In this day and age it would really be very difficult to find a person
who does not undergo stress and strain in his or her life. When you
experience work overload or suffer from financial losses or family
tensions, then you will be under severe stress. There are a few people
who feel that life is not enjoyable without any stress or tension. The
majority of the people believe that stress is very bad both physically and mentally and would try to find various ways to avoid stress.
What Is Stress?
There are a lot of people that you might come across in your life with
annoying habits and these people are often known as stressors. It is not
just the people that are part of stressors, even the surroundings in
which you are like: noises, speeding car, people shouting and so on are
all considered to be stressors. When you feel that you are under
pressure to do something or to commit something, then you are under
stress. If you are facing a threat or a challenge from someone, your
body will either try to get up and fight the challenge or will try to
get away from the scene as fast as possible. Your non-essential body
functions like digestive and immune systems will generally slow down
when you are under severe stress and your heart rate, alertness,
sweating and breathing will be increased in order to protect or fight
against the stressful situation. The following are the physical and
bodily changes that you will experience when you are under stress:
• Increase in the heart beat/ pulse rate
• Aggressive breathing
• Slowdown of digestive and immune system
• Loss of sleep
• Rise in blood pressure
• Muscle becomes tensed
The Causes Of Stress
Stress can come in any form and different types of stresses will be
experienced by different types of people. The stress can affect people
of all ages and also people from all walks of life. The poor and the
rich, the young and the old and the blue collared or the white collared,
anyone is susceptible to stress and strain in life. There is no way one
can predict the stress level in individual people. Some of the common
causes for an increase in the stress in life are:
Workplace Stress
There are quite a lot of people who undergo some stress or the other in
their workplace most of the time. While some might be facing heavy
workload stress, some of the workers would be feeling the tension due to
their shouting bosses. Your job and your career is a constant source of
stress for you. Some of the common types of stresses that you might
face in your workplace are:
• Thoughts of climbing the career ladder
• Trouble with your co-workers
• New type of work and responsibility
• Overload of work
• Harassment by boss
Financial Stress
Finance is everything in the modern age and financial stress is the
major cause of stress in most people living in this world. Nothing can
be achieved without finance and no matter you have less or more money,
you will always like to have more. This desire to earn money and worry
about fewer finances always puts you under tremendous pressure and
strain. Some of the common tensions that people undergo due to financial
stress are:
• Loss of income
• Being jobless
• Major purchases to make
• Worried about retirement
• Bankruptcy worries
Family Problems
Another main reason for most of the family men and women to experience a
huge amount of stress is family problems. If there is some imbalance in
the relationship between a man and a woman or a husband and a wife,
then both of them will be undergoing huge stress in their lives. Some of
the most common types of family stresses that you can see around you
are:
• Abortion or miscarriage
• Illicit relationship with a man or a woman
• Divorce of parents
• Arguments with spouse
• Sick family member
• Poor health condition of spouse
• Job changes and relocation
Personal Relationship Stress
If the personal relationship between a man and a woman is poor, then
there is going to be a lot of stress and strain in their relationship.
Most of the people do not have the time, money as well as the emotions
for the other partner in a personal relationship and this is a cause of
stress for both the people involved. Some of the common problems that
result in strained personal relationships are: dating, separation,
divorce, childless issues, re-marriage, close friendship with the
opposite sex and so on.
Effects Of Stress On Your Body
If you are suffering from long periods of stress and strain, then there
are going to be quite a lot of changes that you will experience in
your body that will not only affect you physically but will also bring
changes in your thought process, feelings a swell as your behavior. You
will develop a tendency to sweat profusely whenever you are in stress
and you might also experience back and chest pains. Some of the ill
effects of stress on your body are: headaches, difficulties in sleeping,
nervousness, muscle aches and cramps, erectile dysfunction, stomach
problems, nail biting and so on. There are also a few behavioral changes
that you will find in a person who is stressed to the limit. The most
common behavioral changes are: depression, fatigue, anger, anxiety,
burnout, restlessness, sadness and concentration problems. Some of the
other changes that you might find in a person who is stressed out are:
eating either too much or too little, alcohol abuse, sex problems,
withdrawal symptoms, increase in consumption of alcohol and tobacco,
frequent outbursts of anger and being with oneself.
Common De-Stress Options
One of the best ways to relieve the tension that you are going through
is to exercise regularly. It would be better off for you to divide your
work obligations among your group so that you do not feel a lot of work
tension. Reduction in the intake of alcohol, tobacco and caffeine will
help in reducing your body's stress levels. It is important for you to
find time to relax, organize your life and to track your interests. You
can also think of relaxing your body by undergoing relaxation techniques
like yoga, massage and meditation which are well known to de-stress and
to energize people. But, it is also vital for you to follow healthy and
good food habits and eat foods that help in reducing stress.
