We often hear the phrase 'I'm under stress' and even more often we associate with everyday pressure or other dynamic situations and events that put our mental and physical condition to it’s limits.
But what exactly is stress?
In fact, stress is completely normal fact of nature, connected with inner and outer world of each of us. Yet stress is considered abundant nowadays, dictated by the circumstances of modern life. We often perceive it as something negative, but it is proven that biologically stress may be associated either with neutral, negative or positive experience.
Stress is linked to various external and internal factors.
External factors include:
physical environment - work, relationships, family, home, different situations and challenges, any difficulties or expectations that we face every day
Internal factors include:
adaptive ability to respond appropriately by addressing external factors - such are nutritional status, general health and emotional state of a person, the amount of sleep and rest, the ability for relaxation and entertainment. All these factors determine a person's ability to cope with stress.
It is known that stress is the basis of evolutionary change in the development and natural selection of species. Those species who adapt to stress factors have survived and evolved. However, this does not make stres more pleasant or friendly to the body and mind. It is important to know that humans - perhaps most adaptive creature on Earth - owe their survival to the evolution of the human brain - especially in the neo-cortex.
This adaptability is largely due to the active change and adaptation to stressors that surround us. Thanks to this evolutionary development of the species, humans manage to adapt and survive even under incredibly harsh climate or unfavorable ecosystem.
From this perspective there is nothing wrong with stress. Right? More importantly, however, what we do with it immediately – i.e. how we manage to cope.
Signs and symptoms of poorly managed stress
The excess stress may be manifested in the form of different emotional, behavioral and somatic (physical) symptoms.
Among the most common are physical symptoms such as sleep disorders, muscle tension, muscle pain, persistent headaches, gastrointestinal disturbances and general fatigue and weakness.
Emotional and behavioral symptoms satellites poorly managed stress can be no less destructive and unpleasant - nervousness, anxiety disorders and changes in eating habits, lack of energy, mood swings, constant irritability and severe episodes of depression.
People under stress have a much greater tendency to bad habits such as alcohol, drugs, tobacco, eating disorders, behavioral problems, unhealthy and compulsive eating. All of these factors may be connected to stress.
How to deal with stress?
Among the most important and useful steps to deal with stress is the movement and overall physical activity through sports, active motion and exercises. Besides keep you healthy, exercise is a great way to deal with the negative effects of stress.
Techniques such as meditation and relaxation procedures are an excellent way to deal with negative experiences and overexertion.
Health tourism offers essential opportunities for relaxation and beautifying treatments proven to work for people with elevated levels of stress (due to the characteristics of the workplace, everyday life or other factors).
Travelling is certainly one of the most effective ways of relaxation and a change of focus, and combined with relaxing treatments has the potential to make you feel truly recharged and refreshed.
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