Manage & Reduce Stress
Stress is a feeling of being under abnormal pressure. This could be from an increased workload, an argument with someone important in your life, or financial troubles. It affects us in a number of ways, both physically and emotionally.
Research has shown that stress can actually be positive sometimes; it increases our alertness and helps us perform better in some situations. However, the key is that stress has only been found to be beneficial if it is short-term.
Excessive prolonged stress can lead to illness such as heart disease, and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
During situations that make you feel threatened or upset, your body creates a stress response. This can cause a variety of physical symptoms, change your behaviour, and lead you to experience intense emotions.
People react differently to stress. Common symptoms include sleeping problems, sweating, or a change in appetite. These symptoms, and others like them, are triggered by a flood of stress hormones in your body, which, when released, allows you to deal with pressure or threats (such as danger). This is known as the “fight or flight response.”
Adrenaline and noradrenaline raise your blood pressure, increase your heart rate, and make you sweat. Cortisol releases fat and sugar into your system to boost your energy. This is your body preparing itself to respond to an emergency.
As a result, you may experience muscle tension, pain, headaches, nausea, indigestion and dizziness. You may also breath more rapidly or have heart palpitations. In the long-term you are increasing your risk for heart attack and stroke.
These physical reactions are your body’s way of making it easier for you to fight or run away. Once the pressure or threat is gone, your stress hormone levels usually return to normal. But, if you’re constantly under stress, these hormones remain in your body, causing the symptoms of stress.
If you don’t fight or run away, you won’t use up the chemicals your body makes to protect you. The build-up of these chemicals over time and the changes they produce in your body can be damaging for your health.
When you are stressed you may experience feelings such as anxiety, irritability, or low self-esteem, which can cause you to be withdrawn or indecisive. You may constantly worry, have racing thoughts, and go over the same things over and over in your head.
Some people experience a change in their behaviour. They may become angry easier, be irrational or become more aggressive. These feelings can compound one another and produce physical symptoms that make you feel even worse.
While everyone experiences stress, when it is affecting your life, health, and general wellbeing, it is important to get a handle on it as soon as possible.
Stress affects everyone differently, but there are some common signs and symptoms:
Constant worrying or Anxiety
Feeling overwhelmed
Difficulty concentrating
Mood Swings (or other changes in mood)
Irritability / ‘short-temper’
Difficulty relaxing
Depression
Low self-esteem
Changing eating habits
Changing sleeping habits
Smoking, Drinking, or Drug Use
Muscle tension (aches & pains)
Diarrhoea or constipation
Nausea
Dizziness
Change in sex drive
If you’re experiencing symptoms for an extended period of time and have noticed the impact they are having on your everyday life and wellbeing, you should speak to your family doctor, and seek out the support services and treatments available to you such as those offered by CIRP.
What Causes Stress?
All sorts of things can cause stress. The most common involve work, financial issues, and personal relationships. It may be caused by major upheavals and life events such as unemployment, divorce or separation, death of a loved one, or a collection of smaller irritations. Sometimes, there’s no obvious cause at all.
While your personal relationships are a great support in times when you feel stressed, they can also increase your stress levels. Events involving your personal relationships are likely to affect the way you think, feel, and behave.
The pressure of a demanding work culture in the construction industry is one of the biggest contributors to stress among construction workers. Feeling unhappy about the amount of time you spend at work, and neglecting other aspects of your life because of work, increases your vulnerability to stress.
Increased levels of stress can lead to burn-out or mental health problems.
Money and financial concerns place huge pressures on us and have a marked effect on our stress levels. The combination of chronic stress and debt can result in depression and anxiety, and is a factor linked to suicidal thoughts and attempts.
How Can You Help Yourself?
Remember: stress is a natural reaction to difficulties in life such as work, personal relationship, and money problems. A moderate amount of stress can help us perform better in challenging situations; however prolonged stress can lead to physical problems and mental health problems such as depression.
So, it is important that we manage our stress and keep it at a healthy level to prevent long-term damage to our bodies and minds.
If you’re feeling stressed, try taking these steps:
Realizing when it is causing you a problem
Identifying the underlying causes
& Reviewing your lifestyle
You can help protect yourself from stress by:
Eating healthy
Exercising
Taking time to relax
Practicing Mindfulness
Getting enough sleep
Getting Help:
It is okay to ask for professional help if you are struggling. It is important to get help as soon as possible. The first person to approach is your family doctor. Consider cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness-based approaches as they are proven to help reduce stress.
Here at CIRP, we can help you identify the causes of your stress and advise you about ways to get better. Give us a call today. (604) 521-8611