The world is in a constant state of busyness, whether it is returning to the office full time, students going back to school this fall, juggling your kids’ extracurricular activities or your even own – everyone is busy and stressed out trying to balance their schedules and stress. This can make you feel overwhelmed or unbalanced in your life, causing you stress, which is a normal human reaction to the demands of everyday life; however, it can also become problematic if appropriate stress management is not in place.
How Stress Can Affect Us?
Stress can show up in our bodies through physical or mental pain, which if not managed over time, can cause chronic health problems (Lehrer & Woolfolk, 2021). These physical health problems stemming from stress can start off as a loss of energy, headaches, aches and muscle pains, and more frequent colds, flu, and infections, later leading to more chronic issues like high blood pressure and heart problems.
From a mental health standpoint, stress may result in fatigue, burnout, anxiety, and even depression. These may have an impact on your productivity, motivation, self-confidence, self-worth, and ability to manage the stress that came up in the first place (Lehrer & Woolfolk, 2021). When your stress starts to have lasting impacts on your mental and physical health, that’s a sign that you should try something different to improve your situation.
Stress Management
Stress management may include a variety of different things and is unique to each person. What may work for you to manage your stress may not work for someone else. For instance, mindfulness is a practice where you are doing something while being fully present (“How to Manage Stress With Mindfulness and Meditation,” 2022). It may sound simple, but it can be hard to do, especially if you are feeling a lot of stress that is causing you to overthink and spill into multiple areas of your life.
What is Mindfulness to Manage Stress?
Mindfulness to manage stress may look like doing a deep breathing exercise, meditating, trying out a body scan, or even just being present while you are doing something throughout your day, like paying attention to how it physically feels to wash dishes, sit on a couch, or take a shower. It is about being present and giving yourself the space to do one thing at a time. It is a practice that can help you with stress management over time, especially if done consistently. When managing your stress appropriately, it can help decrease these physical and mental pains stemming from your increased stress that may have previously arisen, as well as promote a more fulfilled and balanced self.
If you feel that you or someone you know is struggling with managing stress, I would love to help you work through your stressors and help you find more balance in your life, using your strengths and interests along the way. Life is stressful, but the stress itself shouldn’t be causing you more stress and worries!
- Gurpreet Nahal
References
How to manage stress with mindfulness and meditation. (2022, August 3). Mindful. Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://www.mindful.org/how-to-manage-stress-with-mindfulness-and-meditation/
Lehrer, P. M., & Woolfolk, R. L. (2021). Principles and practice of stress management (4th ed.). The Guilford Press.
