Stress is an overused word, but do you know exactly what it means? In order to function normally, our body constantly strives to maintain all physiological processes in dynamic balance. Stress is any influence that disturbs this balance. The body has to struggle to defend itself from the physical and emotional stress to which it is continually exposed.
Stress is a necessary evil that comes in many forms. It is difficult to imagine a stress-free life; Each of us is exposed to stress at one time or another. There are two types of stress - external and internal. External (exogenous) stress factors, which are most familiar to us, affect the body from the outside. Internal (endogenous) factors act from the depths of our body. Descriptions of both types of stress are given in the table on the right.
Stress is modern, but the reaction is antediluvian
To understand exactly what the harmful effects of stress are on the body, you need to look into the past. The survival of primitive man depended primarily on his luck in the hunt and on his ability to avoid the claws and fangs of predators. When there is a threat of attack, our body instantly releases stress hormones into the bloodstream, which contribute to the flow of energy to those organs on which our protection and salvation depend. This is the so-called “fight or flight” response. Although in our time we are rarely attacked by predatory animals, nevertheless, the physiological reaction to danger threatening the body has been preserved since the time of Adam. As soon as stress hormones are released, the brain immediately comes into a state of combat readiness, and the organs of all five senses begin to function at a heightened level. At the same time, the glucose stored there is released from the liver, which goes to the muscles.
Identify your stressors
External stress factors
- Environmental pollution
- Hydrogenated fats
- Smoking and alcohol
- Excessive sun exposure
- Emotional problems
- Pain after bereavement
- Divorce/breakup
- Internal stressors
- Food allergies and intolerances
- Autoimmune disease
- Increased metabolic rate
- High cholesterol
- Blood sugar disorders (and diabetes)
- Malnutrition
- Depression caused by mineral deficiency
When the body responds to stress, significant changes occur, each of which is an extension of the “fight or flight” syndrome. They can be broken down into seven main types.
- The heart rate increases and the heart pumps more blood to enhance the transport of nutrients needed to produce additional energy.
- Breathing also increases in order to enrich the blood with oxygen and increase the release of carbon dioxide.
- The blood vessels supplying the brain and muscles with blood dilate, which promotes an increased flow of oxygen, glucose and nutrients to them.
- The blood supply function of the spleen increases, and the influx of lymphocytes increases. Increases blood clotting in case of injury.
- To increase energy, the liver and skeletal muscles release additional glucose into the blood.
- The pupils dilate and more light enters the eye, which improves vision.
- The digestion process slows down, the production of digestive enzymes is suspended, resulting in the release of more energy for the muscles and brain.
Thus, the complex of “fight or flight” reactions prepares the body for targeted active actions for a short time. Staying the body in a state of alert for too long has a harmful effect on health and psyche. For comparison, try, while sitting in a car, putting the gear shift lever in neutral while simultaneously pressing the accelerator and brake pedals!
In such cases, the body tries to return to its usual state of harmonious balance, for which it changes its settings, adapting to stress. For example, the body can voluntarily increase blood pressure or sharply decrease the concentration of glucose in the blood. Both are fraught with potential threats.
CONSTANT STRESS LEAD TO THE FACT THAT WE LIVE “ON NERVES” - AND WASTE PRECIOUS RESERVES OF ENERGY.
However, let's return to our ancestors. After prolonged stress, they gave the body a break, allowing it to restore balance. The symptoms of the “fight or flight” complex faded away, normal levels of hormones and blood sugar were restored, and digestion was normalized. The modern pace of life often does not leave us the luxury of time to recover.
How to deal with stress
There is so much stress in our lives - and often they are so long - that the body is in a state of “fight or flight” with almost no respite. And, as a result, we constantly live “on edge,” wastefully using up precious reserves of glucose and energy. The body has no time to recover, which can ultimately lead to physiological changes. Listed below are the most common physiological effects of stress. In addition, certain types of food can place additional stress on an already overloaded body, contributing to the depletion of energy resources.
Symptoms of stress - physiological effects of stress:
- Suppression of the immune system, leading to an increase in colds and infectious diseases
- Craving for a certain type of food
- Constant fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Sudden mood changes
- Depressed state
- Excitement
- Skin rashes
How to assess emotional stress
Interestingly, everyone experiences emotional stress differently. What is unconditionally stressful for you, someone else may not pay attention to. The stressful impact in any situation can be weakened if you force yourself to evaluate it from a different point of view. Take public speaking, for example, which intimidates many people. For the first time, they may well cause a stress reaction: sweating of the palms, a surge of adrenaline. But after the second or third public speaking, these reactions, as a rule, become dulled, and the speaker copes with his task with much greater calm. Accordingly, stress decreases. But the situation remained the same - only its perception changed. If you train yourself to treat stress as inevitable, then coping with it becomes easier.
