Stress and tension are everyday parts of life. But too much pressure on an individual puts them at an increased risk of serious health problems. Recently US researchers analysed six heart-stress studies involving more than 120,000 men and women and concluded that those living with extreme stress had a 27% higher risk of heart trouble.
The physical and mental damage caused by stress has been well documented – high blood pressure and raised blood sugar levels, increased chance of a stroke and impotence, and higher risks of contracting chronic diseases such as cancer. Some studies also suggest that extreme stress has the potential to shorten your life by more than 10 years.
So it’s essential for anyone who feels stressed out and under pressure in their life to try and take some steps to alleviate that pressure. When you’re dealing with particularly troubling situations such as marital breakdown, serious illness or perhaps job loss, it’s almost impossible to remove the stressful situations from your life. However, what you can do is determine your own reaction and find ways to remove yourself, either physically or mentally, from the difficult situations. You need to find solutions that work for you and you need to take time to find them.
Confide in friends and family. It’s good to talk and while it may sound like a cliché, a problem shared can be a problem halved. You don’t have to be alone and throwing yourself into activities, especially physical ones, will help take you out of your troubles even if only for a short time.
Physical activities, in fact, can be a brilliant stress reliever – do something every single day that gets your heart rate up.
And when you need quiet time for reflection, make sure you have time and space to do this. Yoga, deep breathing exercises and meditation are excellent activities for placing you in control and helping you to de-stress.
Stress is a natural part of life and with these techniques, you can learn to handle the pressure and stay healthy.
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