Super Foods To Fight Stress
Green Tea
Green tea is a good stress buster. The green and black tea contains a
special amino acid called theanine which is highly helpful in reducing
anxiety in people and promoting sleep. According to studies, green tea
drinkers are less stressed or de-stress faster than people having any
other tea-substitute.
Complex Carbohydrates
Serotonin
is the feel-good chemical in the brain. Carbohydrates promote the
production of serotonin in the brain. The complex carbohydrates are
digested slowly by our system and hence the body receives a constant
supply of serotonin. The best source of these complex carbohydrates are
whole grains, whole grain or wheat bread, oatmeal etc. They also help to
keep the blood sugar at normal levels. When there is enough amount of
serotonin in the brain we feel de-stressed.
Almonds
They are great stress reducers as they contain Vitamin B2, Vitamin E,
zinc and magnesium which are necessary for the production of the brain
chemical serotonin which controls our mood swings. Zinc is an element
which helps to reduce the bad effect of stress on our body. The
antioxidants present in the almonds removes the free radicals present in
the body which causes aging and related diseases.
Asparagus
Asparagus contain Folate which is a content that helps people maintain
their coolness. You can steam the slender stalks and can be added to any
salads you can also consume them broiled.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate contains flavanoids like tea and are best in providing
relaxation to the brain. Studies have proved that those who eat dark
chocolate had lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone in our body.
Chocolates can always impart a soothing feeling to any person having it.
It lowers our blood pressure when taken in moderation. It is better to
consume dark chocolates once in a week. They are also heart healthy and
any heart healthy food offers better control of tension and depression.
Fatty Fish
Fatty fish like tuna, Salmon or any other fish rich in Omega 3 fatty
acid has the ability to distress the mind. Experiments have proved that
omega 3 supplements are able to reduce the anxiety in students by 20 %.
These fatty acids from fish are able to control the level of cortisol
during stressful situations.
Broccoli
Another food that
contains a large amount of stress busters are broccoli. They contain
Vitamin B or Riboflavin which works as a stress reliever. Broccoli also
contains folic acid which also helps in relieving stress, depression and
anxiety. You can consume broccoli as salad or you can use it along with
fish, chicken or beef.
Avocados
If you want to make
your body stress proof go for avocados which are a good source of
glutathione. This glutathione prevents the intestinal absorption of
unwanted fats which cause damages to the body by getting oxidized. The
amount of vitamin E, beta-carotene, folate and lutein is more in avocado
than in any other fruit.
Cashews
Cashews have a
relatively high content of zinc. One ounce serving provides 11 % of your
daily dose. When the zinc level decreases in our body, we are more
susceptible to anxiety and depression. Our body cannot store zinc and
hence it is necessary to get a daily supply of zinc to keep you stress
free.
Oranges
Oranges are the storehouses of vitamin
C. They are available in different varieties and all of them offer
stress control. They reduce the levels of stress hormones and strengthen
our immunity system. It has been proven that when you take vitamin C
before any stressful task, their blood pressure and cortisol returned to
normal level more quickly.
Leafy Greens
Magnesium is
necessary for the smooth working of the body. Magnesium helps the
muscles in our body to relax and also calms down our nerves during
stressful situations. You can find maximum magnesium in leafy greens
like spinach, swiss chard etc.
Milk
A glass of warm
milk before sleep may help many to sleep better. The calcium present in
the milk controls the mood swings especially for those that occurs
during PMS. You can also depend on kale and soybeans for your daily
supply of calcium to have a more stress free life every day.
Oysters
People know oysters as aphrodisiacs, they are not aware that they are a
good source of zinc. You can get more than half of your daily
recommended dose of zinc from oysters. It is better to consume them raw.
Brown Rice
This is a major source of vitamin B. This vitamin is extremely
important for the maintenance of body cells, tissues and various organs.
They also take part in many bio- chemical reaction which relates to
energy use, brain function, immunity and proper cardiac function. You
will not get any mood swings when you have the right amount of this
vitamin in your body. It is even possible to treat irritability or mood
swings in a person by consuming brown rice.
Do you dream of
keeping your body and mind at ease? Are you looking to avoid stress and
strain in your daily life? If you answered yes to the above questions,
then you should include two or more items from the above given list in
your daily diet.