Food as a stressor
An optimistic attitude towards life can also help reduce the harmful effects of stress. For example, you're stuck in a traffic jam, so what? It's not your fault, so you can relax, listen to music, or talk with your companion. Do everything that depends on you - call the service on your cell phone and explain why you are delayed. If you are not able to change the situation, then take it for granted.
Stress, food and nutrients
So what should we do? If we cannot influence the majority of external stress factors in any way, then we are quite capable of helping our body cope with their manifestations.
Some nutrients, for example, not only help cope with stress, but also support the functions of organs involved in stress responses. So, let’s say, the “magnificent five” - vitamins A, C, E, as well as the microelements zinc and selenium - successfully neutralize free radicals that are formed in the body under stress. Foods that contain these vital antioxidants include plums, tomatoes, kiwi fruit, dark green vegetables, seafood, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds.
Stress and the immune system
It is well known that people who are stressed are more susceptible to illness. This is because stress weakens the immune system.
When stressors increase, we suffer more often from colds and infectious diseases, and in the most severe cases, our immune system does not cope with the precancerous condition, as it would do during a period of rest and carefreeness. The state of combat readiness reduces the body's resistance to infections, since it treats them as a lesser evil compared to the danger threatening in this case. As a result, the activity of killer cells is inhibited, the T-system of immunity is disrupted, and infectious agents feel at ease. It is therefore obvious that during times of stress the immune system needs to be stimulated.
Immune system hormones
During times of stress, a balance of two hormones is vital to maintaining the immune system. These are dehydroepiandosterone (DHEA) and cortisone. Scientists have shown that many people suffering from chronic diseases have reduced levels of DHEA, and, conversely, significantly increased levels of cortisone (the amount of these hormones can be easily measured using a simple saliva test). There are several reasons why DHEA levels drop. Under stress, the adrenal glands stop secreting DHEA and switch to cortisone. The resulting imbalance has the same negative effects on the body as a suppressed immune system. The level of DHEA decreases with age, and at 70-80 years of age, our body produces five times less of it than in adolescence and young adulthood. A decrease in the level of this hormone depends on fat deposits (especially around the waist), constant hunger, insomnia, lack of sexual desire, and a tendency to allergies and infectious diseases.
If any of these apply to you, ask your dietitian or physician to test your DHEA and cortisone levels.
When feeling stressed, try to avoid coffee and tea, replacing them with diluted fruit or vegetable juices. They will supply your body with the vitamin C and magnesium necessary for health, the amount of which decreases under stress.
If your levels turn out to be low, restoring DHEA levels to normal levels will not only help you lower your cholesterol levels, but also strengthen your skeleton and improve your muscle-to-fat ratio. But the second hormone, cortisone, is potentially dangerous. An increase in its content can lead to dysfunction of the thyroid gland and joints, and lead to a decrease in energy. Moreover, when cortisone levels are high, the structure of muscle and bone tissue is disrupted, which can lead to osteoporosis.
SOME FOOD PRODUCTS HAVE STRESSOR EFFECTS ON THE BODY. STRESS IS ALSO A LACK OF ANY NUTRIENTS, SINCE THEIR LACK NEGATIVELY AFFECTS THE ENZYMATIVE PROCESSES DEPENDING ON THEM.
How to Increase DHEA Levels and Lower Cortisone Levels
DHEA and cortisone balance can be restored by supporting the adrenal glands with recommended anti-stress foods (see - 61), as well as by relaxing through meditation or yoga exercises.
In the most acute cases caused by prolonged stress, the adrenal glands reduce the secretion of both DHEA and cortisone. This condition is called adrenal insufficiency or crisis. In such cases, it is advisable to compensate for the lack of both hormones through dosed supplements of licorice rhizome and Siberian ginseng. However, this can only be done under the supervision of a professional nutritionist.
In the United States, supplements containing DHEA can be purchased not only in pharmacies, but also in some health food stores. However, in some countries, only a doctor can prescribe DHEA or its predecessor, pregnenolone, which has similar effects.
Fight stress with proper nutrition
So how do you cope with stress? Although we are unable to counteract some external stress factors, we are nevertheless able to radically change both our diet and our own lifestyle.
