Stress
Stress is a term that is used loosely amongst our society and needs to be clearly defined. Stress is generally meant by a demand on the body whether it has a positive or negative effect, where the body is in a ‘distress’ mode. When someone is not able to cope with the changes in their life or a situation becomes to challenging to handle, seeing a Naturopath to help with adapting to the situation can be of great benefit.
What are some of the Causes of Stress?
There are a number of different reasons that can cause a stress response in your body. As we are all individuals we experience stress differently, an event or situation that can be extremely stressful for one person may not be a problem for someone else.
A stressful situation can be either positive (like getting married or having a baby) or negative (like a death in the family or going through a divorce)
Are there different types of stress?
Yes there is. Stress can come in different ways and forms, from Acute stress to Chronic stress, which ever one you have been experiencing it will still leave your body and mind feeling over-whelmed and under pressure.
What are Some the Symptoms of Stress?
When stress can hit its peak it can affect your health mentally, emotionally and physically particularly if it becomes chronic. If you have experienced or are experiencing any of the following symptoms you should contact your health care professional.
Body – The symptoms of stress can make changes to your body. You may notice
- Headaches
- Aches and Pains
- Sleep Disturbances
- Fatigue
- Stomach Upsets
- High Blood Pressure
- Changes to your Immune System
- Muscle Tension
Mind – The symptoms of stress can affect your mind and your emotions affecting your feelings.
- Anxiety, worry
- Anger, Irritable
- Depression
- Feelings of being ‘over-whelmed’ or ‘out of control’
- Feeling teary or moody
- Difficulty in concentrating or focusing on a task
- Lack of confidence or low self-esteem
Behaviour – The symptoms of stress can have an impact on the way we behave, including:
- Overeating or Undereating
- Sudden Outbursts
- Problems with our relationships
- Alcohol, smoking or drug abuse
- Avoiding people and wanting to be alone.
Chronic and severe stress can develop depression, anxiety, substance abuse or a number of other mental disorders later on in life. If you are concerned that you have any of the symptoms above visit your health care professional.
How Can I Manage Stress?
It may not be as easy as changing your hair color or getting rid of a cold as you would like to remove stress from your life, however it can be managed. There are different techniques that you can try to improve your body’s stress response.
- Taking some deep breaths
- Talking to someone that you trust
- Creating a stress diary, writing in it when you feel stressed
- Exercise
- Eating a health and well balanced diet
- Trying to avoid caffeine, alcohol and smoking
- Starting up a rewards program with things that you enjoy.
These are just some of the ways that you can manage your stress. For more information on Stress and Stress treatment contact us to see your Melbourne Naturopath who will work with you to provide relief.