How to Manage Stress in Daily Life

Stress   |   Types   |   Causes   |   Symptoms   |   Stress Management   |   Professional Help
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Priyanshi Sharma
| Date : Dec 09 2023

What is stress?

“Stress is a natural response of emotional or physical pressure caused by certain hormones and chemicals.”

Stress is a part of life and your body function, it’s a natural process. Stress can be both negative and positive. Stress is positive when it helps you to achieve a tight deadline successfully or to avoid any accidental situation. Positive stress is short-lived. Negative stress is long-lived. It stays after the particular situation has passed like a childhood trauma. If it persists for very long it changes into anxiety.

Stressors or existing stress-causing factors cause stress. Stress activates a fight-or-flight response against these stressors as a natural process. Stress should be temporary, everything should come back to normal from your increased heart rate to your increased breath rate. If that doesn’t happen then it can affect you both mentally and physically.

Stress can be different from one person to another. A similar situation can be stressful for one person and exciting for another. Presently socializing is one of those things that can be stressful for many people, especially the younger generation. They find it difficult to have a normal conversation, they start sweating and feel uncomfortable.

It is normal to feel stressed but at the same time, you should recover from it. Stress can be seen in every age group. Our capacity to deal with stress highly depends on our genes, past experiences, and many more. In a report, it is found that 80% of Americans have experienced one stress symptom in the last month and the remaining 20% have experienced extreme stress.

It is impossible to be stress-free during these times but we should prepare ourselves both mentally and physically to fight against it.

A young boy feeling stressed and depressed.
Image by Freepik

Types of stress

During stress, several hormones are released like adrenalin and cortisol. They prepare you for such stressful situations in the future. There are several types of stress that a person can experience. Some of the common types of stress include:

  1. Acute Stress:

    Acute stress is a short-lived stress that we experience normally in our day-to-day lives. You can feel it in excitement and a thrilling situation. An example is a fight between a couple, an important event at work, etc. It is not harmful but helps you in managing dangerous situations and also prepares you for the future.

    Sometimes facing a dangerous or traumatic situation may result in PTSD(post-traumatic stress disorder) or can displace your mental health.

  2. Episodic Acute Stress:

    Episodic acute Stress occurs when you keep on experiencing acute stress frequently. People who tend to worry a lot about their future, who feel anxious in simple situations, and who think that nothing could go right for them experience this type of stress.

    Such type of stress can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, and physical and mental health problems.

  3. Chronic Stress:

    Chronic stress is long-lived and can have negative effects on your physical and mental health. There are several reasons behind this like work stress, financial, and relationship issues. It is very important to deal with it because it can lead to numerous health problems like anxiety, depression, heart issues, and high blood pressure. It can also make your immune system weak.

Causes of stress

There could be various causes of stress and it is different for everyone. Everyone goes through different life events or situations. Dealing with these causes depends on how mentally and physically strong you are. Some of these causes are:

  • Work Pressure
  • Financial Issues
  • Relationship Problems
  • Uncertainty and Ambiguity
  • Health issues
  • Overcommitment
  • Personal Expectations
  • Traumatic Events
  • Cultural or Societal Pressures
  • Educational Challenges
  • Personal Habits and Lifestyle Choices
  • Social Isolation and Loneliness
  • Technology Dependency
  • Global Events and News
Two women practicing yoga in nature to remove stress.
Image by Freepik

How to deal with stress at home

  1. Physical Activity:

    Any kind of physical activity or consistently moving your body can help reduce your stress levels and uplift your mood. Physical activity like exercising regularly results in improving symptoms of various mental health problems like anxiety and depression.

    In a study, 185 students of a university participated for 6-weeks. They did aerobics every week for 2 days and found a reduction in their stress. They also found improvement in their depressed state.

    If you have never done any exercise then start with walking and continue it for a long run. You will find positive results with time.

  2. Balanced Diet:

    It is highly recommended to eat healthy and balanced food to avoid stress. It is suggested that people who tend to follow highly processed and sugary foods are more inclined toward higher stress levels in a 2022 research review.

