Why Managing Stress is Such an Important Skill to Learn
Stress is a constant in our lives. However, reacting badly to your stressors can lead you to suffer severe physical, mental and emotional health challenges. If you can learn to manage stress and use that energy to propel yourself forward and toward your goals, you can lessen the negative impacts of the initial physical response.
Medical Effects of Stress
When you are facing a stressful situation, your heartbeat will go up, and your body gears up for a physical reaction to the event. Either you run, or you'll have to fight. Unfortunately, another reaction to stress is that while your body is gearing up for a physical response, your blood vessels tighten down. The result of this combination of powering up and tightening down is an elevation in your blood pressure. Over time, this hypertension causes damage to your blood vessels and your major organs from the brain to the kidneys.
Stress Versus Excitement
When you're stressed, your body ramps up your adrenaline production and your blood vessels clamp down. When you're excited, your body ramps up and your blood vessels expand. Can you change your mindset about stressful situations? For example, if you've got a co-worker or a boss who causes you stress, can you excuse yourself from your desk for a quick walk and tell yourself how excited you are about your plans for the evening or the weekend? Although it produces the same cardiac and adrenal response, it’s a totally different blood vessel reaction, which is much better for your body. You can tap into this energy to return to work in a positive state of mind. The problems that were big before are now just things you have to get cleared away, so you can head home or out for the evening.
Stress Leads to Dangerous Behavior
One of the worst factors of constant stress is that you view the world as a battlefield and everybody who comes into your scope is an enemy. That coworker who likes to chat when you're busy may be insensitive, but he or she is probably not out to sabotage you. When you're chronically stressed, every response becomes fight or flight, and you may actually start to feel that your survival is at risk. You may go home and drink too much, yell at your family or just block everyone out. Even something as simple as road rage is dangerous if you don't have a way to mentally reframe what is happening to you. Don't just focus on coping with your stress. Instead, do what you can to realize how fleeting some of these moments are and let them fall by the wayside.
Think of your blood pressure points as a handful of precious gems. You have plans for every one of them. You may want to live to 100 or watch your grandkids get married. Every time you get fired up and stressed out over stuff that doesn't matter, you're tossing your precious blood pressure points at people who probably don't want or deserve them.
If you need help chilling out, try signing up for one of our yoga classes!