Job cuts, budget cuts, housing crisis, financial crisis, taxes; STRESS! we are living in very trying times! With so much going on it's no wonder we are stressed.
How you handle stress will go a long way to making it through these tough times; with your family, sanity and health intact.
It isn't called being 'under pressure' for nothing.
Stress is a fight or flight response to an immediate threat, it was not meant to be lived in a constant waking state 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Yet most of us live our lives this way, unaware of the toll it takes on us and our families.
When going through economic and financial pressure, such as a job loss or mounting monthly bills, you're being subjected to more stress than normal. You feel a great weight is upon your shoulders forcing you down. Your whole body feels it and you just want to erupt.
Stress starts affecting your mind and body in negative ways. You may become sullen and withdrawn, depressed and irritable. You lose sleep and become fatigued. You begin to snap at those close to you, they in turn become stressed and start displaying symptoms themselves.
You don't want to feel and act this way, you just can't help it; you're in a downward spiral and you can't stop; you're going to take your family with you.
University of Michigan psychologist Richard H. Price, PhD, and some of his colleagues have examined how job loss affects individuals. In a 2002 article in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, the team found that job loss triggers what Price calls a "cascade of stressors," which in turn spurs on anxiety, depression and marital conflict.
Last year more people reported emotional and physical symptoms due to stress than the previous year. Symptoms included: fatigue, feelings of irritability or anger, and lying awake at night. Other symptoms included lack of interest or motivation, feeling depressed or sad, headaches and muscular tension.
With stress levels on the increase year to year, you need to know how you can you effectively manage stress, keep a positive healthy outlook and avoid the downward spiral.
Try these therapeutic remedies for thirty days and discover how calm, healthy and stress reduced you've become. Your family will thank you.
Recognize your stress symptoms. These can include irritability, problems sleeping, changes in appetite, Headaches, stomach aches, intestinal problems, nervousness, excessive worry, and feeling sad and depressed. Identifying your symptoms is the first step to choosing effective remedies to deal with the underlying causes of stress.
Communicate with family, friends and trusted advisors. Keeping your worries and concerns bottled up inside is like an active volcano ready to erupt. Receiving support and advice from others you know and trust can significantly help to manage your stress.
Keep a journal. Write down whats bothering you, your thoughts and feelings, your goals and ambitions, let it all out (your journal wont mind). Something magical happens when you put your thoughts on paper.
Eat healthy. One of the first things to go out the window when we stress, is our diet. We tend to skip meals and we start reaching for the quick snacks that are loaded with sugar and/or fat. When this happens our bodies don't receive the proper nutrients(see below) and serves to further worsen the symptoms of stress related conditions.Try snacking on celery,carrots and apples. Gnawing on something hard and crunchy can be a good stress reliever.
Exercise. Do something physical,even if it's just for a couple minutes several times a day. Try flexing your muscles starting at your feet and working your way upward, or you can try it in reverse. Tightening your muscles and groups of muscles for several seconds at a time and then releasing them, naturally forces them into a relaxed state. Breathing exercises, yoga and meditation are also good for relaxation and managing stress.
Visualize. Turn everything thing off that distracts you; tv, radio,computer, lights and just be still. Imagine your in a favorite peaceful place, listen to the sounds, smell the wonderful aromas, feel the fresh the breeze. 10 minutes in your favorite serene place can do wonders for quite a while. A good time for this is in a hot bath, with aromatic herbal oils and candles.
Use herbal remedies. Herbal remedies are an excellent therapy for addressing changes that occur in the body brought about by stress. Herbs contain complex compounds that work with your body in different ways to provide multiple benefits. Herbal remedies support your immune system to aide your bodies natural curative powers. They replace lost nutrients caused by skipping meals, calming sedative herbs help you sleep, further boosting your immune systems. There are many different herbal remedies you can take for the different effects caused by stress and most have low or no adverse side effects.