Some foods have a stressor effect on the body. Stress is also a lack of any nutrients, since their lack negatively affects the enzymatic processes dependent on them. To support adrenal function, the body needs vitamin B5, vitamin C and magnesium. To combat the effects of everyday stress, you need to include enough foods containing these vitamins and minerals in your diet every day. For the normal functioning of the adrenal glands, a lot of vitamin C is needed, and this is the only vitamin that does not accumulate in our body in reserve - we must receive it daily from food. The most vitamin C is found in all red and black berries, kiwis and citrus fruits, as well as potatoes and peppers. All this can be purchased at any supermarket.
During periods of increased stress load, the need for these vitamins increases many times over. One of the most typical signs of vitamin C deficiency is stomatitis, or ulceration of the mucous membranes of the mouth. By normalizing your vitamin C intake, you can get rid of unpleasant ulcers in just 24 hours.
Stress Fighters
During a busy workday, few people have the luxury of taking a short break to enjoy a healthy meal at their leisure. For such busy people, we recommend preparing nutritious mini-snacks in the morning and taking them with you to work, which you can literally grab on the run during the day.
- Smoked salmon pate on whole grain crackers
- Rye toast with almond butter
- Spinach salad with sunflower seeds
Magnesium is necessary for normal functioning of the adrenal glands, so you should include foods high in magnesium in your diet every day. These are cereal grains, greens, soybeans, wheat germ, almonds, cod and mackerel. Whole grain cereals, leafy greens, and meat and dairy products contain plenty of vitamin B5.
Of course, the existence of foods that combat stress also implies the existence of foods that, on the contrary, promote it. Thus, abuse of sugar and refined carbohydrates leads to depletion of many essential microelements, in particular magnesium, and also affects the pancreas, forcing it to increase the secretion of insulin (see Maintaining normal blood sugar levels). For some time, due to the increased load, the functioning of the pancreas is disrupted, which in some cases leads to the early manifestation of diabetes mellitus in adults.
Reducing or completely eliminating sugar from the diet has an extremely beneficial effect on the liver, increasing its function in neutralizing toxic substances. The liver is the main cleansing organ in the body. Its role is to constantly filter the blood and remove all potentially dangerous toxic substances, as well as waste products formed as a result of normal digestion. Therefore, any reduction in stress load on the liver affects its main function in the most beneficial way. Keep in mind that stimulants such as tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages deplete certain micronutrients and stimulate adrenaline production; therefore, reducing your consumption of these drinks will also allow you to deal with stress more effectively.
How to deal with stress
Obviously, you should also limit or even completely eliminate from your diet refined and long-stored “ready-to-eat” foods that contain many artificial preservatives, salt, sugar and have extremely low nutritional value.
Weekend stress management plan
In order to feel a surge of energy, as well as in order to at least slightly relieve your extremely stressed body, choose a couple of days off when you can afford not to work too hard. Stock up on plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and mineral water. Challenge yourself to eat only raw foods for the entire weekend, which will give you plenty of the nutrients you need to combat stress.
Start every morning with 3 cups of warm boiled water. You can add a slice of lemon or 2-3 pieces of fresh raw ginger to it for flavor, but drink the water strictly on an empty stomach. This tonic drink will have a beneficial effect on your liver and stimulate the flow of bile. This is especially useful if the day before you indulged in excess food or abused alcohol.
Almost all vegetables and fruits can be juiced. Try to drink fresh green juice 3-4 times daily. The best options for making vegetable juices are: watercress, parsley, spinach, zucchini, green peppers and lettuce. Since fruits are very rich in fructose, it is advisable to dilute fruit juices by half with water before consumption.
Try to rest better, go for a walk, get plenty of sleep. You may feel a slight headache or aching muscles on Sunday, but this is a good sign that your body is cleansing itself. Remember that at the beginning of next week you will feel as fresh as if you were on vacation! And don't forget to drink more water throughout the weekend. You can also go to an acupressure or aromatherapy session - combine business with pleasure in the process of cleansing the body.
- Soy milkshake with fresh berries
- Potato salad with herring rollmops
- Strawberry and kiwi salad with soy cream
- Mango cream sauce with soy milk and sunflower seeds
Even with the most beloved and interesting job, we still face stress. This is such a serious problem that books are being written about it. “Stress Resilience” by Sharon Melnik stands out from other publications on stress management: it contains only practical advice and exercises that have already helped thousands of people. Here are some that will help make your work less stressful and more efficient.
You will always have too much work, so the question is: how to get it done better and faster? We'll show you how to prioritize, manage distractions, and save time.
Instead of multitasking, focus on one thing at a time
If your job is accompanied by constant stress, you think that multitasking may be your salvation. It is a myth! In reality, you only lose efficiency and focus by constantly switching between tasks and projects. By being torn between different areas throughout the day, you risk spending 30% more time on each task and making twice as many mistakes.
Who do you think performed better in the thinking task experiment—the people who spread themselves between tasks or those who were under the influence of marijuana? You guessed it: those who multitasked performed worse.
Our RAM can hold no more than seven pieces of information. When you're multitasking, you're giving up some of your working memory in favor of a new task—it's simply stupid to rely on memory in this state. One of the most important skills for success in today's world is the ability to pay full attention to what you are doing at one moment and then switch your full attention to a new task.
Do it right the first time
How many times after a meeting have you thought that you were given clear objectives, only to find out that you did not do what was expected of you? It's annoying! Try the following method. Get the instructions you need before you walk out the door. First, imagine the measures you will need to take when you return to your workplace. Then ask questions that you think you will encounter as you complete the assignment.
Sometimes managers do not very clearly formulate the tasks that they set for their subordinates. For example: Does your manager require concise or detailed data analysis? By year or by month? Who else should I send a copy of the report to? Before you dive headfirst into your work, take stock of everything you've heard and think about how you plan to complete the task at hand. Then ask for confirmation. This will help you prepare everything you need and avoid unnecessary work.
Does your manager or clients have seven Fridays a week? Then you can do the following. Help them think about the situation and “play out” several options for its development. This way they won’t have to come back to think about it later and change their mind. You can, for example, say: “Last time we tried to do it like this, and it turned out like this... Perhaps this time we should try a different method to avoid such unintended consequences?”
Plan and prepare for meetings
How do you schedule meetings? Basically, is there any free time left in your work schedule? This approach cannot be called targeted. The following tips may be helpful whether you plan the meeting yourself or have it planned for you.
If you need to have a meeting, stop for a moment and ask yourself a few questions. For example: what should my contribution be? Who else will participate and who can help prepare it? If the meeting is not directly related to your goals, consider whether you should decline the invitation or simply ask for a summary of the agenda and decisions made.
Clarify whether the meeting is dedicated to various topics or only to issues within your area of expertise. In the first case, find out if you can attend only the part of the meeting that directly concerns your work. Find out if you can use a conference call or send someone else to the meeting instead of you.
When you schedule a meeting in your work schedule, immediately set aside time to prepare for it and then review the results. When you are leading a meeting, you must have a clear agenda: you must understand the purpose of each participant's presence and end the meeting as soon as the goals have been achieved.
Show your abilities at the very beginning
Your ability to get things done and avoid problems should come at the very beginning of a process, project, or relationship, not at the end. In fact, productivity research shows that a minute spent planning saves nine minutes of wasted work.
Regardless of whether you are a team member or a team leader, it is important to adhere to the principles of project management: agree in advance on the initial conditions of the project, the plan for its implementation, and the conditions for its control.
When you're just starting out with a new business partner, assistant, or manager, too much communication is better than too little. Find out what format of communication they prefer and tell them how they can build an optimal scheme for working with you.
If you provide professional services, then the preliminary phase of discussing the terms with the client sets expectations for the entire cooperation: then it is always much more difficult to go back and change something than to do everything right right away. At this point, you feel vulnerable because you have not yet landed the job or proven your worth. So instead of discussing work conditions and compensation, you're probably thinking, “Let them go now, we'll talk about it later.” If this is what you usually do, and if you are still approved for the project, try to avoid creating a vicious cycle of stress by discussing in advance the timing of additional communication with the client or the conditions for making changes.
Get rid of things that waste your time
Can you list the five things that take up the most time during the day? Do you know why you are doing these things in the first place? For example, if you are “surfing on the Internet,” then think about the reason. Perhaps you are trying to cope with anxiety or boredom? Do you constantly check email to feel the need?
Perhaps you find it difficult to concentrate on the work you are doing because it is too difficult? Or is surfing the Internet generally pointless? Maybe you're looking in the wrong places when trying to make meaningful connections on social media? If so, try to find a way to satisfy such basic needs in a more constructive way, or limit the time you spend on them.
Tame your email
People often complain that too much email sucks up their time and mental energy. I turned to Claire Dolan, vice president of Oracle Corporation, for advice. She revolutionized the way her company used email, helping her employees achieve significant clarity in their thinking when completing work tasks.
Dolan explained, “Most people can't function at their best if they receive 100 emails a day. I asked my employees to remember that email is just another method of communication, in other words, it is not “the work itself”! My team responded to my announcement by being more selective with their email communications. They began to communicate with each other and discuss solutions to problems without clogging up their email inbox. After this, our productivity increased, and our employees themselves now experience less stress.”
