BY BURCIN MERTCAN     

Stress is a word that is used frequently, but what exactly is it? Stress plays a key role in part of our daily living. Everyone experiences stressful times in their life especially during difficult emotional or psychological times.

courtnesy photo: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/ohe/images/stressed.jpg

How does stress show-up?

Worrying about deadlines or anxious about not being able to face the challenges of a particular task can cause  muscles to get tense, can’t seem to focus on work and in back of your mind you might realise that having excessive work , assignments and family problems. Negative thinking can cause intense stress, unhappiness and can severely damage self-confidence. The longer you are crushed under the waves of stress the more damage will do to yourself. It is important to manage stress as this can affect total well being. 

Almost anything can make us feel stressed, but essentially there are TEN key points that are common for most people:

1. Separation and loss, such as losing your job, getting divorced or death of someone close;
2. Angry and aggressive
3. Avoiding studies or socialising
4. Feeling worthless
5. Hands sweaty
6. Consuming too much alcohol/drugs
7. Signs of tension, such as nail biting
8. Loss of appetite
9. Skin problems
10. Neck or backache                                    

Protect yourself from negative emotional or psychological thoughts and develop a positive new outlook. If stress becomes too excessive – day-in, day-out, it can damage and harm physical and emotional well-being, happiness, work performance, and relationships.

Talking to Health Expert – Doctor Alison Lawson

Doctor Alison Lawson advices its readers having plenty of breaks while working or studying. In terms of relaxation exercise its particular good for mental stress- eating regularly, getting enough sleep, and going to bed at a reasonable time.  Getting every half hour of break while studying or working, will boost the energy levels, helping the brain to function better.   

Working? Take a day off, domestic chores, family and everything else that puts pressure on you.   Spend the day doing relaxing activities that will make you feel good.  It can make a difference, reducing the threat to your wellbeing. Health Doctor Alison Lawson describes stress as – “a mental thing that could make you feel, can give you psychology, physical and mental symptoms, fatigue, anxiety a whole range of symptoms, lack of sleep.”

It is clear that stress can weaken the immune system, putting under too much pressure as a result the body becomes weak, exhausted and also may suffer from other serious diseases. If you’re a smoker you might have increased your cigarette intake. Some people who consume alcohol to relieve stress may become addicted to it. If this continues for a long term this can push the risk of having a heart attack or stroke and developing certain cancer, said Doctor Lawson.

Self Help Tips for Reducing your Own Personal Stress:

Wanting to tackle stress? The good way to get around this problem is to talk to friends or family. Sharing thoughts, feelings and worries can help to ease the difficult times you experience.  Try to find a balance between work and family life, social activities, and daily responsibilities. A great way to balance is to prioritise tasks.

Firstly, take regularly exercise – if too busy and do not have enough time for any type of activities, even having a 20 minutes’ walk every day can be effective stress buster. Try to eat a healthy, well balanced diet with rich vitamins.  Learning breathing techniques will help to “control” you and slow down anxiety. It’s always a good idea to go somewhere quite and listen to music that will relax you, like a relaxation CD.  This will give you a clear mind to start the day off well!