Effective Ways to Reduce Stress - Causes and Techniques

When your boss pisses you off, when you miss that morning flight, when that so far deadline is due yesterday, having a hard relationship, or not getting that opportunity you wanted for so long, always ends up with that breathless feeling, everyone has felt at least once. That breathless feeling is called stress, so the question that arises is how to reduce stress and overcome it, without causing harm to our mental health. Our minds are the most marvellous yet the most disastrous thing, what we possess, and its most impactful feature is that negativity and bad things attract it the most. We experience various things in daily life which cause stress; it is like that angry devil face which never wants to leave our side.

What is Stress? 

Every person who tends to feel anxious and stressed is aware of its meaning, but to be the exact response of any kind physical and mental is stress. Human bodies are inclined to react in a certain way when they are under any kind of change or challenge the reaction that occurs is called stress. 

Types of Stress 

There are certain types of stress such as chronic, acute, routine, sudden, traumatic, etc.

Acute stress - it is short-term stress that occurs when a person suffers for a minimum amount of period, the reason behind acute stress can be any sudden change or challenges faced. Its effects are upset stomach, headache, and also a moderate amount of stress which a person faces.

Chronic stress - it is a kind of stress which a person suffers for a longer period, it can be due to many reasons, such as poverty, a bad marriage, any kind of long-term illness, issues with family or kids can cause chronic stress. Depression, anxiety, and other mental disorder are the reasons for this type of stress. 

Some common causes of stress 

• This feeling can be triggered by many events of life, it can be for long term as well as short term, and stress can affect us both mentally as well as physically.
• The feeling of pressure, when a person is in trouble with things that are not under their control, it happens with everyone, every single day. Even a small activity like a family gathering, to a huge responsibility like flying a plane, can cause pressure.  
• Any kind of change in life is also a reason for stress, like travelling to another region, getting married, or death of someone is also life change. 
• Something important not working according to our expectations, such as a failed relationship, failing an exam, or having a work-life crisis. 
• Any cause of uncertainty, when you cannot feel everything going according to your desire such as a climate change, natural calamity, getting lost, metal or emotional attack of any kind. 
• Not getting work, having a lot of responsibility, changing our perception, emotional resilience of facing things, the capability of taking stress, issues, in persona, profession, family life, with friends, study-related issue all these can cause stress.   

What sources can cause stress?

It depends on the person as well as their current situation if you ask a teenage assignments and examinations cause them the most stress. If you ask adult, relationship issues and career settlement is their source of stress.

 To be specific there are four common sources: -  

Family issues - It includes, marital problems such as getting through a divorce, or having an abusive partner. Difficult relationships with family members, such as parents, siblings, children, or any other relative. Caring for a disabled, or physically unstable family member can also cause stress. 

Study and employment issues- failing an exam, having lots of assignments, getting bullied at an institution, starting or losing a job, retiring from a long-term job, getting terminated all these can become a reason behind stress.  

Personal issue- There are certain personal sources, such as long-term illness, injury, pregnancy. Also, issues such as complied trips due to family or work events, daily household tasks, parenthood, can be troublesome.  

Financial issues- Debt, poverty, financial crisis, getting robbed, or losing property or money, can also become a source of stress. 

Importance of Mental Health  

The moving world, which is much more online, than it is present online, has affected the health of everyone on both physical and psychological levels. The people with their fast-track life, where eating and sleeping is a job, and the actual job is their life, learning the importance of mental health is necessary. Metal health can be defined as well being of a person’s social, psychological, and emotional state, in all stages of life. Without having the stability of these three levels a person can be living but becomes worse than a dead person. Trauma, stress, eating disorder, anxiety, depression is all causes of bad mental health. 

Stress Management Strategies 

Learning how to exclude stress from life, is impossible, as stress is a part of human existence. However, learning how to reduce stress when it is there and griping your happy part into darkness is possible. 

The first part of reducing stress is acknowledging its existence. If you learn to understand the reason behind your stress, the least you could do is try to deal with that situation, and absorb the effect it has on you. 

Most of the people have tried and felt better with trying activities which make them relax, such as yoga, meditation, breathing exercise, counting ascending or descending, Tai Chi, meditation, and even taking massage and spa, are also known to be helpful. All these activities relax the physical tension which turns to reduces mental stress. 

In this stressful lifestyle, the most important thing we forgot to do is ignore ourselves. Taking care of self by, eating better, having quality time, being hydrated, exercising properly, and having a proper sleep schedule is good for handling stress better.

Having a positive attitude, feeling blessed with what you have by practising gratitude, and also feeling that what you have is a great deal more than other people, can also work in reducing stress. As stress is connected to the mental psych, accepting positivity can make your mind a peaceful place.  

Effect of Stress Management Strategies on Health and Mind  

Practising a well-balanced stress management strategy can help you become more positive, and attract better things in life. A person suffering from stress requires a healthy lifestyle and a healthy mindset. The stress management strategies can impact and create a cycle of change, we're dealing with stress becomes manageable. 

Even the fast-driven world, will not stop, but having a moment to for yourself, and taking a deep breath is necessary for a healthy and happy mind. Whenever the stress is weighing you down take time and practice stress management activity.

Frequently Asked Question

How can I reduce stress quickly?

Stress can traumatize the mind, of a person, although if you feel sudden stress outburst, then for instant relaxation, breathing exercise, finding the sun, a long walk, listening to soothing music, getting a tasty meal, stretching, exercising, rubbing your feet can help.  

What are 5 emotional signs of stress?

 If you are under stress there are certain warning signs, such as shortness of breath, dizziness, headache, getting tired soon, feeling anxious, depressed, a heavy chest, increased heart rate, and sudden pain in the chest all these are signs of emotional stress. 

What are stress-relieving exercises?

Practising stress-relieving exercise is any kind of movement, an exercise which helps in reducing stress and also improve the fitness level of a person. These exercises include jogging, cycling, yoga, swimming, weightlifting, gardening, climbing, etc. 

How to reduce stress in students? 

Students are also prone to get stressed, however getting enough sleep, practising visualization, listing to calm music, getting organized with the tasks, eating a proper healthy diet, taking a calm breath, and exercising regularly can help in reducing stress.