Stress. Twenty-one reasons and what to do with them

Stress can be destructive to our health. The consequences of frequent experiences affect the functioning of all organs and systems.

For example, the skin may become dry and pale, with a yellow tint. The risk of cardiovascular disease also increases significantly. Cystitis, incontinence and much more can occur due to nervousness. And most importantly, stress accelerates the aging process - both external and internal.

Therefore, it is important for modern people to know the signs of stress in order to prevent its consequences or eliminate them as early as possible.

Why do we worry

The root of excessive sensitivity to what is happening lies in various reasons. Psychologists identify several main sources:

  • Frequent exposure to stress in childhood and adolescence.
  • Excessive parental care, which does not allow the development of protective mechanisms.
  • Genetic predisposition to reduced stress resistance.
  • Constant negative atmosphere at home, at work and in the company of friends.

What does stress lead to?

Anxiety and constant stress lead to the fact that a person becomes unable to control his own life at a sufficient level. Added to this are other unpleasant consequences.

  • Tendency to use substances that can make you temporarily forget that you have a problem. This could be alcohol, special medications, or excessive smoking.
  • Loss of life goals. Fear of failure makes you abandon your plans and implement your ideas.
  • The development of chronic fatigue provokes the appearance of various diseases, which the body does not have the strength to fight.
  • The brain, overloaded with processing constant stress, loses tone and performance.

Signs and symptoms of stress

Each person experiences stress differently. The common thing about the symptoms of stress is that it affects our mind, body and behavior. A person becomes aggressive, has a bad mood, suicidal thoughts in his head, and very often, due to nervous disorders, gets sick.

After stress, an individual becomes overly emotional and cannot sit still. Or, on the contrary, too self-contained, silent, distant, passive, unemotional. The person seems to be paralyzed by stress and at the same time seething inside. Here are a few signs of stress in a person:

  • inability to concentrate on one thing;
  • inability to prioritize – everything seems important;
  • irritability, anxiety, anger at the slightest reason;
  • sleep problems (long periods of falling asleep, insomnia);
  • sudden opposite emotions (laughter, tears for no particular reason);
  • problems with appetite;
  • chronic fatigue that does not go away even after sleep.

Irritation and discomfort

When we are nervous, we begin to get lost, when we are lost, we become nervous. You need to be able to break this vicious circle. Make it a habit to breathe deeply whenever you feel irritated. This will help you calm down quickly enough to make the right decisions.

Pay attention to yoga. This activity is designed to ensure internal harmony, and this is precisely what is lacking in people exposed to stress. A few tens of minutes a day, and you are already quite capable of controlling your emotions and easily escaping discomfort. Breathing techniques, correct postures and thoughts are all aimed at enabling you to achieve absolute calm.

Stress has long been a common occurrence in human life. With the accelerated pace of life, the desire to do as much as possible, and the huge flow of information, it is not surprising that people are constantly in a state of anxiety. Therefore, it is very important to know how to get out of stress

Stress is the body's response to the adverse effects of environmental factors. These factors include fears, uncertainty about the future, and conflicts. The fact that a person is in a stressful state can be understood by the following signs: irritability; anger; sleep problems; apathy; constant dissatisfaction with everything that surrounds.

Stress goes through several phases in its development:

  • The alarm phase is the body's quick response to various changes. This state is characterized by slight arousal. You should know that the greater the change, the greater the stress.
  • The resistance phase is the stage of activation of a more serious protective reaction of the body. It occurs if the first phase did not solve the problem. In the second stage, the human body goes into a mode of increased resistance. This condition is characterized by increased human performance.
  • Exhaustion phase. If the previous stage lasts too long, then a person’s energy resources are depleted, which leads to disturbances on the emotional level and a sharp decrease in performance. At this stage, you will already need advice from a psychologist: how to get out of stress yourself.

There are two types of stress: distress and traumatic. Distress is a process that impairs the functioning of all psychophysiological functions. It is usually referred to as prolonged stress, during which the body uses up all its resources. It is this type that can lead to psychological diseases: neurosis or psychosis. Traumatic stress is a condition that occurs in situations that threaten the life and health of loved ones. The overload of the body is so strong that it simply cannot cope with it, and the body’s protective reaction is destroyed.

Advice from psychologists

It is not always possible to cope with long-term stress (and especially if it is one of the types mentioned above) on your own. If a stressful state has turned into a mental illness, you should definitely consult a specialist, as drug treatment will also be required.

Advice from a psychologist will help you get rid of this problem:

  • Acceptance of the situation. There is no point in continuing to worry about what happened, since nothing can be changed anyway. You need to calm down so as not to repeat any more mistakes. Trying to abstract yourself means that you need to look at the situation not as a participant, but as an outside observer, in order to reduce all experiences to a minimum.
  • Complain less. Of course, when you talk about problems, you throw out your emotions, but, on the other hand, you relive this situation every time. You need to take the attitude that everything is fine, and then you will re-tune and really believe it.
  • Find positive moments. This is not only a good solution for combating a bad mood, but also a wonderful way to return to normal life after stress. The ability to notice the good is a great defense against stress.
  • Making plans for the day. Doing everyday things helps to organize your thoughts. It is especially good to do general cleaning, with the help of which unnecessary emotions are thrown out along with unnecessary things.

Don't assume that stress is always bad for a person. In fact, people sometimes need stressful situations in order to concentrate on solving a problem. But you can’t constantly be in a tense state. Since not all people are ready to go to a psychologist, it is important to know how to get out of stress on your own.

  1. Be alone. This recommendation is very relevant for those who have to contact a large number of people. And to put their emotions in order, they just need to stay alone for a while. Be sure to exclude all possible sources of information (books, newspapers, telephone). This is necessary so that a person can completely isolate himself from the outside world for a specific period of time.
  2. An outburst of emotions. Not only psychologists, but also ordinary people consider this an excellent way to deal with stressful situations. People very often have to control their emotions, which is especially difficult for emotional people. Giving vent to your emotions does not mean you need to go around and shout at everyone. You can turn on the music and dance or sing with all your heart, just shout, or play sports. You can also get creative: throw out all your emotions in the process of sculpting and drawing.
  3. All the advice on how to get out of stress may not work if there is a constant factor in life that causes this condition. The most common is unloved work. If this is the case, then the best solution would be to change your job to one that will bring you pleasure. And you shouldn’t be afraid that you won’t have enough money: after all, if you are passionate about your business, you will improve in it, which will bring you good profits in the future.
  4. Expand your range of interests. It is the monotony of life that can drive a person into a state of melancholy and apathy. Therefore, try to do something new, sign up for new clubs - a change of environment will have a beneficial effect on your internal state, and success in a new business will give you a lift of spirit.
  5. You need to give your body rest. If a person constantly works, even on weekends doing work, then this affects his health. The best option is to take a vacation, leave the city, turn off your phone to give your body a chance to relax. And you definitely need to set aside a weekend and not do work, but only those things that bring spiritual pleasure.

But not all people understand that if a stressful condition is triggered, it can lead to unpleasant consequences: exacerbation of chronic diseases; frequent headaches; malfunctions in the functioning of internal organ systems; psychosis and neurosis; depression.

Many people think that stress and depression are the same thing, but they are not. They do have similar signs and causes, but they can and should be distinguished.

Stress

A temporary phenomenon that can lead to depression. In moderate quantities it is useful for humans. Basically there is an increase in energy. You can cope with stress on your own.

Depression

A chronic disease that is long-term. Weakens the human body. Characterized by loss of strength. Need help from a specialist.

How to deal with depression

  • Avoid loneliness. Because this way you won’t be left alone with negative thoughts.
  • Exercise. It is not at all necessary to choose an active sport; you can increase physical activity gradually.
  • Switch your attention to another area of ​​your life. This means that you need to distract yourself from the area that is causing depression and improve another area.
  • Change living conditions. For some, the only way to cope with depression is a change of environment.
  • You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself. You should understand that there are both bad and good moments in life, and there is no need to focus only on certain cases.

If you or someone close to you notice signs of stress, there is no need to be afraid, but you should try to help him cope with it. Many people are afraid to say that something is bothering them, so the support of loved ones is important to them. After all, it is much easier to overcome the conditions described above, knowing that loved ones will understand and support in any situation.

