How often have you caught yourself thinking that you are tired and can’t rest even on weekends? Most likely, this is a consequence of constant stress and loads, with which the body can no longer cope on its own. To avoid overwork, you need to understand how to learn to relax psychologically and physically, without losing performance.
Even in the most difficult moments to be able to relax – means to give yourself an opportunity and a way to build a defense against anxiety. This will help to get rid of many of the problems of modern people. Insomnia, headaches and migraines, weakened immunity. Each of the points is most often caused by general fatigue of the body.
To understand how to learn how to rest, you should understand the causes of stress. This will help you quickly learn to activate your inner strength and be calm more often.
Why does stress occur?
Stress is a physiological reaction of the body that develops in response to the impact of unfavorable factors: physical and psychological. Its main task is to adapt or protect itself from everything that frightens, irritates a person or threatens him.
Adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol are actively released into the blood. There is a surge of energy, breathing becomes shallow, the heart beats more often, blood pressure rises. There is a sense of emotional tension. This is how the body prepares to execute the “hit or run” command.
Common causes:
- Tensions and conflicts at work or at home;
- health problems with yourself or a loved one;
- changes in life: moving, birth of a child, divorce;
- money problems, debts.
People differ in temperament and anxiety level. A girl with low self-esteem may be very worried about an unfortunate remark about her appearance. An ambitious man will be knocked out of the rut by public criticism at work. A mildly excitable child is anxious because of the dark, loud sounds, he is frightened by the aggression on the face of a loved one. A sensitive elderly woman can be highly stressed by common household problems or bad weather.
What are the dangers?
Stress is a normal reaction of the body to external and internal factors, so it is an integral part of our lives and periodically happens to everyone. It helps to gather thoughts, motivates you to work on yourself, increases efficiency and endurance.
At the same time, it is important for a person to be able to properly cope with this state, because strong and prolonged stresses, on the contrary, are destructive to the psyche. Because of them, a person loses vitality. He goes out of his mind in an even place: crying, angry, screaming. Or vice versa – shows complete indifference: withdraws and closes. Frequent companions of stress – insomnia, absent-mindedness, neuroses, depression.
The danger of psychological stress is that it is not only in the head, but also in the body. These processes are explained by psychosomatics. Hormones that are released in response to a stressful situation, change the work of all organs and systems.
Disturbed hormonal background threatens the development of such diseases:
- hypertension with the possibility of stroke;
- arrhythmia, ischemic heart disease;
- functional disorders of the adrenal cortex, formation of pheochromocytoma (hormone-active tumor);
- metabolic disorders, malfunction of the thyroid gland;
- stress ulcer of the stomach;
- chronic fatigue syndrome;
- neurosis;
- psoriasis;
- immunodeficiency;
- erectile dysfunction, ovarian-menstrual cycle disorders.
Constant anxiety leads to mental health disorders. Conditions such as:
- Psychogenic depression. The past causes disgust, the future seems unpromising, the present has no meaning.
- Mental disorders – anhedonia (loss of the ability to rejoice), abulia (decreased willpower), anorexia nervosa.
- Phobias – futurophobia (fear of the future), sociophobia (fear of people), neophobia (fear of change and everything new).
- Affective disorders of expression, adequacy, stability of emotions.
How to deal with stress quickly?
To prevent stress from hitting your relationships and well-being, it’s important to deal with it quickly. There is a whole set of techniques that will help you cope in a difficult situation. With their help, you will distract yourself, relax, switch from negative thoughts to positive.
1. Breathe
As cliché as it may sound, breathing techniques work well in a stressful situation.
There are several ways to do this:
- Slow your breathing rate to 6-7 breaths in and out per minute. It takes 10-15 minutes for anxiety to decrease.
- Take a deep breath, hold your breath for 10 seconds and exhale slowly.
- Concentrate on the breathing process itself. Breathe deeply and in a measured manner. Feel how the air enters your lungs, fills them, and then gradually exhales.
By regulating the frequency and depth of your breathing, you will soften your stress response and recover faster.
2. Meditate
Meditation helps you shift your attention from the situation that irritates you, let go of negativity and relax.
The essence of the technique is to calm the mind: detach yourself from unpleasant and heavy thoughts.
To relax, take a comfortable pose and for 5-7 minutes do not think about anything. Just stay in the here and now. Breathe slowly and rhythmically.
To make meditation easier, put on some relaxing music, light and aroma candle or a stick. You can close your eyes or focus your gaze on an object, such as a cup of tea on the table or a painting on the wall.
3. Smile
At first glance, the advice is paradoxical. How can you smile when your heart is scratching cats? Meanwhile, scientists have proven that even a forced smile is useful. It reduces anxiety and its harmful effects on the body. It turned out that smiling people in stress feel calmer. And their heart beats less often.
4. Eat something tasty
Tasty food helps you deal with anxiety. If you are nervous, allow yourself this weakness. Have a caloric brownie or a candy bar. In moderation, it won’t hurt. The main thing is not to make stress eating a habit. But if you have stomach problems, are overweight or have high blood sugar, it’s better to choose other techniques.
5. Enjoy yourself
To avoid dwelling on the problem, do something that pleases and calms you. It can be reading, favorite music, a warm bath, cosmetic procedures. Any process that gives pleasure. This way you will distract yourself from sad thoughts and soon you will feel relief.
6. Get moving
Sports and exercise can help you cope with stressful situations. They increase the production of joy hormones – endorphins, which relieve pain and tension. The best effect is given by those activities where the movements are repeated. These include strength training, bicycling, and running. If a stressful situation has caught up with you at work, do not wait until the end of the working day. Do simple exercises that are available. Squat, do a few bends, walk down the hall, squeeze an expander or a rubber ball in your hand.
7. Admire nature
People who admire nature after severe stress recover faster.
If you feel stressed, leave your home or office and take a walk to the nearest park. There is no time even for that – just sit on a bench in your yard for a few minutes. Admire the nearby trees, watch the birds. This way you will calm down and lift your mood.
8. Share with a loved one
Sometimes all a person needs to do to relieve stress is to talk it out. In the office it can be a trusted colleague, at home – a spouse or parents. Finally, you can call or text a friend and share the unpleasantness. Just one conversation will make you feel better. Even better, if a close person will share an outsider’s view of the situation and give sound advice.
If you want to talk, but there is no one around, it’s okay. Write down your feelings on paper. You will ease your soul. And you will also be able to analyze the situation by rereading your anxious thoughts. And, perhaps, find a solution to the problem.
