INTRO:
What does stress feel like? how does it affect our mental health and wellbeing? And how to deal with it in a thoughtful way?
In today’s episode, we will talk about stress.
Welcome to minutesofacts podcast.
WHAT is Stress?
Stress is a psychological term that we’re probably all familiar with, and it describes the feeling we have when we’re under pressure or feeling overburdened by things going on in our life.
Some examples of stress might be feeling pressure at work;
It might be feeling overwhelmed by pressures at home;
It might be feeling pressure from your family to be or do things a certain way that doesn’t fit in with your values or beliefs;
It might be a relationship breaking down with a partner, friend or family member; or it could even be feeling overwhelmed by major events going on in the world.
There are many different types of stress that we all experience but they all have one thing in common – they make your life more challenging than it needs to be.
WHY does it affect your Mental Health?
Understanding and dealing with stress is a big part of good mental health and wellbeing, because unless you’re living in a cabin in the woods you’re probably going to have some level of exposure to things that can stress you out.
Too much stress can lead to anxiety or depression over time – which makes logical sense when you really think about it.
Look at it this way: if you constantly run your car engine at full throttle, eventually you’re going to run out of fuel and mess up the motor unless you take some time to maintain your vehicle.
Your body is your vehicle and it needs maintenance too, otherwise if you’re constantly running on overdrive then something will eventually have to give.
Part of that involves putting in place daily practice to deal with stress before it even happens, because dealing with stress early is the mental health equivalent of avoiding a molehill becoming a mountain.
HOW to deal with Stress?
- Dig deep to understand what is really causing your stress: before going any further, you need to identify what the root cause of your stress is.
- Confront it: there’s no point keeping your head in the sand to protect yourself, so confront whatever it is that’s going on. Even just acknowledging that you’re having a rough time can be exactly the circuit-breaker, that you need to start thinking about how you’re going to tackle the problem.
- Find solutions: address the root cause or causes and come up with ideas that will resolve the problems that are causing your stress.
- Talk to someone you trust: often a good conversation with a close friend or family member can be just the release you need to get it off your chest, so that you can start to process your way through what’s going on.
- Take a break: a couple of hours or a couple of days to relax might be exactly what you need to recharge your batteries and work through how to tackle whatever is causing your stress, so allow yourself some time.
- Diet, exercise and sleep:Eat well, have a regular sleep cycle and stick to it, take regular exercise and do stuff that’s good for your health – relaxation techniques and mindfulness work well, practice some yoga as well, which helps to reduce stress and anxiety.
OUTRO:
I hope these steps helps!
Thank you for time and support. For daily adventures, reach out our IG page “minutesofacts”
Stay safe and healthy. Talk to you next time!