Analysis and analysis of fears

To get rid of the constant worries that are so annoying every day, you need to do a lot of work on yourself. If you don’t do this, you will interfere with the lives of not only yourself, but also those around you. To live without worrying and without spending a lot of energy on stress, learn to deal with all your fears. Divide them into two lists: solvable and unsolvable.

Let's start with the problems that can be solved. If you understand that with due effort you can easily cope with them, then you should not waste your nerves worrying about this. Now let's look at another list. Ask yourself, can I change anything? And if the answer is no, then stop worrying about something that has nothing to do with you.

How to get out of depression: on your own or with a psychotherapist. Detailed guide

When and why to take antidepressants

“I was frightened by the psychiatrist’s proposal to start taking antidepressants.
I read a lot of forums, saw messages: “when you start drinking, it only gets worse,” “bad, bad,” “when it’s already working.” In the Russian-language segment there are a lot of complaints and few success stories, and in the English-language segment it is 50/50. But I still decided to try,” Andrey shares his experiences. There is a lot of discussion on forums and articles about whether it is worth taking antidepressants or whether it will go away on its own. However, there are types of depression that cannot be overcome without medication support. Psychiatrist Olga Gonzhal describes them as follows: “I prescribe antidepressants if there are sleep disturbances, appetite problems, compulsive overeating (a person eats everything and cannot stop). The patient does not have the space to take care of his work, his child, or somehow regulate relationships with other people.”

The mechanism of action of antidepressants is based on the monoamine hypothesis: for the brain to function well, it is necessary to increase the concentration of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. The antidepressant prevents neurons from taking up serotonin, so it remains in the synaptic cleft, and there is a greater chance that the receptors will receive enough of it. This is how the AD group SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) work - the most popular today.

“The transition to antidepressants was very difficult. The first two weeks I felt very sick. Anxiety increased. Fog in the head, no appetite, terrible sleep. I wanted to quit, but decided to endure it. After all, it’s also bad without medications. Then there were two easier weeks. And finally, I felt the effect,” Andrey talks about how antidepressants helped him cope with depression.

Such side effects of the drug in the first two weeks of use are normal. It takes some time for the body’s cells to get used to the fact that there are more needed neurotransmitters, and only then do they begin to rearrange their work. Olga Gonzhal describes the addiction process this way: “There may be nausea or sedation (weakness, drowsiness). It is believed that antidepressants should not have such effects, but they can. Each patient has individual sensitivity. This is usually solved by gradually increasing the dosage. And since the patient takes them on his own, it means that to some extent he can control this effect by communicating with the doctor and adjusting the volume of drugs.”

Andrey talks about the effect of antidepressants, which he has been taking for more than a year: “You wake up and look at problems differently. Yes, they exist, but they are not so scary and solvable. You feel normal, there is no euphoria. Although at first you are very glad that you are no longer so oppressed"

The course of drug support lasts as long as it takes to restore normal condition. Some people want to finish as quickly as possible, while others, on the contrary, are afraid of cancellation. Olga Gonzhal solves this issue this way: “If you stop taking medications too early, the symptoms return. This is where complaints are made to the psychiatrist: “I took antidepressants for six months, stopped taking them and now I feel bad.” Each psychiatrist has his own preferences regarding how long the course lasts. In my case it is 3 - 4 years. I wait until the patient is ready. The first two years they come and say: “No, no, no. Don't even think about it. I still remember too well what happened to me before the drugs.” But then they begin to say: “My life here is in full swing, and I no longer feel any connection with that state. I’m not afraid that you will suggest stopping the drugs.’”

Andrey has already been asked to stop taking the medication. Here’s how it became clear: “After a year of taking antidepressants, I was able to accept myself and my past. Especially the dismissal that started it all, and for which I was so ashamed. One day I realized that although I had failed at the project, I had done the best I could under the circumstances. I have forgiven myself for this and other stories. And immediately there was a desire to communicate with those whom I was previously afraid of. I wrote to my boss, who fired me. I thanked him for letting me go from a job I was not ready for. He responded in a friendly manner and we talked about my projects. I told my psychiatrist how my view of myself and others had changed, and she suggested stopping the pills: “Reduce the dose, if you want, we’ll go back to how it was.” Or let’s try other drugs.” I’m still thinking about it.”

