04/21/2024
"Relax, man. Take a chill pill." --Bart Simpson
2 min. read
Following Bart Simpson's advice may save your life. It's true. Although it's hard to avoid some stress, chronic stress seems to worsen or increase the risk of heart disease and heart attacks, diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, obesity, gastrointestinal problems, Alzheimer's disease, accelerated aging, headaches, depression and anxiety, stressed induced imflamation, and immunity problems to name a few.
"Stress doesn't only make us feel awful emotionally," says Jay Winner, MD, author of Take the Stress Out of Your Life and director of the Stress Management Program for Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara, Calif. "It can also exacerbate just about any health condition you can think of."
Many of us have no idea how much stress and tension we hold in our bodies. We are either looking ahead about "what if?" or in the past about something we think we did or said wrong. Over time, this can lead to illness.
But, before you get too stressed out about being stressed out, know there's something we can do about it.
Change your response attitude and change your perception. Don't let the insignificant actions of someone else affect your mood. Spot the stressors and ask yourself why does this bother me? Is this really something to get stressed out about? Or is it because of how I perceive the situation or what someone said (that's on them, not you)? Try not to let your emotions rule over your intelligence.
Spend time in nature
Play with a baby
Play with a pet
Go for walks, Exercise
Find a creative outlet
Yoga
Meditation
Sing, even if it's to yourself
Smile
Avoid processed foods and too much sugar
Most importantly, spend some time alone and listen to your emotions. They'll communicate with you and provide some valuable insights about yourself.
source webmd - stress management
Photo Credit: Delana Peacock