Unless you're in a customer service role where your responsibilities involve responding to emails in real time, set aside regular time to check your inbox instead of making email your default screen. Let everyone know what time you check your email and when they can expect a response from you.
We discussed several ways to improve efficiency. You can try using one of the presented strategies for about a week until you get the hang of it, or choose the ones that appeal to you most (don’t try to remember and implement everything at once).
Discussion
Alex M: Stress is a scourge, you can’t do without it, you can do with it and whatever you need.
Stress is an objective phenomenon; stress expresses the energy that a person experiences when overcoming stress at work (at home, in society). Why stress? When solving an object-goal problem, a person’s work in another expression is stressful. What has been overcome is an achievement, what cannot be overcome is already a problem. Everyone experiences stress, but no one has ever died from stress! Unless the question concerns the medical component, because with illness there is also stress, but it is necessary to put i. Is it difficult? It can be difficult.
:)
The main thing at work is a good boss and not a tyrant and a friendly team.
Comment on the article "6 rules for dealing with stress at work"
6 rules for dealing with stress at work. If you have a stressful job, do you think it's possible that you're having a hard time concentrating on the work you're doing because it's too challenging?
When I’m really, really stressed, I also sleep. Although it’s simply not possible to sleep more often, what can I do? I live, do the necessary things and wait it out. That is, I can’t cope. But I can’t eat during such periods, I don’t even feel like drinking. When that stress is just...
The question is: is it possible to somehow change the reaction to stress? I am from the category of "fugitives". I would like to learn how to act quickly in a stressful environment, and not look at what is happening as if it were in slow motion.
6 rules for dealing with stress at work. Discussion of issues about a woman’s life in the family, at work. Here the genetics are good and the character is calm, stable) Stress has the worst effect on beauty This is a great way to reduce waist size Lie sideways on...
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6 rules for dealing with stress at work. “Resilience to Stress” by Sharon Melnik compares favorably with other publications on the fight against stress: it contains only practical advice and about the effect of stress on conception (question).
Fighting stress. Serious question. About yours, about your girl’s. Discussion of issues about a woman’s life in the family, at work, relationships with 1. For me, the train is a great stress reliever, for life:) 2. A short change of environment for 2-3 days. 3. Of the less radical ones - lie down...
How to deal with weakness? Serious question. About yours, about your girl’s. This makes it more efficient. Well, it would be good to know your biorhythms - when there is a surge of energy and when there is a decline. I had this after severe stress, combined with flu on my legs.
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Effective fight against excess weight.. Figure. Fashion and beauty. How I’ve been trying to fight this (for 2 weeks now): 1. I limited my consumption of sweets 2. I started going to the pool twice a week 3. In the morning I jump rope, although no more than 10 minutes.
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You can imagine how stressful it was for my daughter, especially since before this we only had to endure a couple of injections in our entire lives (we hardly even had vaccinations). But you still can’t completely protect yourself from stress IMHO, you can just try to make this stress less.
From this article you will learn:
- How can stress be dangerous and why is it so important to deal with it?
- What are some ways to deal with stress?
- What are the measures to prevent stress?
- How to become a stress-resistant person
Stress is firmly established in modern life. Many people now simply do not notice it. They are so used to constantly being in a stressful state that when they come out of it, they feel discomfort. Scientists claim that prolonged nervous tension causes cardiovascular diseases, neuroses, diseases of the digestive system and other health disorders. Therefore, it is very important to know and apply ways to deal with stress, as well as to be able to react correctly in stressful situations.
Why do you need ways to deal with stress?
Stress is the body's response to negative emotions or negative events. Adrenaline is “thrown” into the blood, its amount depends on the emotionality of the person and his susceptibility to irritants. The heart begins to beat faster, blood pressure rises, and the muscles tense. Thus, the body comes into “combat readiness” and mobilizes its reserves. And if he remains in such a state of overvoltage for a long time, this will inevitably lead to unpleasant consequences. To prevent this, you need to deal with stress in all known ways.
Some doctors believe that the majority of all diseases (about 90%) are caused or worsened by stress. It affects many organs and systems of the human body.
In stressful situations, blood vessels narrow, making it difficult to supply the brain with oxygen. This causes headaches, insomnia, weakness, neuroses and depression.
Stressful conditions are especially dangerous for the cardiovascular system. They cause arrhythmia, hypertension, and increase the risk of the occurrence and development of coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction.
Stress can cause disruption of the digestive system, liver and gallbladder diseases, and exacerbation of stomach ulcers.
Prolonged severe stress conditions lead to malfunctions of the body's immune system. As a result, a person becomes vulnerable and exposed to infectious diseases.