When discontinuing medications, Olga Gonzhal focuses on the well-being of patients: “If you have managed to overcome depression, and there is support from loved ones, then medications can be discontinued.” To understand this, you need to see a psychiatrist from time to time. Especially if you decide that you want to stop taking medications. After stopping antidepressants, psychotherapy will be especially useful - it will help you adapt to life without the support of drugs.

Childhood trauma

Don't lose sight of the conditions and circumstances of your childhood. The cause of most of your problems lies there. Increased susceptibility to stress is an echo of too low self-esteem, which was formed at an early age.

When figuring out how not to worry about anything, try to understand that every person has the right to make mistakes. No one will reproach you or punish you for doing something wrong. Let go of the experiences of childhood and live now as an adult, accomplished person.

Live without looking back

In order not to look for unnecessary pitfalls and not worry about anything at all, learn to live for today. Remember that our past is far behind us, those events will never touch us again. It is very important to realize the abstractness of those times and stop clinging to them.

The same advice applies to the future. The situation you imagine may never happen. You won't know until you try something. But if you constantly fear failure, failure and condemnation, you will never be able to happily exist in the present. What surrounds you every day is your life.

No need to feel sorry for yourself

Quite a lot of people, at the first signs of fatigue, give up and begin to complain about their problems with all their might. This behavior results in despondency and uncertainty consuming you entirely. Self-compassion is the body's response to any effort. Under no circumstances should you allow self-pity to manifest itself in any way.

You need to firmly believe that you will cope with all the tasks and questions that arise. It is worth forcing yourself not to be distracted by momentary impulses. Believe me, as soon as you divert your attention from the irritant, it almost immediately ceases to have any effect on you.

Types of stress

Conventionally, two types of stress can be distinguished.

  1. Eustress is “good” stress that does not harm a person. Without it, we would always feel calm, at ease and would not want to achieve anything. We feel eustress when we need to get out of our comfort zone and change something in our life. A simple example: you have undertaken to create a large-scale project that requires a lot of time, effort, intellectual and physical expenditure. It’s difficult for you, you’re nervous, but at the same time you feel that in the end you’ll get a pleasant feeling of pride in yourself, you’ll be praised, and all your efforts will not be in vain. Thus, eustress motivates us not to give up and move forward despite difficulties.
  2. Distress is harmful and occurs when stress reaches a large scale: it lasts for a long time and has several foci of occurrence. For example, when a person has to cope with several difficult and unpleasant tasks at once: a change of environment, joining the army, lack of sleep, financial losses.

Distress has an extremely negative impact on the human psyche and physiology. He stops being happy, receiving positive emotions and is constantly dissatisfied with his life. Signs of distress include sudden changes in mood, physical weakness, poor performance, and the emergence of negative thoughts.

Types of distress

  • Emotional. It is associated with a person experiencing a very strong emotional state (both positive and negative). For example, the birth of a child, a promotion at work, a new trip, or, conversely, a breakup, the death of a loved one.
  • Physiological. Directly affects body tissues. It can be caused by climatic (cold, heat, thunderstorm), chemical (deficiency or increased oxygen content in the air) or physical factors (overexertion, injury). These triggers do not go unnoticed. Even after everything has returned to normal, a person experiences apathy, overwork, and constant fatigue for some time.
  • Chronic. This is a long-term adaptive reaction of the body to negative influences from the environment. It is the most dangerous type of stress. It can arise from overwork at work, as a result of family quarrels, etc. The consequences can be a change in the size of the brain, its structure and work in general. Leads to various types of diseases (neurosis, heart disease, vascular disease).
  • Nervous. Characterized by excessive stress emotionally and physically. A person cannot control his emotions and behaves aggressively and hot-tempered.

Don't invent problems

Many people tend to inflate a simple obstacle into a whole pile of insurmountable problems. As a result, they seek advice and help even for the simplest decisions. The development of self-esteem and independence suffers from this. Such people do not know how to set goals or go towards them. Inert and passive, for them life becomes dull and dull.

