and satisfied, thereby helping you get back in control of your stress.
Avoid self-isolation
Sharing your sufferings with someone helps relieve the anguish and provide mental relaxation. So, it would help if you didn’t endure your stress in isolation instead connect with friends/family. Surround yourself with reliable people who care about your well-being and can support you through these hardships. Therefore, create a network of such supportive individuals to contact when the stress becomes increasingly overwhelming.

Conclusion

A Gallup survey shows that around 55% of Americans suffer from stress. It makes the United States the country with the most “stressed people” in the world. Combating stress isn’t easy – we admit – though a few methods can help you control this feeling. Identify your triggers and understand what stresses you out. Exercise regularly while cutting back on drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, and your identified stressors. Eating, drinking, and sleeping properly also helps a person ease their stress. You must abandon loneliness as well by connecting with friends/family. Additionally, meditation exercises, group therapy, and prescription medicine will also help you battle stress.