Are Stress and Anxiety Taking Their Toll On Your Life?
Have you ever wondered what causes stress and anxiety?
Most people experience some sort of stress and anxiety from time to time in their life; this is quite natural. Stress is any demand or pressure placed upon your brain or physical body. People can often feel stressed when multiple, competing demands are placed upon them.
The feeling of being stressed can be triggered by an event that makes you feel angry, frustrated or nervous. Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, or unease. It can be a reaction to stress, or it can occur in people when they are unable to identify significant stressors in their life.
“Anxiety happens when you think you have to figure everything out all at once”
Stress and anxiety are not always bad. In the short term, they can help you overcome a challenge or a dangerous situation. It’s our natural ‘fight or flight’ response.
However, if stress and anxiety begin interfering with your daily life, it may indicate a more serious issue. If you are avoiding situations due to irrational fears, constantly worrying, or experiencing severe anxiety about a traumatic event weeks after it happened, it may be time to seek help.
Now’s the time to ask yourself this very important question ‘How do I know if I’m stressed?’
The tell-tale signs of stress include:
You may feel:
If this is how you are feeling, then now’s the time to be honest with yourself and seek the help you need to live a happy and fulfilled life.
What’s causing stress in your life?
The kids won’t stop screaming, your boss has been hounding you because you missed the deadline, and your debts are piling up and you just don’t have the money to pay them. You’re seriously stressed out.
Stress is actually a normal part of life. At times, it serves a useful purpose. Stress can motivate you to get that promotion at work or run the last mile of a marathon.
But if you don’t get a handle on your stress and it becomes long-term, it can seriously interfere with your job, family life, and health.
Causes of work stress include:
Life stresses can also have a big impact. Examples of life stresses are:
Sometimes the stress comes from inside, rather than outside. You can stress yourself out just by worrying about things you can’t control. Managing your stress can make a real difference to your health and life as a whole.
“The keys to good stress management are building emotional strength, being in control of your situation, having a good social network, and adopting a positive outlook”
Golden Nuggets
In these challenging times, I’m going to share some simple and quick suggestions to help you manage your mental health and reduce anxiety.
1. Self-care
Take an active role in protecting your wellbeing and happiness, especially if you’re feeling anxious or stressed. Self-care encourages you to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself.
My Top Tip
Time for the Mind – in times like these, it can be easy to fall into thinking traps; patterns of your thoughts that usually have a negative swing, which prevent you from seeing things as they really are. This includes ruminating thoughts; continuously going over the same thought, which tends to be sad and dark, and can intensify or prolong depression, as well as impairing your ability to think and process emotions.
Switch off the screens and limit the time you’re on social media. Give your mind a break from the constant stimulus and enjoy the peace.
2. Mindfulness
Mindfulness can help you manage your anxiety and stress. A key part of mindfulness is noticing what you’re experiencing in the moment and focusing on this. If you’re struggling with your emotions or worrying about the future, mindfulness can help to bring you back into the present moment.
My Top Tip
Take a minute…
- Find a quiet room and sit somewhere comfortably, where you won’t be interrupted.
- Engage your senses, breathe deeply and slowly and without any rush.
- Answer these questions:
o What are 3 things I can hear?
o What are 3 things I can see?
o What are 3 things I can touch?Think about your answers slowly, one sense at a time.
This will help you to feel more at ease and relaxed.
3. Music is Medicine
Soothe Your Senses – if you’re feeling anxious, playing soothing music can help to relax you. Studies have shown that music reduces muscle tension, increases self-esteem, decreases anxiety, enhances personal relationships, increases motivation, and supports a successful and safe emotional release.
Top Tip:
If you want to feel upbeat, find a high energy playlist on YouTube or Spotify. Or, if you want to relax, find a soothing playlist, or even create your own playlist to suit you and your music tastes. Don’t forget to ‘favourite’ these tracks, so you can easily tune into them whenever you like.
Pura Vida Your Life – it all starts with you 🧡💙💛
I invite you to come on a journey of empowerment with me – sign up to ‘Pura Vida Your Life Discoveries’ to help you take the steps to improve your life: https://puravidayourlife.com