Therefore, no one should have any doubt about the need to deal with stress. There are several ways to fight this.
The most effective ways to deal with stress
People are all different, and therefore there is no universal way to deal with stress. What is ideal for one person will be completely useless for another. Still, there are several general methods that help everyone. These include: eliminating the cause of stress, alleviating stress, and preventing stress.
Eliminating the causes of stress
Try to change the situation that led to tension. Addressing the cause is a great way to combat stress. If this is impossible, try to change your attitude towards her. But don’t “cut in from the shoulder”, don’t solve the problem right away, in a “hot head”. Cool down a little, take a break, do something. Or just lie down and sleep. After rest, negative emotions are always replaced by logic. And the current situation will no longer seem so terrible and hopeless to you.
There are two types of problems - solvable and unsolvable. Learn to distinguish them. If the situation can be corrected, then direct all your efforts towards it. In cases where you cannot change the circumstances, just forget about them. Take what happened for granted, don’t stress yourself out, learn lessons and move on. By constantly thinking about unsolvable problems in life, you increase stress.
Relief from stress
You need to get rid of stress because it can lead to various diseases. If the cause of stress cannot be eliminated, try to relieve stress and alleviate your condition. There are several quick and effective ways to deal with stress. These include:
- Switching attention. Don't dwell on the problem that caused you stress. Try to switch your attention to something pleasant. For example, meet your friends or loved ones, go to a cafe, watch a good funny movie, do an interesting activity, etc. This way of dealing with stress will help you quickly relieve nervous tension.
- Physical activity– a very effective way to deal with stress. When a stressful situation arises, the human body tenses up, mobilizes its strength, and produces adrenaline, which needs an outlet. At this time, a person wants to scream loudly, slam doors, break dishes, etc. Sometimes this helps, but it’s still better to throw out negative energy using “peaceful” methods. You can, for example, take a walk, play sports, do general cleaning, or do any other active physical work.
- Breathing exercises. Another way to combat stress is breathing exercises. Here's one option: lie down or sit down, put your hand on your stomach, close your eyes. Relax. Take a deep breath and imagine the air filling your lungs, moving down and lifting your stomach. Exhale and “feel” how the exhaled air carries away negative energy. Breathing exercises relieve tension, calm the heartbeat and normalize blood pressure.
- Herbal infusions. Many medicinal herbs have a calming effect. They are used in the form of infusion, decoction or tea. Calming herbal teas are recommended to be taken in courses or during periods of severe nervous tension. It is necessary to take breaks so that this method of relaxation does not become the norm and habit. Valerian, fireweed, motherwort, oregano, chamomile, lemon balm and mint are used to combat stress.
- Relaxation. It means relaxation, decreased muscle tone, a state of rest. An excellent way to deal with stress, it helps to contain it, preventing it from intensifying. To relax, you can lie down with your eyes closed and listen to good music. You can take a bath or go to the park, breathe fresh air and sit in the shade of trees.
- Relaxing baths. Such baths are a good way to combat stress. They are made with the addition of aromatic oils or decoctions of medicinal herbs. They use decoctions of oregano, lavender, rosemary, mint, lemon balm, and oregano. Oils used include basil, verbena, orange and anise.
- Tears. For many people, they are a great way to deal with stress. They give a good release and relieve nervous tension. Scientific studies have shown that tears contain substances that increase human stress resistance (peptides). It is not without reason that in difficult life situations they advise: “cry and you will immediately feel better.”
Another very important topic: ways to deal with stress at work.
Ways to deal with stress at work
With the modern pace of life, the problem of dealing with stress at work is becoming very common. It is becoming increasingly relevant in the practical psychology of our time.
Is it possible to avoid stress at work?
Psychologists say that in most cases, stress at work can be dealt with. But if the situation becomes unmanageable, then drastic measures should be taken, including changing work activities.
In order to prevent stress at work, it is necessary to analyze all the conditions offered by the employer when applying for a job. Your work schedule should be such that you have at least 10 hours of rest every day. If you have to work in dangerous or unusual situations that require instant decision-making, try to undergo special testing that will determine your resistance to stress.
Scientists have developed a special system containing a description of probable situations for specific work activities. Therefore, a person passing the test will be able to understand whether this vacancy is suitable for him.
When employed, a person is usually in a calm, familiar state. That is why it can be quite difficult during stress testing to determine whether a person will experience stress at work in the future. In most cases, stressful situations do not arise immediately, but only after some time. The reason may be excessive demands or a discrepancy between the expected and the actual situation.