There is no need to try to find additional pitfalls in any situation. Excessive thinking leads to the fact that the brain begins to give you the most negative scenario for the development of the situation. As a result, you accept it as reality and are already set up for failure.

Consequences of constant stress

  1. Heart attacks . Stress leads to increased blood pressure. Every time you get stressed, your blood pressure goes up. In addition to this, your blood flow also increases significantly, which leads to the release of triglycerides and cholesterol into the blood. People who smoke and are obese are also at higher risk of serious heart problems.
  2. Choking . Children who are regularly stressed are at higher risk of developing respiratory diseases such as asthma. Studies in children have shown that stress can significantly worsen asthma. There is also evidence to suggest that chronic stress in parents can negatively impact the health of their children.
  3. Gastritis . Some people with chronic stress suffer from gastritis, which further complicates their condition. Stress-induced gastritis, also known as stress-related erosive syndrome, can cause superficial hemorrhages and mucosal erosion in patients who are seriously ill and in people exposed to stress.

How to get out of a stressful situation

With severe stress, it seems that this state can consume you for a long time. Believe me, this is absolutely not true. There are several simple techniques to get rid of the unpleasant influence of irritants.

  • Turn your thoughts into a positive direction. The cause of your stress needs to be presented in a funny, even ridiculous way.
  • Take a break for 5 minutes. Move away from the voltage source for a short time. This will give you the opportunity to calmly breathe and pull yourself together.
  • Don't raise your voice. No matter how much you want to scream, when you find yourself in a stressful situation, remain calm. You can scream and let off steam later, alone with yourself.
  • Promise yourself a reward for endurance and patience. Waiting for a quick treat or something new will put you in a calmer and more peaceful mood.

Day of rest

Do you have plenty of days off, but still feel tired and overwhelmed? This means you don’t know how to completely relax and let go of all problems. Give yourself a day of rest by following a few simple conditions.

  • Change your usual weekend routine. At work, take the whole day off during the week, send your children to relatives or hire a nanny. Changes should also affect the style of relaxation. If you are used to spending weekends at home, go out of town. On the contrary, it will be useful for avid travelers to stay at home.
  • Wake up not by an alarm clock, but when you want. After waking up, take a relaxing bath.
  • Find some nice company for your morning coffee or tea. Remember, moments like these help you deal well with stress.
  • Treat yourself to delicious food. You can either order it or cook it yourself.

Changing the daily routine

How can you not worry about anything all day long? It’s very simple, add a few pleasant moments to your usual schedule. This will help you get distracted and get a good dose of positive emotions. They will help you cope with almost any stress.

  • Breakfast should be delicious. Yogurt, natural, chocolate with tea, oatmeal with honey and dried fruits - it doesn’t matter what you start your day with, the main thing is that it brings you a feeling of happiness.
  • Don't skip exercise, it gives you vigor and strength to withstand stress all day.
  • Learn to distract yourself from unpleasant situations. At such moments, think about what brings you peace.
  • In particularly difficult situations, look at the flowing water. Is there a river nearby? No problem, just a water tap is enough.
  • Write down your concerns on paper. Then just tear it up and throw it away. Imagine throwing away your problems along with the scraps.

How to relieve stress: advice from a psychologist

1. Try to reduce stressors

Whether you experience intolerable or acceptable levels of psychological stress depends on the intensity of the stressful situation, as well as how you approach it. How you perceive and think about a stressor also has a big impact on how you react and ultimately experience stress. It's not always possible to avoid a stressful situation, but you can always try to relieve the tension you feel. Assess how much you can change the situation: perhaps you can reduce/share responsibility, lower your expectations, ask for help. Try to influence the stressor as much as possible, reducing it as much as possible.

