Post by Intermountain Counseling
Around 27% of adults in the United States suffer from psychological distress. Stress has always been a common problem, but it's become even more common in recent years. Ordinary stress comes and goes with whatever causes the feeling.
There's also chronic stress which is a more long-term problem and can be damaging to health. But what are the causes of stress and what can you do if you can't relax? Keep reading and learn more about how stress works and what you can do about it.
What You Need to Know About Stress
What you may not know is that there are several different types of stress. Stress, in small amounts, is normal. You might feel stressed about an exam, about work, or about taking care of your family.
Normal stress goes away on its own once whatever is causing the stress is resolved. But what if your stress doesn't go away for several days, weeks, or months? Here's a sign that you are dealing with chronic stress.
Chronic stress is a more serious problem. It doesn't go away on its own. It usually needs professional treatment along with coping strategies.
Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most common types of chronic stress. This type is characterized by feeling stressed even when there is nothing to be stressed about. It's not known why some people develop this disorder.
There may be a genetic component to its development. Environmental factors may also play a part. Generalized anxiety can be hard to fight since it plays a part in every aspect of a person's life.
Anxiety can also come in more specific forms. Consider social anxiety disorder. This is a type of stress that becomes pronounced when a person interacts with other people.
A person who suffers from this disorder may feel anxious when talking to strangers or even to people they know.
They may feel stressed when in public environments too. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is another type of stress. This is a more severe type of stress.
The Details
PTSD affects those who have survived some kind of traumatic experience. War veterans, natural disaster survivors, and survivors of abuse often experience PTSD to some degree. Sometimes, it is so severe that people with this condition have difficulty living a normal life.
Excessive stress may lead to a panic attack. A panic attack is an acute experience of stress that may cause several symptoms. Common symptoms include heart palpitations, hyperventilation, dizziness, nausea, and passing out.
Some people who are stressed may experience these attacks rarely while others may have them very often.
Stress in any form is a very difficult thing to live with. It can make living life a very unpleasant experience. Chronic stress can start at any age, but it often begins early in life such as during adolescence.
Managing stress is really difficult, but it isn't impossible either.
There are ways you can prioritize your mental wellness and put stress management first. The hard question to ask is, where should I start?
How to Make Stress More Manageable
Stress is a hard thing to manage because it is so persistent. You may be working on distracting yourself from your stressors during the day, only to find yourself dreaming about them at night! And your stress might not be caused by anything in particular, so ridding yourself of the cause isn't always an option.
There are practices you can try at home to manage your stress.
Giving yourself some alone time is a good place to start. Everyone needs to be alone sometimes. The world these days is fast-paced and full of anxiety.
Taking some time for yourself may be just what you need. Meditation is a very good way to take your life back from your anxiety. Meditation involves emptying your mind of your thoughts, including the ones that cause you stress.
Meditation can be hard to do if you've never tried it before. The more you do it, the easier it will become. Once you master the skill, you can empty your mind and calm yourself in only a few moments.
To make meditation easier, find a dim, quiet room where you can be alone. If complete silence is unpleasant for you, consider putting on some soft, relaxing music. Allowing your mind to be empty is a great way to relax not only your mind but your body as well.
Meditating for 20 to 30 minutes should benefit you significantly. It is recommended that you meditate several times a week, if not every day. If you are too anxious to sit in one place to meditate, you can try yoga.
Yoga is very similar to meditation. Sometimes, meditation and yoga may be combined. Yoga is useful for managing stress because it allows you to expel the physical energy you may have built up inside you.
What You Need to Know
Yoga also exhausts the body so that it is easier for you to completely relax. Yoga can act as a focal point for your meditation sessions. Focusing on maintaining a particular pose can enhance overall relaxation.
If yoga and meditation aren't for you, there are other options you can try. Drinking a cup of warm tea can help calm you down. Taking a warm bath is another great option.
Warm substances have been shown to calm the body and mind. Tea also contains antioxidants that are anti-inflammatory and can help reduce stress and calm the body. Baths with essential oils may also help you.
While there isn't much scientific evidence surrounding aromatherapy, many people find that certain smells relax them. Lavender oil or rosemary oil may be particularly helpful for this.
Listening to music can help stimulate the brain and reduce stress. Listening to music you enjoy but also slow and calming music can help with this. None of these practices will cure your stress, but they can help you endure it better.
But what if none of these practices help you calm down? Professional treatment may be the next best option for you. But what can you expect from professional treatment for stress and anxiety?
Professional Treatment Options for Stress
Some people benefit more from professional treatment options than at-home options. This is especially true for those who suffer from severe stress and anxiety. Therapy is the most common professional treatment option for stress.
Therapy allows you to talk to a trained therapist. A trained therapist has the skills to dissect your thoughts and make sense of them.
A large part of therapy involves reflection. When you are stressed, you might feel that you're being bombarded by negative thoughts from all angles. Sometimes, your thoughts might not even make much sense.
During therapy, you can pick apart these thoughts and see the truth behind them.
When reflecting upon your thoughts, you may find that they are not as serious as you thought. Viewing your thoughts from a more realistic perspective can reduce the stress they cause you. Your therapist will provide you with tools that will make it easier to overcome your stress.
Consider cognitive behavioral therapy. This therapy involves changing the way you think. When something bad happens in your life, this therapy can help you focus more on the positives of the situation.
What to Know
Cognitive behavioral therapy reduces stress and other negative feelings that would otherwise come from a bad situation. Changing the way you think is not easy. It takes plenty of therapy and practice.
You will start to notice a difference over time. Therapy helps most people with stress as it allows them to talk about their feelings. But therapy alone may not be enough for some people.
For those with severe anxiety, medication may be another option. There are many types of anxiety medications out there. You may need to go through several before you find the right one for you.
Your therapist can help you decide which option might be the best fit for you. Research has shown that combining medication with therapy has very powerful results. This is true for anxiety as well as other mental disorders.
Don't expect a change to occur overnight. Changing the way you feel will take time. It should become easier to overcome and manage your stress once you master various stress management techniques.
Understanding and Managing Stress
Stress is a hard thing for anyone to deal with, especially if it is a chronic problem. Self-care techniques like meditating and taking some alone time can help reduce feelings of anxiety. Professional treatment such as therapy and medication may be necessary for more severe cases.
If you need treatment for your stress, look no further than our professional treatment services.
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