It should be understood that ideal work “in nature” does not exist. Remember the catchphrase “It’s good where we are not”? In any type of work activity there are certain nuances that entail the occurrence of stressful situations. Because of them, various systems of the human body may malfunction. The human nervous system is always at greatest risk. You can combat stress by reducing your demands and expectations to reasonable limits.
Ways to deal with stress at work include the following:
- proper distribution of your time (for work, rest and entertainment) is one of the main ways to deal with stress;
- planning work activities (distributing loads and rest during work) is a very effective way to combat stress;
- self-education and development (study and application of new achievements in a certain professional field);
- lack of conversations about work outside of it (during your free time from work, do not talk about it if these conversations cause you negative emotions).
Knowing ways to deal with stress at work, a person will always be able to keep his emotional state normal. Due to constant severe stress, performance decreases. Regular stress testing will help reduce the influence of “harmful” factors. Get rid of the cause of nervous tension. Learn to treat unpleasant people with understanding or avoid communicating with them. If such “meetings” are inevitable, after them try to quickly switch to positive emotions. For example, a small piece of chocolate will “save” a sweet tooth.
The situation in the country, the weather, living conditions, personal experiences and simply unpleasant news about something can cause stress, which does not bring anything positive to our body and condition! How you can quickly minimize stress or get rid of it altogether, says psychologist Vlada Berezyanskaya.
Learn to relax
As soon as you feel that your body is about to enter a stressful state or realize that you have already entered it, switch yourself and try to relax. The easiest and fastest way to do this is to breathe! Take five very deep breaths in and out. As you exhale, think that along with your exhalation, everything bad leaves you, everything you don’t need, everything that causes you suffering and stress. You can do this in several ways - with each exhalation, let go of one problem at a time, get rid of it. And if there is only one problem that puts you in a stressful state, then take one inhale and exhale with it, and for the other four, replace the problem with something good and imagine how good it is for you to be on the seashore, how good it is when all the family is happy, how good it is when you achieve your goals and so on.
Physical exercise
Sport is one of the best cures for stress. He removes the clamps and liberates. It doesn’t matter what sport you choose - running, dancing, swimming. And also, while playing sports, you can completely switch off or, at least, switch to another, positive wave. It has been verified that even after a 30-minute run, the state of stress and anxiety goes away and everything falls into place.
Beat the pillow
One of my favorite stress relievers is to hit a pillow. Why? Because this method not only calms you down, but also completely frees you from negative energy. For example, due to the fault of your subordinate, you had some kind of problem at work. You are very angry, you are on edge, but, of course, you cannot hit your colleague under any circumstances! How to get rid of stress and anger? Using a pillow. We take a pillow, remember the stressful situation and hit it with all our might until your hands hurt, until you feel that you feel better!
Pleasant body treatments and imagination
How long has it been since you went to a massage, spa or took a bath with oils? If you're feeling stressed right now, then it's time to do it! Choose what you like best or what you can do right now and go relax and have fun. The main thing here is to drive away all negative thoughts and experiences. After all, you must admit that a massage with thoughts about what else needs to be done today or how to solve a problem will not be very pleasant and inspiring.
Here is one way to get rid of unpleasant thoughts that I often use. As soon as a negative thought appears in my head, I immediately ask myself some stupid question. For example, what would happen if people could fly? Was it possible to fly across the Atlantic Ocean on your own or would you still have to use the services of airlines? And if on your own, was it necessary to take special clothes with you? What about food on the go? Would they set up some snack stations in the air above the ocean? Thus, negative thoughts go away and your imagination begins to work. Who knows, sometimes when discussing such unusual and fantastic topics, brilliant thoughts come to people’s minds.
Call a loved one
We all have close people who will support us at any time in our lives. True, it is important to understand which of your loved ones is capable of doing this. For example, mothers generally, having heard from their child about his problem, begin to worry even more. Some people worry in silence, while at the same time encouraging you, while others, on the contrary, screw you up even more. Call someone close to you who you consider to be a balanced and wise person. Tell us about your problem and just hear that everything will be fine! Sometimes this one sentence from a person who inspires your trust is enough to calm down.
About how to deal with stress and live a vibrant life. We present 3 tips from a psychologist.
Stress, stress and more stress!
How often we hear this word, but how little we know about it.
Stress is an integral part of a person’s life and accompanies him from the cradle to his last breath.
However, when asking where stress comes from, not many are able to answer something intelligible.
Although, in essence, everything is simple here.
Stress is a surge of accumulated negative emotions!
For example: yesterday you received a reprimand, you got off work, today you got a punctured tire, tomorrow you found out about your husband’s infidelity and that’s it - you are torn to pieces and all the problems seem insoluble, and life is a gray and dull thing!
