Stress is a normal part of life and occurs in response to different situations such as a physical danger or other challenges like completing an exam or meeting a work deadline. Stress is often helpful to keep you alert and ready to face the danger or motivate you to complete a task.
However, from time to time we can become too stressed and it is no longer helpful.
Stress impacts our mind and body in so many different ways such as:
- Impacting our concentration
- Making us feel overwhelmed, frustrated and irritable
- Increasing our heart rate and blood pressure
- Difficulty remembering things
- Feeling fatigued
- Getting sick frequently
- Impacting our sleep schedule
- Doubting ourselves
- Feeling anxious
- Experiencing chest pain and indigestion
- Losing motivation
- Reduction in our appetite
- Withdrawing our family and friends
- Gravitating to more unhealthy choices such as alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine
Reduce your stress levels by:
- Staying active! Even simple activities such as going for a walk or dancing around your room releases endorphins which reduce stress.
- Making sure you get around 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
- Setting boundaries and saying no when things are too much.
- Eating well and staying hydrated. Ensuring you’re eating a variety of foods from the 5 food groups (vegetables, fruit, grains, meats and dairy) and drinking around 8-10 cups of water per day.
- Limiting your time spent on social media.
- Spending time outside in the fresh air.
- Stretching your muscles.
Take care of your mental health for Stress Awareness Month this April and every other month.
Find more of our health tips here.
Book an appointment with us here or call us on 9651 5559.
Sources:
Health Direct. 2021. Drinking water and your health. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/drinking-water-and-your-health
Sleep Health Foundation. 2015. How much sleep do you really need? https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/pdfs/HowMuchSleep-0716.pdf
Stress Management Society. How it affects us. https://www.stress.org.uk/how-it-affects-us/
Wellbeing SA. 2023. Stress awareness month. https://www.wellbeingsa.sa.gov.au/about-wellbeing-sa/news-announcements/stress-awareness-month