“I am so stressed”, “My work is putting so much pressure on me”, “Balancing both, a job and family is so stressful”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines stress as a mental tension or state of worry caused by a difficult situation. Now, getting stressed is a natural response to a challenge or threat in our lives. We all experience stress. Our response to stress, however, plays a big role in our overall well-being.
Stress Can Be Positive?!
Yes. Contrary to popular belief, stress can be both; positive- also known as eustress as well as negative- known as distress.
Eustress is stress that leads to growth, action and change in a person’s life and is often associated with challenging but manageable situations.
Job Promotion: Getting promoted at work can be a source of eustress. While it may come with increased responsibilities, it’s often seen as an opportunity for career growth, achievement, and increased income.
Marriage or Birth: Planning a wedding or expecting a child can be stressful, but these are typically considered joyous life events. The anticipation and excitement of welcoming a new family member can be a source of eustress.
Distress on the other hand, is prolonged stress that leads to pain, suffering and reduced quality of life. Stress affects both our mental and physical health. It often results from overwhelming, unmanageable, or traumatic situations.
Grief and Loss: Coping with the loss of a loved one, such as a family member or close friend, is a distressing experience. It can result in intense emotional pain and suffering.
Work Burnout: Prolonged exposure to high levels of stress at the workplace, such as excessive workload and pressure, can lead to distress. It may result in physical and mental health issues, decreased job satisfaction, and overall reduced well-being.
It is inevitable that we encounter stress in our lives, but understanding where it is coming from, in which way (positive or negative) it is affecting us, and how we handle it is crucial for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
The way people cope with stress varies from person to person. Some may cope with it by doing meditation, physical exercise or talking to friends and family while others may resort to using substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Many-a-times people even indulge in binge eating or oversleeping in stressful situations. Each of these coping strategies has some effect on us. Some good, and some harmful. It is imperative to recognize the importance of choosing healthy coping strategies for stress to prevent it from worsening and to safeguard our mental and physical well-being.
Following are some healthy coping strategies one can use to deal with stress.
Adequate Sleep
- Lack of sleep may cause you to think irrationally when you are tired, which will lead to more stress.
- Your mind and body both benefit from adequate sleep of 6 to 8 hours for adults. Our body takes this time to replenish for an energetic start the following day.
- Did you know the LetsGetHappi app has some great sleep focused restful reverie audios as well as articles on how to get a good night;s rest?!
Maintaining A Daily Routine
- Maintaining a routine and structure during times of stress can help you feel more organised and in control.
- As many decisions will already have been made in advance in your daily routine, you can focus on making good choices for the remaining ones.
- The Happi app includes a private journaling section, helpful for you to type out your thoughts, vent current feelings or even use to set daily schedules and focus on maintaining a routine to avoid stress.
Meditation
- Regular meditation calms and relaxes a person down. It helps you to refocus his attention from their crowded stressful thoughts to calm and relaxed state and that break is very important as it helps you to think about better solutions and think about dealing with challenges.
- There are multiple ways to practise meditation such as guided meditation (In this a guide/teacher guides you to visualise mental images or places or situations that are relaxing), Yoga (You perform a series of postures and controlled breathing exercises to promote a more flexible body and a calm mind.), mindfulness meditation (Mindfulness meditation involves being aware and accepting of the present moment, or being mindful.)
- All of these are readily available on the Happi app, From beginners yoga poses to EDM based meditation. We’ve got you covered.
Healthy Diet
- As a result of stress, we may reach for highly addictive, highly processed foods full of salt, sugar, and fat. But these foods cause your blood sugar to spike. The release of cortisol, the stress hormone, increases your anxiety and stress levels.
- Hence it becomes more important to maintain a healthy diet. A balanced diet can support a healthy immune system and the repair of damaged cells. In times of stress, providing an extra boost of energy.
- In case you’re confused about where to start and how to build a healthy meal plan; the diet and nutrition section under self-help tools on the Happi App has all the information you need to get started. Hydration tips, daily protein consumption, stress eating and much more is easily explained via videos and articles that you can refer to for free!
Physical Exercise
- Physical exercise is very helpful to distract yourself from your daily worries, as it releases endorphins that make you feel good. Walking outside can also be considered physical exercise.
- By doing this, you are able to calm down, clear your head, and look at the situation from a different angle. Additionally, exercising also keeps our body healthy.
Taking Out Time For Leisure Activities/Hobbies
- Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be dancing, listening to music, stitching, or riding a cycle. Engaging in these activities has been associated with an increased sense of purpose and meaning, as well as serving as distractions from everyday worries.
- The benefits include improved mood, decreased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.
- As a result, people are more physically active, develop positive emotions and social relationships, acquire skills and knowledge, promote self-expression and creativity, and feel more confident and self-defeated.
Fun Ways To Unwind!
Above mentioned are some of the well known and empirically backed strategies to manage stress. While we may have come across this at some point in our lives or know of it, reading about them again is always helpful in reminding us what to look out for and how to take care of ourselves.
Additionally, here are some new ways to deal with stress!
Playing With Slime
- This uses our tactile and sense of smell to make us relaxed. As the fingers sink into the soft, pliable material, this feeling can be calming and divert attention away from stressors.
- Many types of slime are scented, and the olfactory sense can be soothing. Pleasant scents like lavender or citrus can enhance relaxation and reduce stress.
Listening To ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response)
- ASMR videos or audio recordings stimulate the auditory sense with various triggers like whispering, tapping, or gentle sounds.
- These sounds can have a soothing effect and reduce anxiety and stress as well as fall asleep more easily.
Watching Calming Videos Online:
- Calming videos typically feature serene natural landscapes, slow-motion scenes, or other visually pleasing content.
- Watching such videos engages the visual sense and can induce a sense of relaxation.
In Conclusion:
Stress is an unavoidable, sometimes even helpful part of our life but how we manage it makes a big difference to our mental and physical health. Each person deals with stress in their own ways. Above mentioned are some of the ways in which you can deal with it. Remember that by incorporating these methods into your daily life, you can navigate stress more effectively, promoting your overall well-being and quality of life.