Stress can have a profound impact on your life and your health. Did you know that stress can actually cause physical changes to your body and we’re not talking about minor differences here either? If you are stressed, you are more likely have issues with weight gain, hair loss and indeed general signs of ageing. Yes, stress can dry out your skin, and dry skin is the key condition needed for wrinkles to spread across your face like wildfire.
As well as this, stress can also have an impact on your emotions and your mind. For instance, you might find that high levels of stress impact your confidence, cause increased feelings of anxiety and cause you to lose control of your temper far more rapidly. These are some of the issues of stress that you need to be aware of and people around you are certainly going to notice.
If you have young children, they may not know that you are stressed per say, but they will certainly see a change in your behavior and even how you treat them. Small and minor changes in behavior from a parent can still have an impact on a child, particularly if they don’t understand why it’s happening.
So, how do we tackle stress? Well, first we need to determine what exactly is causing it?
Why Are You So Stressed?
There could be plenty of reasons for feeling stressed. A common culprit would certainly be financial issues. If you are struggling with finances, you are going to feel stressed more often because you will constantly be worried that you don’t have enough money in the bank to pay for everything that you could want or everything your kids might need. It’s a disconcerting feeling and one that is incredibly difficult to shake once it latches on.
Leading on from this worry, feeling that way might cause you to have trouble sleeping. A lot of people find that when they panic about money, it keeps them up through the night because it’s something that they don’t really have any control of at all. That’s quite a disconcerting thought, and one that you’ll find is difficult to shake even when you close your eyes.
If so you’re probably suffering from insomnia due to stress. When you wake up after a low night of sleep, it’s like you’re walking on a tightrope and you’ll constantly be worried that you’re going to slip right off.
If it’s not sleeping it could be a deep psychological issue that you haven’t addressed or dealt with. Did you know that just over 7 percent of people will develop PTSD at some point in their life? You might think that PTSD is only found in people who have come back from a war or perhaps been involved in a car crash. However, the truth is that PTSD can occur in anyone who has experienced something that was traumatic to them. This could be bullying, losing someone close to you or something like abuse. If there is an event like this bubbling at the back of your mind, you will be more stressed than most people.
A more simple explanation for your high feelings of stress could be your diet. Did you know that certain foods will make you feel more stressed than others? This is absolutely true, and you probably won’t be surprised to hear that it’s the fatty foods, fast foods and ready meals that create the main problem here. These foods are packed full of additives and sugars that give you a high and then follow with a low. It’s the low that is causing you to feel stressed.
Or you could find that it’s something to do with your environment? On average, people who live in the city are far more stressed than those who live in the countryside or a rural area. Why is this? Well, it could be the fumes from traffic, the noise, the lack of personal space or the general hustle and bustle of city life. Any of these factors could certainly be the cause of a high level of stress.
So, now we know some of the causes of stress, let’s consider ways to beat each one in turn and make sure that stress is not impacting your health or indeed your beauty.
Tackling The Causes Of Stress
Struggling with finances? If so, then it’s time to get this under control, and the best way to do this is by setting up a budget. With a budget, you’ll find it far easier to stop worrying about your finances because you’ll always have a handle on how much money you have in your account and how much you have to spend. To do this, you just need to work out how much you make on average per month and then subtract all the typical bills from that amount including a little for savings. The amount you have left over is the sum that you can spend on other things like little luxuries. Or, you can use it to boost up your level of savings a little more. It’s your choice. If you still find yourself low on cash, you can consider taking on a side hustle. This should be a job that you find fun enough that it won’t cause you additional stress and that can push up your income.
Struggling to fall asleep? We recommend exploring an essential oil diffuser. A diffuser can release natural oils into the air in your bedroom that are guaranteed to help you sleep, relaxing the mind and the body. Try it for a couple of weeks and see if it improves your sleeping pattern. We would be shocked if it didn’t have some sort of an impact, but there are other options too.
For instance, you can think about keeping a journal. Write in this before bed and try to get all the thoughts out that you have bottled up inside. Do this, and you’ll find that they don’t bother you as much once your head hits the pillow. You may also find that something in your room is keeping you awake. That’s why you should consider removing all electrical devices from your bedroom. Studies have shown that the electromagnetic energy from these devices can be enough to keep someone up and stop them reaching a deep level of sleep.
If you think you are suffering from something like PTSD, there are a few signs. You might have triggers that cause you to flinch, shake or rock. You may also experience memory flashes of the experience that cause you immense stress. It’s worth noting that the cause of PTSD could be rooted deep in your childhood. That’s why if you do have this cognitive issue therapy is the best option. With cognitive therapy, you can find the root cause and tackle it with an expert. This will greatly reduce the level of stress you experience.
Is it your diet? If so, it’s all about cutting out the junk and getting more of that fruit and veg. You need to do what you can to get the vitamins and minerals your body needs every day of your life. You also need to think about antioxidants. Antioxidants are found in a number of fruit and vegetables such as blueberries and oranges. Antioxidants help your body fight back against the oxygenation of cells in your body which – you guessed it – is linked to high levels of stress.
If you want to change your environment, it’s never too late. You can think about purchasing a house outside of the city where you’ll probably be able to commute into work each day. You might think that commuting is going to be just as stressful but research shows that this is not the case. In fact, according to studies, the least stressful way to live is to have a home out in the country for the weekends and an apartment in the city through the week. Whether you have enough money for this type of lifestyle is perhaps another matter entirely.
Other Options To Consider
There are a number of other possible ways to stay strong in the face of stress. You can, for instance, consider adding more exercise to your daily routine. According to studies, many people find that exercise is incredibly helpful, allowing you to to essentially run away your stress as quickly as you feel it. It’s worth noting that exercise also keeps the cells in your body young and healthy too. It can actually stop the signs of aging, and we bet there are plenty of people feeling stressed due to signs of aging slowly appearing on their face.
You can also think about using breathing exercises to combat the issue. If you feel yourself getting stressed, try breathing in, counting to ten and then breathing out again. You might find that this is all you need as it controls the oxygen received by your brain, provide you with clear thoughts.
Are you ready to tackle your stress head on and stay strong in its wake? Try some of the possibilities we have advised, and you should discover that stress is no longer the crushing weight it once was.