2. Develop social support

Strong social support increases resilience to stress. Seek help from a psychologist and get his advice. Perhaps your friends or family members will become good listeners and compassionate psychologists. They can help you relieve stress by providing practical assistance, such as preparing meals or helping with child care. Support from loved ones can also be in the form of advice, an outside perspective, an alternative opinion. But make sure that your relationship remains in balance. A friend who constantly needs support but never gives it increases the level of anxiety and dissatisfaction in the relationship. Don't be that kind of "friend"

3. Eat right

When faced with a stressor, the central nervous system releases adrenaline and cortisol, which also affect the digestive tract. When you are at the beginning of stress, adrenaline is released, which reduces your appetite, but if stress becomes chronic, cortisol begins to cause cravings for fats and sugar. Research also shows that high cortisol levels combined with high sugar intake causes fat to be deposited around our internal organs - visceral fat, which is directly linked to cardiovascular and metabolic disease.

A healthy diet rich in good fats, vitamins, protein and few carbohydrates will protect your health and provide more physical energy to tackle problems. There is no need for extremes, such periods are not the best time to experiment with newfangled diets, just strive to consume enough fruits and vegetables, lean meat. Try to eat regularly to avoid sudden spikes in blood glucose, and to ensure that periods of fasting are not followed by periods of uncontrolled eating of everything in the refrigerator. Psychologists advise avoiding alcohol as a means of relieving stress. Alcohol itself is a stressor and increases anxiety, not to mention creating serious long-term health problems.

4. Learn to relax

Stress causes muscle tension. Tight muscles cause headaches, back pain and general fatigue. Combat the problem and these symptoms with stretching, massage, or warm baths. Or try progressive muscle relaxation, a technique that psychologists recommend to reduce anxiety and improve overall mental health. So, if you want to start practicing progressive muscle relaxation, get into a comfortable position and choose a muscle group, such as your lower legs (most practitioners advise starting with the lower part of the body and gradually working your way up). Inhale and tense your muscles for 5-10 seconds, then exhale and sharply relax your muscles. Relax for 10 seconds or more and then move on to the next muscle group. Another tip is passive progressive muscle relaxation. This technique is similar to progressive muscle relaxation, but skips the tension step. Instead, simply visualize each muscle group separately and focus on relaxing that part of the body.

5. Meditation

A large body of research shows that mindfulness meditation reduces psychological anxiety—even short-term mindfulness meditation programs work. Psychologists advise starting with five minutes of meditation in a quiet, calm place. Focus on the present moment, for example on your breathing, let go of thoughts, if extraneous thoughts intrude, acknowledge it and then let go. Don't judge yourself for any mental hesitation. Gently return your attention to the starting point (the breath) and focus on it and the present moment.

6. Get good sleep

Daytime arousal, as psychologists say, directly affects nighttime sleep and its quality. To make matters worse, sleep loss affects both cognitive performance and mood. How to sleep better? Here are some tips. Try to have your own sleep ritual that will allow you to reduce the time before bed. Meditation and relaxation will help with insomnia. Avoid caffeine and alcohol in the late afternoon and evening. Turn off your screens, as psychologists loudly claim blue light suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin, and checking social media will increase your anxiety. Finally, move more during the day: A large body of research shows that movement improves sleep, especially for middle-aged and older adults.

7. Regular physical activity

Another good tip: moving quickly not only improves sleep, but also directly combats troubles and stress and helps relieve tension. In one study, adults who engaged in moderate daily physical activity perceived psychological stress to be half as bad as those who did not engage in physical activity. Physical activity also reduces some of the negative effects of stress, including problems with the immune system. You don’t need to buy the most expensive membership to the most advanced gym, you don’t need to set records. In order to implement the advice of psychologists and get tangible benefits, a quick 30-minute walk, intensive housework, or dancing in the kitchen with your children is enough. This is great advice on how to relieve a little stress that really works and doesn’t require much effort.

8. Spend time alone with nature

Studies conducted in many countries have shown that observing nature improves mood. You can film several places where you feel good. Even watching videos of nature speeds up recovery from stressful situations compared to watching videos of urban scenes. If you take a moment to pay attention to nature - even if it's a noisy city park - you will refocus and calm your mind and relieve fatigue. Psychologists recommend taking walks more often.

9. Maintain your enjoyable activities and hobbies.

When life becomes unbearable, people are often the first to give up their leisure activities. Psychologists write that cutting yourself off from your usual pleasures can be counterproductive. Even when there seems to be no time, look for opportunities to do something for yourself, whether it's reading a book, singing along to your favorite tunes, or streaming your favorite comedy on Netflix. Humor and laughter benefit both mental and physical well-being. Try making funny videos yourself, this is good advice.

