Stress and Healthy Ways to Deal With It

When we're experiencing stress, we can suffer both physically and mentally. Everyone, no matter who they are, will deal with stress in their lives, and some people seem to be able to deal with it better than others. Some people might even seem to be able to naturally deal with these types of situations while not letting it bother them, but in reality, they use a combination of learned and natural skills to survive.

Then there are those who deal with it in negative ways, like with drugs or alcohol. This is never a good way to deal with stress and can lead to even more problems. For those in the Denver area, for example, who need inpatient rehab Colorado is a state where there are good facilities for this. There are also facilities in nearly every other state in the US that can help you deal with these issues.

While we aren’t able to change our innate temperament, or medical issues that we might have, such as PTSD, we can all stand to learn better methods of dealing with stress.

Recognizing the Signs

When people get overwhelmed, they might:

• Have a difficult time getting to sleep

• Have a difficult time concentrating

• Eat too much or too little

• Be quite forgetful

When these symptoms are allowed to go on for weeks at a time, they can be a sign a depression, especially when those symptoms are also associated with things like a loss of interest in things they usually enjoy, tearfulness, and sadness. When you are experiencing these things, you should see your doctor or a mental health counselor to be evaluated.

Healthy Ways to Deal with It

Dealing with your stress in healthy ways can decrease any uncomfortable emotional and physical symptoms. That being said, working actively to decrease your external stressors can be beneficial, but there will be times when you just don’t have any control over the situation. Following a few steps can assist you in improving your ability to deal with stress more effectively.

Allow plenty of time for you to sleep and try to practice good sleep hygiene, which means, sleeping in a place that is comfortable, getting up at the same time every morning, and no alcohol or caffeine before bed.

Get regular exercise every day for a minimum of half an hour. It might be just walking around your block or an intense workout at your local gym, it doesn’t matter. Just get up and make your body move. Don’t exercise in the 2 hours before bed though.

Eat healthy foods. Keep in mind that you need to include a lot of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. Try to stay away from sugary and/or fatty foods.

In short, if you feel stressed, you are not alone. We all feel stress at one point or another. You might not be in control of the situation, but it is important to remember that you can be in control of how you react to it.

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Photo: Pexels

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