As the end of the year approaches, people reflect on their resolutions made to determine if they achieved the goals they had set for themselves. Working through deadlines before the holidays and finding the time for family and children can be challenging.
Sometimes having too much going on in your life and feeling like you are on a hamster wheel with no time to stop and relax creates a feeling of being overwhelmed. Not only that, but you may feel anxious and constantly anticipate what comes next.
Stress is a feeling where the body is not at ease but rather tense and jittery.
Stress refers to physical or emotional tension. When under pressure, it becomes overwhelming, and you cannot cope or meet specific demands. Anxiety then changes how you feel, think, and act and your body’s regular functions.
Stress can be acute or chronic.
- Acute stress results from something unexpected happening, such as the loss of a loved one.
- Chronic stress occurs over a prolonged period and is often due to daily difficulties such as a highly demanding job.
The body’s way of coping is by releasing hormones. It makes the brain more alert, causes muscles to tense and speeds up your pulse rate. This works to your advantage as you can better cope with the stressor. In the long term, having the body in a constant state of “fight or flight” increases the risk of developing or exacerbating certain conditions, such as anxiety and depression, skin conditions, hair loss, ulcers and heart disease.
Common effects of stress:
- Muscle tension or pain
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Chest pains
- Diarrhoea or constipation
- Weakened immune system
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Quick to anger
- Feeling restless
- Lack of motivation or focus
- Over or under eating
- Substance abuse
- Exercising less
Ways you can deal with stress.
Acknowledging the presence of stress allows you to cope healthily and appropriately before burnout. Awareness of what brings about chronic stress will allow for action to be taken before the tension begins to negatively impact your physical and mental health.
- Getting regular physical activity – exercise releases endorphins or “happy hormones”, which boost your mood and also calm the body and mind.
- Spend time outdoors – taking a walk outdoors can help clear your mind and forget about your stressors for a while, giving you a reset. This will enable you to deal with situations more calmly with a clear head. Exposure to greenery enables one to process thoughts more clearly.
- Practising relaxation techniques – according to a study, deep breathing can enhance relaxation and decrease stress by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and inhibiting the sympathetic nervous system.
- Get a massage – getting a Swedish massage can reduce cortisol, the stress hormone, levels, and can boost dopamine, the feel-good hormone.
- Meditate – meditation can help to ground you and clarify your purpose and how you want to live your life.
- Have a sense of humour – Laughter is the best medicine. It uplifts the mood and is a shock absorber of stress. Find humour in situations you find yourself in to avoid going down the rabbit hole of anxiety and negative dialogues in your mind.
- Have quality time – spend time with those important to you.
- Take up a hobby – find an activity that calms you and uplifts your mood.
- Talk to someone – this will make you feel less isolated, your burdens feel lighter, and help you with decision-making through exposure to alternate perspectives.
- Legs up on a wall posture – holding this position for 10-20 minutes daily is therapeutic for the whole body, in addition to helping with stress and anxiety.
How practitioners can help
At Lusaka Chiropractic, the multi-disciplinary team can assist in stress relief and address chronic stress’s effects.
Chiropractic treatment addresses the nervous system. Treating the spine will help the nervous system, which is a significant stress response component.
Massage therapy manages soft tissue health. Tension in muscles can lead to tension-related headaches and backache; releasing this decreases muscle pain, improves the range of movement, improves circulation and decreases cortisol levels.
Myofascial release focuses on connective tissue. The myofascial release will affect our nervous system because the fascia is a connective tissue that surrounds every body part. Only once the habitual patterns of the fascia are changed can one start to address the chronic tension.
Tension Release Exercises activate the natural tremoring effects of stress release. TRE is a series of simple exercises to assist the body in releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension and trauma. It activates a natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating that releases muscular tension, calming down the nervous system and restoring balance.
Body Stress Release therapy aims to improve the body’s self-healing mechanism. It looks to unlock muscle tension stored in physical structures, which results in nerve compression, causing a disturbance in the body’s communication system.
To book, call your preferred clinic: click here
In Conclusion
Try to avoid burdening yourself with what was not achieved this year or what you still need to complete… instead, take on board as much as you can. Push yourself knowing your limits and goals and when to step back and be proud of small wins. With distant families possibly coming to visit soon, focus on seeing them and being present rather than the nerves of what chaos might erupt.
Remember, the key to dealing with stress, nerves, and chaos is identifying what stresses you out, knowing which coping mechanisms work best for you, getting help when needed and not being afraid to set boundaries.
