How to Deal with Stress?

Stress Management and Stress Diagnosis are two faces of the mental health dice. Know how to manage stress and learn its basic diagnosis protocols here.

What is Stress Management?

Unlike most other mental health conditions, stress can be managed even before it requires medication or diagnosis. Stress does not always negatively affect you if you can learn to handle it without showing any exaggerated behavioral changes. You may follow the following steps in order to calm yourself down and manage your stress without seeking any professional help:

1. Recognize what causes you stress at home or at work and write them down. Later, you can try to find ways to steer clear of such situations.
2. Try not to take on too much work at once and prioritize your goals. Give yourself a break and get involved in your passions to complement your workload.
3. Maintain a network of close friends and co-workers you can trust when stress starts to build in your head.
4. Restrict smoking and drinking. While alcohol and tobacco have a reputation for helping you take some time off, they can make you more anxious.
5. Carve out some extra time from your everyday schedule and try to practice simple stay-at-home exercise routines.
6. Take frequent walks for around 15 to 20 minutes three times a week.
7. Try to wake up early in the morning and meditate or practice yoga.
8. Get proper sleep before a day of work.

If these steps do not help you manage your stress levels, it is time for you to consult a medical professional for advice. At Winy, we provide you with the best in class mental wellness services at a minimal cost that everyone can afford irrespective of their level of income. We also match you with the right kind of high-end medical professional who can help you with your specific issues while you maintain anonymity and privacy throughout the session and diagnosis.

Is there a Diagnosis for Stress?

Yes, there is a well-defined diagnosis available for stress. However, you may require consultation with a mental health expert to understand it. It is subjective and is relatively different for every individual.

There are a few common questions that you may be required to answer with utmost honesty. A few of such questions have been listed below:

• Whether a traumatic experience in the last 3 months such as surgery, an accident, a rare medical condition, or the loss of a loved one.
• Whether you went through a period of grieving.
• Whether your stress levels are higher than usual when you react to situations at home or at work.
• If you have a mental disorder that could be linked to your stress.
• If you’ve had issues with stress or other mental health issues in the past that might have relapsed.

Based on your answers to such questions the mental health and wellness specialist can recommend some activities that can prevent stress from taking a toll on your everyday life. They can help you channel this stress towards improved everyday performance.

The first step in treating stress is to prevent it. There are various ways to reduce stress and minimize its long-term complications wherein it might manifest into acute stress or chronic stress. Stress may also lead to medical conditions such as heart disease, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, panic attacks, and type 2 diabetes.

Is there a perfect way to handle stress, that works the same, for everybody? No there isn’t. Because we all function differently and our coping mechanisms vary from person to person. Your way of getting through a hectic day might be grabbing a bar of ice cream, while for me it might be an undisturbed hour of music therapy.

But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any conventional or common paths toward improved well-being. There are several ways that you can use, in which stress can be systematically managed, if not eliminated. A few of these are as follows:

Exercise daily: Be it stretching or an hour of yoga, exercising can be an efficient stress buster. It enhances overall cognitive function, alongside improving concentration and reducing fatigue. Exercising results in the brain producing endorphins which are chemicals that act as natural painkillers and also improve sleep.

Eating healthy: Eating a healthy diet strengthens the overall foundation of your body which helps in reducing the negative effects of stress. