STRESS- someone rightly said that stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness. Frustation, irritation, uneasiness and restlessness are some of the by-products of anxiety. It is how your body reacts to mental, physical or emotional circumstances. Stress disturbs the normal functioning of the body. All of us experience stress at some or the other time in our lives. In other words, everyone have their own stress moments. But stress is not always negative. It all depends on how you deal with it. However, extreme or long-drawn-out  stress could be fatal.

REASONS FOR STRESS........

........AT HOME

• Death of near and dear one.
• Injury, health problem or illness in the family.
• Marriage issues.
• Seperation or divorce from partner.
• Pregnancy.
• Poor educational performance of kids.
• Hyperactive or rampant kids.
• Sexual harassment
• Heated argument or a spat with someone at home or outside.
• Shortage of funds to meet daily and necessary expenses or sometimes unexpected expenses.
• Money loss.
• Change of place, city or country.

........AT WORK

• To meet growing demands of the job.
• Peer pressure.
• Relationship with Boss, colleagues and juniors.
• Meet deadlines.
• Working overtime and on holidays.
• Extended working hours.
• Low salary.
• Promotion.
• Argument or spat with boss or co workers.
• Change of job.
• Work against will.
• Harassment.
• Petty office politics.

........OTHER REASONS

• Any kind of setback.
• Fear- irregular or continuous
• Uncertainty about life or future.
• Any kind of threat.
• Lack of sleep

STRESS SYMPTOMS

NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF STRESS

STRESS CONTRIBUTES TO:-

1. Vulnerable immune system
2. Social Isolation
3. High Blood Pressure
4. Heart problems
5. Eating disorders
6. Headache
7. Insomnia
8. Constipation
9. Rashes
10. Fatigueness
11. Skin diseases
12. Sex problems
13. Depression
14. Migraine
15. Yawning
16. Dry throat/mouth
17. Clenching teeth
18. Shorter life span
19. Strokes
20. Breathing problems

STRESS MANAGEMENT

First and foremost, recognize your stress........

Next, identify the sources of stress......

Lastly, try to cope with your stress.......

Learn healthy ways to cope up with stress instead of unhealthy ways like smoking, taking drugs or pills to relax, drinking, taking out your frustation on others, sleeping too much, over or under eating. We have to understand that these strategies will just give short term relief but in long run they will prove to be futile. 

SO HOW TO DEAL WITH STRESSFUL SITUATION.......

...................TRY - " B.R.E.A.D.S"

There will be lot of times in life when everything seems to be going haywire. In situations like this, where you have to pass the 'acid test' of life or in any other testing time, best remedy is to change the way you look at the situation or problem. 

HOW??????...... Well, AVOID THE STRESSOR AND ALTER IT !

Avoid 'hot-button' topics

learn to say 'no'

Be vocal about your feelings ( share with someone)

Do time management

Be firm and assertive

Be positive and optimistic

Reframe your problems

Accept the changes and things you can't change 

Take out time for fun and relaxation like go for a walk, talk to your friend, listen to music or watch movies, read a nice 'self help' book, exercise, do yoga or meditation etc.

Keep your sense of humor alive

Adopt a healthy lifestyle. 

Avoid alcohol, cigarettes and drugs.

Get enough sleep

Niggling worries are a curse for a happy and healthy life. We definitely feel better when we share our feeling with someone whom we trust. But the best way to analyse your life, your problems and other issues is to have a retrospection..............

Start maintaining a "Stress or Reflection Journal". It will help you to retrospect the incidents that took place and recognize the stressor. eg.

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Here is an excerpt from a book which I would like to share with you all:-

 A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience raised a glass of water and asked, “how heavy is this glass of water?” Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.”

“If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. “In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

He continued, “And that’s the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.” “As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.”

“So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.” “Relax; pick them up later after you’ve rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!

And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

§  Accept that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.

§  Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

§  Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

§  If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

§  It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

§  Never buy a car you can’t push.

§  Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won’t have a leg to stand on.

§  Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.

§  When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

§  Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

§  You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

§  Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box