Relax, this is how to manage stress

April is recognised as the Stress Awareness Month. The purpose is to raise awareness about stress, learning to cope with it and finding healthy ways to deal with these situations. Stress is a precursor to mental problems.

But what exactly is stress? Simply put, stress is the body’s response to a challenge or demand. Everyone experiences stress, which can be triggered by a variety of events, ranging from daily hassles to major changes such as increased workloads, illness, accidents, problems with relationships, family, money or housing. Even seemingly small daily issues like someone pushing in a queue can make us feel stressed.

The stress response includes physical components such an elevated heart rate and blood pressure; thoughts and personal beliefs about the stressful event; and emotions, including fear and anger.

While stress is not a psychiatric diagnosis, research has shown that it is closely linked to our mental health and can cause other health problems. It can also worsen existing conditions.

For instance, if one often struggles with stress, they might develop illnesses like anxiety, depression, panic attacks and high blood pressure.

Managing stress

It is impossible for an individual to completely avoid stress. However, it is critical that they are able to manage the levels in order to avoid resultant complications. There are lots of ways to manage stress.

The first thing is to try and identify the underlying causes of stress and tackle them. A great way is to sort the possible reasons into three categories: those with a practical solution, those that will get better given time and those that you can’t do anything about.

Acknowledge and try releasing the worry of those in the second and third groups gradually. Avoiding the problem entirely may make the situation worse.

Talking to someone you trust is one of the best ways to relieve stress. Talking things through openly with someone we trust can help us see things differently and find new solutions.

Even just knowing that somebody is there to listen can make a huge difference. Giving someone time and attention is one of the best things you can do to support them. Taking a break is also a perfect way to relieve yourself of stress. 

Dr Nyamache is a family practitioner. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @DrJeldahMokeira