With around 65% of the global population being affected by stress daily, it's a state of worry you cannot ignore. At some point in our lives, stress is inevitable and can arise unexpectedly.
Stress creates physical and emotional tension in your body, causing us to address changes. It's a natural response to a threat inherited from our ancestors.
While stress is normal, how you handle it can significantly impact your life. If you don't handle it well, then prolonged stress can cause serious impacts on your physical and mental wellbeing.
To know how to keep on top of your stress levels, dive right in; we will uncover everything you need to know about stress today.
What is stress?
Stress is a normal human reaction that happens to your body that signals you to address a challenge or threat. It's often seen as a state of worry or mental tension. Stress helps us adapt and keeps us alert, motivated and ready to avoid danger. While stress can be positive, it can cause further health problems if it persists for too long.
What are the key stress triggers?
If you've experienced stress at some point in your life, then you may be aware of the early triggers it has. To give you a better idea, here are some of the major stress triggers:
- Financial problems: Loans, bank issues,
- Personal relationships: Arguments, conflicts, loneliness, bullying
- Work: Long hours, deadlines, conflicts in the workplace, job security
- Mental and physical health: Chronic illnesses, hospitalisation, surgery, acute illnesses
- Major life events: Marriage, divorce, death, birth of a child
- Technological: Data breach, information overload, hyperconnectivity
- Environmental: Natural disasters, noise pollution, overcrowded areas, environmental hazards
Note: These are just a few ways stress can arise; there are many more! You may not experience stress from these. It's important to know that people have different coping strategies and tolerance to stress levels. So what might not be a stressor for you may be for someone else.
5 methods for relieving stress
To effectively relieve stress, you'll want to know your triggers first. Once you've identified them, you can try different methods to see how they help you cope with stress. To give you an idea, here are some common techniques people use to relieve stress:
Exercise
Undergoing aerobic exercise every day for 30 minutes can help you relieve stress. This type of exercise could be a brisk walk, run, weight lifting session, game of football or anything else. When you exercise, your brain releases a feel-good hormone known as endorphins. These naturally elevate your mood and can induce a sense of calmness.
Mindfulness practice
Simple mindfulness techniques like meditation, breathing, walking and conscious movement can help reduce stress levels.
Top Tip: To get started, simply type into YouTube guided meditations. By doing this, you'll find lots of free 5-minute - 2-hour meditations you can simply practice at home.
Social support
Meeting friends or family can help alleviate some of your stress triggers. Being around others can provide you with a reduced sense of isolation, reminding you that you're not alone in facing challenges. They can also help validate your feelings and give a form of encouragement.
Sleep
A lack of sleep can make you more distressed. In fact, it causes your body to release more of a stress hormone known as cortisol. This hormone is responsible for fight or flight reactions, and too much can cause significant health problems. To restore a cortisol balance and cope with stress, you'll want to try to get 7-9 hours of sleep a night.
Listen to music
Music can have a similar effect on cortisol levels, allowing you to cope with stress. Even research shows it can help release endorphins, elevate well-being, reduce physical and emotional stress, and lower heart rates. By simply listening to your favourite music, you might change your stress levels dramatically!
Impact of stress on the body
Stress, whether short term or long term, can majorly impact your body. How your body responds to stress can depend on the reaction. If stress is chronic and a prolonged reaction occurs, it can cause you to experience various psychological responses such as:
- Increased heart rate: Stress can cause your body to release adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones can trigger your heart to beat faster and cause blood vessels to constrict.
- Issues with your gastrointestinal system: If you experience stress, there's a chance you might experience problems with your gastrointestinal system. Some common diseases that arise as a result of stress are acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion and changes to bowel habits.
- Weakened immune system: Prolonged stress can cause significant problems to your immune system. Over time, stress can increase your cortisol levels, causing more inflammation in your body, stopping your body's ability to fight off infections.
- Disturbances to sleep: Long-term stress can affect your sleeping patterns, increasing the likelihood of insomnia or bad sleep. As a result, this can have a significant impact on your physical and mental well-being.
- Difficulties with the respiratory system: Stress can also make it difficult for you to breathe, causing you to experience shortness of breath and rapid breathing. Sometimes, if prolonged, you may hyperventilate, or it can worsen respiratory conditions like asthma.
Mental health problems: Stress can also have a significant impact on mental health problems, making you more irritable, tired, fatigued and also worsening existing conditions like depression and anxiety.
Supplements to help with stress
In addition to the methods we mentioned above, you can take supplements to help you cope with stress. Here are two natural supplements which can help you manage your stress levels:
Apigenin
One supplement that's great to take to help manage stress is Apigenin. This natural supplement is a flavonoid that boasts powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. You can find this in many plant-based foods and chamomile tea. It's best taken as a supplement and can help you sleep better, reduce stress, help with relaxation and aid metabolism.
Our Apigenin supplement at Herb-ology is completely vegan and manufactured to the highest standards of leading UK laboratories'. You only need to take one daily serving to start noticing the difference!
Holy Basil
Another supplement you may want to consider, which is highly powerful, is Holy Basil. This is not a new supplement, though; it originated from ancient Ayurvedic medicine in India. Holy basil is high in nutrition, containing many vitamins and minerals, alongside botanical compounds that can help your body relieve stress and gain mental clarity. Our Holy Basil supplement at Herb-ology is great value for money and has a high potency extract, allowing you to reap its benefits relatively quickly.
In Summary
Overall, stress is something that we all face in our day-to-day lives. Not everyone deals with stress and responds to stress the same way. If you feel you're experiencing stress, you might want to try mindfulness, exercise, limit caffeine or even take supplements to help support your stress levels.
If stress prolongs, it can increase the chances of your immune system getting compromised, disturbances to sleep, problems with mental health, increased heart rate, gastrointestinal issues and more. Moreover, if you feel like you're suffering from constant stress levels, you should consult with a doctor for further intervention.