    Chronic stress can indulge you in overeating and such unhealthy eating patterns can be harmful for your body or mood. You can also become an essential nutrient-deficient (such as magnesium and vitamin B). Include green vegetables, fresh fruits, seeds, proteins, and nuts in your diet.

  3. Minimizing Your Screen Time:

    We all are technology-driven and laptops, smartphones, and tablets have become necessities. Using them for work to entertainment purposes, we spend more than half of our time in front of the screen.

    In the 2021 literature review, several studies have found a connection between excessive usage of smartphones and higher stress levels and mental health. Too much screen time affects both kids and adults psychologically and makes them stressed.

    Excessive screen time can also disturb your sleep cycle and might lead to high stress levels.

  4. Self Care:

    Self-care is an essential part of your life. Many people are not aware of this topic but it should be practiced regularly.

    It is important, especially for those, who have stressful jobs such as doctors, nurses, etc. Practicing self-care timely or regularly can help in stress reduction. You can start walking, reading, painting, yoga or exercise, massage, and a hobby.

    It is observed that people who indulge more in self-care tend to have improved life quality and lower stress levels.

  5. Maintaining a Journal:

    Maintaining a regular journal can help in stress and anxiety reduction. In 2018, a study found that writing down your thoughts and emotions on paper is highly beneficial for people suffering from chronic health issues and mental issues like depression.

    Regular journaling improves the quality of life as it generates positive behavior toward life like self-care.

  6. Caffeine:

    Caffeine is a drug that activates your brain and central nervous system. It is found in coffee, tea, chocolates, etc.

    According to a 2021 review of literature, too much consumption of caffeine has harmful effects as it can make your anxiety worse. It can also disturb your regular sleep cycle and might escalate symptoms of stress and anxiety.

    Although people have different capacities toward caffeine tolerance. If it makes you more anxious then you should avoid caffeine intake or you can replace it with other drinks like herbal tea or decaffeinated coffee. Coffee is an antioxidant in nature and has many health benefits. It is suggested to consume 400 mg of caffeine a day i.e. 4-5 cups (0.9–1.2 L) of coffee a day.

  7. Yoga:

    Yoga originated in India and it includes practices that create a physical, mental, and spiritual connection. It keeps you relaxed, calm, and clear your mind. Yoga can help in reducing your heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol hormone levels.

    It also increases the neurotransmitter levels which is less in amount in people with mood disorders. Research also discovered that yoga can decrease anxiety and stress in your body. It can also encourage mental well-being.

  8. Family and friends:

    It is good to have social support with whom you can talk about things and have a discussion about your issue. We get this support from our friends and family. They are the ones who care about our feelings and can help to cope with stress and anxiety.

    In a 2019 study, it was found that 163 college-going Latin young adults show that who didn’t have family support or a partner felt lonely, stressed, and depressed.

  9. Nature:

    Nature can calm you down. It can lower the thoughts running in your mind. A review of 14 studies shows that spending at least 10 minutes in nature helps in improving psychological and physiological markers, including perceived stress and happiness, in college-going adults.

  10. Deep Breathing:

    The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system regulates “fight-or-flight” responses and controls “rest and digest” functions respectively.

    When you are stressed, your sympathetic nervous system activates resulting in your increased heartbeat, fast breathing, etc. But practicing deep breathing regularly can help to activate your parasympathetic nervous system which results in relaxing your body.

A girl having a therapy session to relieve stress.
Image by Freepik

When to seek for a professional help?

If you feel that the stress is increasing day by day and you fail to overcome it. then it is the right time to seek help. It is very important to talk about this situation, hiding it, is not the solution.

Some of the major reasons to seek professional help are:

  • Frequent memories of traumatic events.
  • Uncontrollable fears and provoking thoughts.
  • Feeling panic for small reasons.
  • Unable to perform at every space such as work.
  • Being disinterested in having a normal conversation with your family and loved ones.

Mental health is very important and it should be your priority to take care of yourself. Consult a professional and many therapy sessions can help you to recover.