What to do about stress? 7 useful tips to improve your well-being.

Tips on how to cope with stress through simple recommendations to apply.

Stress is part of our lives.. The pressure to be on time for work, to finish that final project that needs to be delivered first thing in the morning at school, to cook for a large number of consumers in a restaurant; these are stress-generating situations.

However, when stress is prolonged its effectiveness disappears and its effects can be fatal, since the consequences go from the psychological to include the physical. So... what to do in the face of stress? Let's see it throughout this article.

• Article related: "Types of stress and its triggers".

Consequences of stress

To a certain extent, stress represents a source of energy that makes us go into actionIt triggers the nervous alert system, releasing stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, accelerates the heart rate and raises Blood pressure. Once the problem is over, the body usually recovers its balance and tranquility, but sometimes there is too much stress and that wears down our quality of life.

Here are some of the psychological some psychological effects of excessive stresswhich has repercussions on thinking, emotions and behavior:

• Lack of concentration
• Memory failure
• Prone to make mistakes, poor performance
• Impatience and irritability
• Constant tension
• Feelings of inferiority
• Risk of using harmful substances
• Insomnia
• Interpersonal problems

As a consequence of situations that prolong stress, the mental state in which the person finds him/herself can produce physical illnesses and psychosomatic reactions, such assuch as

• Gastric ulcer
• Irritable colon
• Hypertension
• Infarction
• Muscle pain
• Vaginismus, menstrual cycle changes
• Erectile dysfunction
• Obesity
• Migraines
• Anxiety, depression

In Mexico, 75% of the population suffers from work-related stress, more than in countries such as China and the United States, according to the WHO. This is due, according to Dr. Armando Ahued, to an imbalance between what is demanded in the work area with the capacity, knowledge and profile of the worker..

What to do in the face of stress?

It should be noted that high levels of cortisol (stress hormone) cause a decrease in the body's defenses, which makes us more prone to stress.This makes us more prone to get sick. All the more reason to prevent your stress from prolonging to such instances.

Sometimes, the solutions we try to get rid of stress end up aggravating the problem. Some people resort to unhealthy substances such as smoking, drinking alcohol or taking other drugs to relieve stress. to relieve stress. However, in addition to not getting it, the person becomes addicted to the substance and will have to deal with withdrawal symptoms, so both problems will keep him/her restless and his/her health will be even more endangered.

On the other hand, food also tends to be a common resource. According to Fernando Fernandez-Aranda, coordinator of the Eating Disorders Unit of the Hospital de Bellvitge, in Barcelona, stressful situations influence our mood, modify our food intake and cause us to eat in large quantities.This causes us to eat in large quantities, so that we try to deal with negative emotions by eating. This is known as emotional hunger. This strategy, beyond not relieving stress, we run the risk of gaining weight.

Instead of managing stress, it manages us. The way we deal with situations makes all the difference. That's why I share with you some suggestions that you can put into practice to lower those stress levels.

1. Do what is within your reach

We often get stressed by circumstances that are beyond our reach or by trying to do several activities at the same time. by trying to do several activities at the same time.

Do what is in your hands, establishing priorities. Do not hesitate to ask for support from someone you trust. It is not always possible to do everything yourself. When in doubt about what to do in the face of stress, this is one of the easiest steps to follow, since it is based on focusing efforts on specific actions that we had already thought of.

2. Seek balance

It is not convenient to focus your life only on work or school. Do you live to work or work to live? Your answer may determine the level of stress you have or can achieve.

Undoubtedly, work is very important to get the quality of life you want. But rest, relationships with others, such as family, partners, children, friends, should not be neglected. Even the relationship with yourself.

Allowing stress to take over your life and suffering its effects, both psychological and physical, is a form of neglect and carelessness towards yourself. is a form of abandonment and neglect towards yourself, because it is about your health, which if lost is difficult to recover. Setting aside time for leisure is so important to complement it with your usual work, since it is the time that allows you to get away from daily stress.

Do not allow the balance to tip to one extreme or the other, because excesses have never been healthy. Seek balance in the areas of your life. If the work you do is physical, try quiet hobbies; but if your work is sedentary, try active hobbies.

3. Nurture your relationship with others.

Try to spend time with the people you love and express your affection for them. Hugging helps to reduce stress, because by having this contact with the other person, cortisol (stress hormone) decreases and the brain releases oxytocin (known as the love hormone), serotonin and dopamine, which produces in us and in the other person a pleasant feeling.

4. Exercise regularly

Considered the best natural remedy to combat stress. Exercise allows you to unload that accumulated energy. It produces hormones in the brain, such as serotonin, that allow us to have a feeling of well-being.It produces hormones in the brain, such as serotonin, that allow us to have a feeling of well-being, which also has the benefit of avoiding emotional problems such as anxiety and depression.

5. Rest

After exercise and a tiring workday, a restorative rest is necessary. When sleeping, the amount of stress hormones in the body decreases, so without adequate rest, fatigue and stress will accumulate with the next day's activities, which can lead to anxiety and depression over time.

It is therefore very important to respect the approximately 8 hours of sleep to prevent prolonged stress.

6. Perform breathing techniques

This is a very useful relaxation technique for those moments when stress takes over: start by breathing deeply, inflating your abdomen (not your chest), hold your breath for a few seconds and exhale slowly through your mouth..

Try to focus on the air that enters and leaves your body, or think of positive affirmations, to distract your mind for a moment of that stressful situation you are living. Do this technique over and over again until you feel a little calmer.

7. Seek professional help

If you prefer or if the discomfort persists taking into account other factors, in psychotherapy you can learn how to handle stressful situations in an appropriate way..

Conclusion

Stress is a part of life, but it is convenient to have it under control in the right measure that allows us to to resolve that which threatens our emotional balance.

A good quality of life is not only the result of work, it also involves rest, exercise, nutrition and the affection of the people around us, including the one you have for yourself. In short, reflect on where the balance of your life is tipping and, as far as possible, seek balance.

Bibliographical References:

• Ahued, A. (May 27, 2018). 75% of Mexicans suffer from stress, low work and academic functionality. Retrieved January 10, 2019, from Excelsior: https://www.excelsior.com.mx/opinion/armando-ahued/75-de-los-mexicanos-padece-estres-escasa-funcionalidad-laboral-y-academica.
• Blake, H. (September 4, 2017). what happens to your body when you're stressed? Retrieved January 10, 2019, from El País: https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/08/11/ciencia/1502462353_596394.html.
• Gómez, Á. (March 22, 2018). Stress is as fattening as a double cheeseburger. Retrieved January 10, 2019, from El País: https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/03/17/buenavida/1521290847_089200.html.
• Melgosa, J. (2008). How to have a healthy mind. Madrid: Safeliz.