The only way to understand what stress is is to learn to experience it. It is almost as easy as breathing. You become aware of the effort it takes just to keep your body moving—the struggle for control over our actions and our feelings.
Stress causes a wide range of negative reactions in us. We often use our powers of reasoning to try to eliminate the stressors, and we also try to minimize the experiences that cause us stress. Yet the reality is that without stress, none of the things we do would ever be possible. So, let’s look at some of the negative responses we can get by never taking control of our own stress responses. This will help you understand better how stress affects you and what you can do about it.
– Overwhelm. Is there any other word that is used to describe stress? That is, “Stress will overwhelm you.” To understand the power of overwhelm, try this experiment. Take a piece of paper and start marking off different levels of overwhelm. Count the number of problems that come before you, and before you have time to answer the questions.
Overwhelm will literally drown you in thinking. And that is all you need to know about how it affects you. No wonder you get so angry sometimes! When it comes to stress, take charge.
– Impulse response. Stress can overload your senses. Once you become overwhelmed, your body will release adrenaline into your system. Your heart rate will increase, your blood pressure will rise, and your breathing will deepen. At these times, it is very easy to lose control.
In order to stop that from happening, we need to be able to see ourselves as a stress responder. Being aware of your natural reaction to stress will help you see the patterns that cause you to overreact. Once you can recognize your stress responses, then you can control them and change them.
By focusing on your inner dialogue, and how it makes you feel, you can stop the pattern. This can be done with very little conscious effort. You can, and should, begin now to stop your internal responses and to have more positive inner conversations with yourself.
– Find a neutral place for people to come to. We are creatures of habit. So, if you don’t have a large group of people who can share your particular issues, this is where you can go.
– List the benefits of meditation. Meditation is one of the easiest and most effective ways to relax. If you haven’t tried it yet, try it first. Practice guided meditation (with the guidance of a professional) or self-hypnosis. Meditation can also help you reduce the amount of stress in your life.
– Stress can be controlled by releasing the stress from the body. You can use herbs to release your stress. Even in the most severe forms of stress, stress release herbs can still help you. Some examples are chamomile, lavender, ginseng, and peppermint.
It is important to learn how to control yourself. You can go a long way in your efforts to stop stress with the help of stress relief techniques like these. The key is to first learn how to recognize the signs of stress, and then realize that you can take control of those signs.
