“Not me and stress! Stress can cause cancer!” was a sentiment I often heard from one of my secondary school teachers. She said it when students tried to get under her skin, leading her to believe they were attempting to “raise her blood pressure” or make her feel overwhelmed to the point where her body would develop a form of cancer.
Like Ms Moore’s students, life brings with it many stressors which can sometimes harm the body. According to the Mental Health Foundation in the UK, stress can be defined as the degree to which you feel overwhelmed or unable to cope as a result of pressures that are unmanageable.
Their article on Stress reminds us that at the most basic level, stress is our body’s response to pressures from a situation or life event. What contributes to stress can vary hugely from person to person and differs according to our social and economic circumstances.
Think about trying to get through any level of schooling, do you recall your social or economic circumstance affecting you? Did you ever feel stressed while pursuing your education because your home life negatively affected your schoolwork, or perhaps your school life was so overwhelming that your home was always the safe space to de-stress?
Sometimes, we cannot always pinpoint where the “stress” is coming from and it can be part of our genetic make up just like anxiety, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Many things can make us feel stressed, from relationship issues to trying something new.
Here are some coping mechanisms that you can adopt:
From very young my grandma taught me “you are what you eat”. Sounds harsh right? Maybe for a little kid who wanted any chance to grab all the sweets and junk foods. However, stress has the potential to affect us behaviourally, emotionally and bodily. Thus, reaching for “feel good foods” like refined sugars, carbs and unhealthy fats will not help! Try reaching for healthy foods and vitamins that will ease stress levels.
I am not always motivated to exercise and it was actually not something I did regularly until Covid-19 forced our country into a lockdown allowing me to work from home. With a job that requires me to be glued to a screen for most of the day, one day I decided on my breaks to exercise and boy did that release some endorphins! Simple exercises can do wonders. Firstly, check your breathing. Slow it down as you stretch before you begin exercising. Your exercise routine could be as short as half an hour or as long as you like. The point is you should not feel stressed while doing it. If you feel frustrated, STOP and try another workout.
When we are stressed, we may feel sharing our personal feelings with others is a burden. Trust me when I say, if you truly have a support system, they will welcome you. Talk to them and be open about what advice they give even if you decide to not use it. Don’t give yourself additional stress thinking that you are alone in this.
You cannot get back the sleep you have lost but you can find ways to sleep better in future. This form of stress management has been a struggle for me but I have reaped the benefits of a good night’s rest many times and will continue to recommend it. Do you lie awake at night with so many thoughts that seem to overwhelm you? Try mediation or check YouTube for a relaxing playlist to fall asleep to. I have found these to work for me and guarantee a better morning.
Try not to be hard on yourself and remember that you can use the same energy to de-stress as you do stress. Watch a comedy, call a friend for a good laugh and make an effort to engage in things that make your body react positively.
“To experience peace does not mean that your life is always blissful. It means you are tapping into a blissful state of mind amidst the normal chaos of a hectic life”
What do you do if you have tried these approaches and none worked? For additional support or if you are experiencing extreme or chronic stress, your next step can be consulting your family doctor. You can also contact a licensed psychologist or mental health clinician who can help you identify the challenges and stressors that affect your daily life. Professionals as these will find ways to help you cope for improving your physical and mental well-being.
Article References:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/stress
https://www.healthline.com/health/stress
https://www.talkspace.com/blog/coping-skills-methods/
