Daily life in modern society can be particularly stressful. People work long hours, and face an immense amount of daily pressure, such as facing hard to meet deadlines and having to pay expensive bills. Unexpected events, such as experiencing bereavement, having to move home, or being struck by sudden illness, can also cause you to undergo an increase in your stress levels.
Stress (the way in which your brain responds to environmental stressors) can have a negative effect on your mental and physical wellbeing. The stress response causes your body to redirect the prioritisation of internal mechanisms in the body, such as increasing heart rate and decreasing digestion. It also results in higher levels of cortisol in the body, which can greatly contribute to feelings of anxiety. Cortisol keeps your body on high alert, effectively cancelling out your ability to relax and leading to common symptoms of anxiety, such as paranoia and feelings of panic. Though this is not an issue in the short term, chronic stress can greatly affect your body’s ability to function well. Therefore, in order to maintain good health and wellbeing, it is important that you find methods to deal with stress and anxiety effectively.
Seek professional assistance
If you are experiencing chronic stress, it is important to seek the appropriate health care. Visit your GP to get an assessment and possibly a formal diagnosis. It may be worth visiting a private psychiatrist London, who can provide you with a suitable form of therapy, or possibly prescribe medication if they feel it would be of benefit to you. Sessions with a therapist can help you to discover the underlying cause behind your anxiety, and develop appropriate coping mechanisms in order to help you combat any negative effects you may be experiencing. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy may be a particularly useful avenue to consider, as this will help you to alter how you view yourself and your environment.
Learn to recognise the signs
Stress is just another term for a decreased ability to deal with external pressures within your environment. This can cause you to feel irritable and behave irrationally. Other symptoms of stress can include paranoia, increased feelings of confusion, and an inability to concentrate effectively, especially on difficult tasks which require strict concentration. It is important to recognise these signs within yourself, as being more self-aware will allow you find possible causes of your stress, and establish ways to combat these negative feelings as soon as they begin to arise.
Find ways to de-stress
Physical activity is a great way to reduce feelings of stress. Exercise produces endorphins, which are chemicals within the brain that naturally dull pain. This will help to create an improvement in your stress levels and leads to a euphoric, relaxed feeling within the body. You could also participate in known calming activities, such as meditation, yoga and breathwork, which are believed to re-centre your body and restore a natural balance within your physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Making time for yourself by participating in hobbies which you find cathartic, such as creating art or recreational reading, will also be beneficial in reducing feelings of stress.