If you are once again experiencing stress, then it’s time to finally think about how you can overcome stress?
How to deal with stress?
It would seem that to increase stress resistance you need to do a couple of exercises and that’s it – you are a stress-resistant specialist.
In reality, things are much more complicated, let's look at why.
So, all people in the world according to the degree of stress resistance are divided into 4 groups:
- Stress-resistant
- Stress-resistant
- Stress trainees
- Stress-inhibited
People from the first group have innate adaptability to any situation.
Such people are not afraid of change, they always have ready-made solutions, and in stressful situations their brain does not fall into a stupor, but functions even better than usual.
The opposite of people from the first group are people from the second group.
Such people, on the contrary, are alarmists and at the slightest change in events they fall into panic, become hysterical, etc.
For clarity of what has been written, let’s analyze the following situation: imagine the middle of winter, hellish frost and 2 cars at the entrance.
The owners of both cars are trying to make their swallows jealous, but the engines are so frozen that they cannot do it without specialists.
The owner of one car calmly goes about his business on public transport, while the owner of the second car curses the whole wide world, calls specialists, etc.
People from the third group are, in principle, ready for change, but they need time to adapt to the situation.
And finally, people from the fourth group are the heaviest to climb.
Such people have strong life beliefs that cannot change even under the influence of the external environment.
In other words, such people, even if they have a stake on their heads, will still stand their ground (this group of people reminds me of someone :))…
Let's start fighting stress today!
So, if you belong to the first group, then you don’t need advice on dealing with stress.
Even without them, you know how to behave in difficult situations, you don’t break down and don’t get hysterical.
If you belong to the second or fourth group, then advice on getting rid of stress simply will not help you.
In the first case, in a stressful situation, you will forget about all the advice and become hysterical; in the second case, you will be so stubborn that you will not consider it necessary to act on someone’s orders.
But if you belong to people from the third group, then advice about how to cope with stress will help you overcome any life situations and remain a winner.
Tip 1. Change your attitude towards the situation - this will help overcome stress
I will not discover America if I say that all stress arises due to the wrong attitude to the situation.However, you have absolutely nothing to do with it.
In this case, the blame lies mainly with the environment.
For example, your daughter likes to play with soldiers instead of dolls.
Compassionate girlfriends and neighbors immediately begin to repeat that this is not good, etc.
As a result, you start thinking about it, escalate the situation and drive yourself into a stressful situation.
Or here’s another example: a few years ago I found myself in Italy just during the eruption of a volcano with an unpronounceable name.
As a result, when it was time to fly, all flights were delayed for 12 hours and more than 90% of all tourists cursed, threatened, demanded to be sent home, etc.
But did this abuse really help them somehow rectify the situation?
Of course not!
But these people received a charge of negative emotions, aged several years and lost a certain number of their nerve cells.
I enjoyed an extra day in this wonderful country and visited the sights that I initially didn’t have enough time for.
For many centuries now, the wisest people have been saying this: “If you cannot change the situation, change your attitude towards it!”
Tell me, why do it once again because of a situation that you cannot change?
That’s why, right from today, learn to look at things from a different angle, don’t take other people’s (and your own) problems to heart, and develop positive thinking!
Better yet, sign up for yoga.
After all, it is she who helps a person find harmony with himself! 🙂
Tip 2. If you can change the situation, change it, this will help you overcome stress
Very often the cause of stress is low salary, a harmful boss, a grumpy colleague, etc. In such situations, we complain, cry, but do not leave work.Tell me, dear readers, why don’t you leave a bad job?
Are you afraid that other places won’t hire you? Are you afraid of losing your salary?
What are you so afraid of?
I’ll tell you straight - most of these fears are far-fetched and simply ridiculous.
Are you afraid? Who is stopping you from first finding a new job, and only then leaving your old one?
Are you afraid of losing your salary? Don't settle for a low paid job!!!
Know that stress resistance does not consist in tolerating a tyrant boss, but in coming up with the best option for further developments under stress.
In the case of bad work, the best solution is to change it.
A few facts about the nature of stress and how to turn it to your advantage
watch in the following video:
Believe me, you will not succeed if you keep all your emotions to yourself.
Sooner or later you will break through and it will only get worse.
Knowing this human characteristic, advanced Western companies have equipped rooms for their employees to let out accumulated emotions.
Employees hit a punching bag with a picture of the boss, throw darts at harmful customers, etc.
There are no such halls in our country yet, but this does not stop you from buying a dartboard and hanging a photo of an evil colleague on it, or making a wax doll and piercing it with a needle, representing your boss.
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