Do sudden loud noises make you jump out of your skin? Do minor irritations like long grocery store lines make frustrated smoke pour out of your ears? If so, please pay attention to these signs that you might have too much pressure in your life.
Excess tension can cause a whirlwind of negative mental and physical health effects. Here’s why you need to reduce your stress levels ASAP and tips for doing so.
1. It Dims Your Bright Smile
Even if you formerly felt cheerful, too much pressure could increase your chances of developing depression. Chronic stress lowers your serotonin levels and other neurotransmitters associated with a positive mood. What’s worse is your depressed state can make it more challenging to manage your daily tasks, putting you further behind and creating a vicious cycle of increasing tension.
Chronic stress can even take a toll on your physical appearance. It can lead to bruxism or tooth-grinding that can lead to broken teeth and considerable mouth pain. It also makes you produce less saliva, meaning that cavity-causing germs can stick to your teeth more readily.
Tension-Taming Tips
Use mindfulness to tune into your feelings and identify when you are overwhelmed. If you notice depression creeping in, ease off the gas and spend time relaxing and reuniting with family and friends. Talk with your employer about delegating some of your duties if necessary.
If your blue mood persists for longer than a few weeks, consider seeking professional treatment. Many people can benefit from therapy. Antidepressants can give you a needed jump-start to regulate your neurotransmitter levels if they have fallen out of balance from chronic stress.
If you notice jaw pain or headaches and suspect tooth-grinding, please make an appointment with your dentist. They can fit you with a mouthguard that can help to prevent damage and ease your ache.
2. It Damages Your Heart
Your brain ultimately runs every organ in your body, telling it when to relax and contract. Recent research out of Australia suggests that chronic stress can cause mental changes that rewire your neurology and keep your blood pressure elevated. Hypertension considerably increases your risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Heart disease remains the number one killer of men and women worldwide. Protecting your ticker is a solid reason to reduce your stress levels ASAP, especially if you have a family history of cardiovascular trouble.
Tension Taming Tips
Please monitor your blood pressure during times of stress. A normal reading is 120/80 — anything over 180/110 merits an immediate trip to the emergency room. You can buy inexpensive blood pressure cuffs at most department stores and online.
3. It Addles Your Thought Processes
Perhaps you noticed that when you are stressed, you struggle to focus on your daily tasks. It’s impossible to maintain a consistent train of thought when worry interrupts it every few moments.
Problems arise when too much pressure leads to careless workplace mistakes. Then, you feel more stress as you scramble to undo the repercussions.
Tension Taming Tips
When you are going through challenging times such as a divorce, please press pause on your other duties as much as realistically possible. If you have an understanding supervisor, talk to them about your need to temporarily delegate some of your responsibilities. If you don’t have the best communication line between you, rely on your paid time off when you need it — please don’t leave it on the table like many Americans.
4. It Can Pack on the Pounds
Stress increases your cortisol levels. This stress hormone picks up after your initial adrenaline surge begins to wane and helps your body prepare for a continued onslaught. The problem is, it often does so by prompting you to eat more — and you won’t crave kale. Instead, you’ll seek out the most energy-rich foods, including those laden with fat and sugar.
Tension Taming Tips
When going through a challenging time, pay heed to your diet and nourish yourself with healthy foods. Please avoid crash diets, which can increase cravings. Instead, focus on eating more fruits and vegetables while reducing your consumption of processed junk.
Fortunately, exercise is one of the best tension-tamers known. It also helps to temporarily decrease your appetite. The next time a craving strikes when you know you aren’t hungry, try taking a quick brisk walk.
5. It Affects Your Relationships
It’s natural to grow a bit snippy with your loved ones when you have too much stress in your life. However, using it as an excuse for bad behavior can strain your relationships.
Worse, you can leave lasting scars on your children. If you won’t reduce your stress levels to protect your mental and physical health, please do it for your children.
Tension Taming Tips
Set aside at least 30 minutes a day to spend with those you love. Keep a date night with your partner and schedule activities with your little ones that don’t involve soccer or homework. When you have those moments, turn off your phone and enjoy uninterrupted quality time with the folks that make life worthwhile.
Reducing Your Stress Levels ASAP Is a Must
If you don’t tame your tension, you could pay for the pressure in adverse mental and physical health effects. Please reduce your stress levels ASAP using the above tips.
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