10. One more piece of advice. Rethink your thinking

One of the most evidence-based treatments for stress and anxiety is cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. This therapeutic approach is based on the understanding that thoughts influence emotions, which in turn influence our behavior. Reframing your thoughts around a stressor can help you manage your emotions, reducing feelings of stress. Some tips: If you feel yourself spiraling into worst-case scenarios, stop and take your mind elsewhere. Set realistic expectations for yourself. Strive to accept situations beyond your control. Remove unnecessary responsibility from yourself.

11. Seek help from a psychologist

If you feel depressed and self-help does not help, contact a psychologist, for example, Helppoint, an online psychological help service, where you will be matched with a specialist who specializes in solving your particular problem and you can communicate with him online, through correspondence or a video session, any time you need it most. An experienced, trusted psychologist will help you identify situations or behaviors that contribute to your stress, then develop an action plan, and give advice on changing stressors, help you change your environment and situation in ways that reduce or eliminate unpleasant reactions.

Living stress-free is easy

We can't help but worry about the people who are close enough to us. But we can learn not to lead these worries to full-blown stress and nervous breakdowns. Living without the destructive influence of negativity is very simple, you just need to follow a few pleasant rules for this.

  1. Take daily walks in the fresh air, this will give you the opportunity to relax, the main thing is to let only pleasant thoughts come to you.
  2. Try any sport. This will strengthen your body and increase self-esteem.
  3. Be sure to give yourself a good rest. Even if the schedule is too busy, there should be room for respite.

How does stress develop?

But when stress occurs too often or exceeds the body’s capabilities, it begins to weaken and lose strength.
It can even lead to serious illness. three phases in the development of stress :

  • mobilization of the body's defenses and resources to combat the stress factor. At this stage, hormones are released that give a boost of energy;
  • confrontation - searching for a way out of the situation. The body tries to return to normal functioning due to hormonal changes;
  • exhaustion – with prolonged exposure to traumatic circumstances, the body loses the ability to resist, adapt and becomes vulnerable to all kinds of diseases.

The severity of each stage depends on the individual characteristics of the person, his state of health, type of temperament, character.

Specialist help

If you understand that conventional methods do not help you, and you cannot help but worry about problems more than necessary, trust a psychologist. In this way, you will not only learn to control your emotions, but also part with a number of serious problems from the past that can ruin the future.

It is also worth checking the health of the endocrine system and the thyroid gland in general. A hormonal imbalance negatively affects the body's resistance to stress.

In addition, it is easy to check the level of protection of the body through DNA research. It will show how the main “conductors” of our emotional state - serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine - work, and you will find out how susceptible your body is to stress and vulnerable to external stimuli, and most importantly, you will understand what to do about it.

Acute and chronic stress, according to a psychologist

The experience of stress can be either acute or develop into a chronic form. Acute stress usually occurs in response to a short-term stressor, such as a car accident or an argument with your spouse. Acute stress can be very unpleasant, but it passes quickly and is usually well managed with coping techniques such as deep breathing tips.

The chronic form occurs when stressors do not subside and affect you permanently. The roots of chronic stress can vary widely, from situations that people can control or avoid (such as a toxic family) to difficulties that cannot be resolved (poverty, racism or other discrimination, caring for a sick family member). Because people respond differently to stressful circumstances, a situation that one person may find tolerable may be a source of severe stress for another. Psychologists suggest that simple tips relieve stress and allow you to relieve most of the tension.

Chronic stress harms both mental and physical health. This heaviness makes you feel tired, undermines your ability to concentrate and adds headaches and problems with digestion, cardiovascular system and immunity. Unfortunately, we can’t always get rid of stress factors easily and quickly; some of us have to live with for quite a long time. Maintain your mental and physical health - use our simple and effective tips and see how your ability to cope with stress will increase and your health will improve .

The information presented in this material is for informational purposes only and does not replace professional advice from a physician. If you notice signs of stress or depression, consult a specialist!

Author: Editorial staff of the Help-Point.net portal

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