In today’s fast paced world, stress has become a way of life.
But you may be surprised to know that stress can actually motivate you to achieve your goals. However, the majority of people report it has had detrimental effects on their health, well-being, relationships and even their work lives.
People find themselves suffering the symptoms, making themselves physically ill, but they should learn to focus on what triggers those symptoms.
There are many things that trigger stress and they are as different as each individual person. In the United States, 40 percent of people reported that their jobs caused them the most stress.
The top five triggers for work related stress were:
– unreasonable workloads
– unclear expectations from their manager
– being placed into a role with too much responsibility they were not trained for
– working excessive hours
– being subject to discriminatory behaviour
Not only do people have to cope with work stressors, when they go home at night some will experience even greater reactions to stressors on the home front. Life throws all sorts of challenges at you and those that are not aware of what causes them stress will continue to feel strong physical emotions. As a result, they make themselves so sick that their health will deteriorate significantly.
Family and friends
Perhaps the biggest stressors in life involve relationships and interactions with other people, especially family members.
The death of close family and friends is perhaps one of the most traumatic events in someone’s life. This is followed close by taking on the role of a carer for a family member, not necessarily the elderly but this may also be someone who has sustained serious injury, illness or disability. Finally, the third most common cause of personal stress stems from financial worries such as losing a job and buying a house.
Such stressful events put significant pressure on an individual’s mind and body which unfortunately results in disease such as cancer, heart failure and dementia. A person will also suffer psychological injury in the form of depression, anxiety and low self esteem.
But when people learn to recognise the causes of stress, they can be prepared and put measures in place to control how they react to that stressor. By controlling their reactions to stressors and focusing their attention on something positive, they will start to feel calmer which in turn will increase their mental and physical health.
It’s no secret that there has always been a strong link between serious disease and health. The more stress a person is under means their immune system is under pressure. So, to prevent your body’s cell structure deteriorating, you need to reduce your stress.
How do you reduce your reaction to stressors?
You want to fill your life with positive, natural remedies such as a healthy diet, regular exercise and deep sleep. These remedies have been proven to significantly lower stress and restore the longevity of life. Surround yourself with positive people who provide you with the appropriate support mechanisms.
This includes mediation and mindfulness training which are gaining momentum as a powerful tool to help people slow down their mind and focus on present moment awareness.
Making even the simplest change to your behaviours will improve your overall health and mental ability. Good food and positive social connections are the best solution to reduce illness and promote a healthy life.