Each day, if not a week, life can be very stressful. We might be in high demand from a lot of people, and yet there is only one of ourselves to handle it. In cases like these, we feel overwhelmed at having to take care of everything and everyone before taking care of ourselves. Due to these circumstances our stress levels increase, as we try and take care of everything in a short amount of time.
Having acute stress, short-term stress, is normal. It benefits a person to deal with a dangerous situation such as hitting the brakes in their car to avoid an accident. It could be also used when someone is excited over something. However, chronic stress affects a person for a long period of time, such as weeks or months.
Having chronic stress can lead to many problems including changes in behavior, physical body pain, forgetfulness, inability to focus, changes in appetite, and so on. In fact, after Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, an autopsy report revealed that his heart was similar to that of a sixty year old, despite the fact that King was thirty-nine years old, due to stress.
From this report, we could see that stress had weakened Martin Luther King Jr’s heart due to the chronic stress he had. If he had lived longer, he would be more prone to have a heart attack due to a weakened heart.
Fortunately there are ways to deal with stress as listed below. With these tips, you’ll be able to control your stress which will allow you to control your life and health for a better lifestyle.
Tips for alleviating stress
- Buy a calendar and/or planner and plan out your day and deadlines. You’ll be able to keep track of what needs to be done and when.
- Prioritize– Focus on the things that are critical and need to be completed first. Once they are done, tackle the next important task. Not only will this keep track of what you are doing, it will lift some weight off of your shoulders.
- Don’t wait till the deadline- Complete activities early rather than later to save your mind and body from stressing over a task that could have been done already.
- Don’t over accumulate yourself- Don’t take on multiple activities or job hours when you know that it’ll be too much for you. Focus on what you need and your limits to balance out your schedule and planning.
- Plan a free time or day to yourself- Plan a time when you can exercise, and hang out with friends and family. Being in constant work or making yourself busy will lead you to chronic stress quicker than you expected. By giving yourself some time off, you’ll be able to relax and be refreshed to complete any important tasks that need to be completed.
- Seek a doctor or therapist- It is okay to seek help if you need it. The important thing is that you are looking out for yourself and wellbeing. By going to these professionals, you’ll be able to talk to them about your worries. They will be able to help, and give you advice on what to do so that you won’t have chronic stress.
