Listening to music,playing with a pet and other ways to treat stress

Experts say that you need to identify the causes of stress so that you can know how to deal with them. While you might not be able to fully avoid stress, you can at least reduce it significantly in your path to emotional freedom.

What are the common causes of stress?

Causes of stress vary from one person to another. These are the most common causes:

Illness

Stress can be caused by ill health which springs up from chronic diseases like diabetes, migraines, hypertension, cancer and many other diseases. Negative emotions such as anger, grief, depression, guilt or low self-esteem may fuel stress in a person.

Major transitions in life

Experts have also identified major transitions in life as possible causes of stress e.g marriage, culture shock when you migrate to another country, dealing with the death of a loved one e.t.c.

Family issues

Family may be a potential cause of stress for instance disagreements and arguments, care giving a terminally ill relative, dealing with a teenager and such like circumstances.

Surroundings

Psychologists have pointed out that surroundings may be a magnet for stress like where we live, a stressful job or even unemployment.

Post-Traumatic stress

Past negative experiences have also been found to cause stress in many people. Traumatic experiences such as rape, war can cause Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or acute stress disorder.

How can you deal with the causes of stress?

Experts advise that a person should keep track of the events of the day as relating to stress. Ensure that you prod the occurrences accurately.

You should list the occurrences and details of how they panned out. Having done that jot down your reactions and how those events made you feel.

Doing this regularly, will help in tracking the areas that cause stress in your life and help you find a lasting solution to quell it. It is highly advisable that you share the record with your therapist so that they may get a clear picture of what you are going through so as to treat you accordingly.

How can you effectively cope with the stress?

There are positive activities that you can engage in to help you cope with stress effectively. The activities may vary according to the people.

These are some of the most effective ways to deal with stress:

1. Listening to music

2. Playing with a pet

3. Laughing or crying

4. Going out with a friend (shopping, movie, dining)

5. Taking a bath or shower

6. Writing, painting, or doing other creative activities

7. Praying or going to church

8. Exercising or getting outdoors to enjoy nature

9. Discussing situations with a spouse or close friend

10. Gardening or making home repairs

11. Practicing deep breathing or muscle relaxation

12. Making and following through with an action plan to solve your problems.

Such activities will spur the brain to initiate a relaxing response through the nervous system to calm you down. Pick up the activities that work for you specifically.

If you keep struggling with stress and it becomes chronic seek the help of a doctor or psychologist. Persistent stress may point out to an underlying problem. The doctor will help you assess the red areas that are responsible for chronic stress.

According to experts, chronic stress can be treated by changing your lifestyle and behavior. Appropriate medication or therapy could also be used to treat stress where necessary.

It is essential to keep your mental health stable because chronic and untreated stress will have adverse effects. Stress could be responsible for heart disease, sleep deprivation, weight loss, skin problems like eczema.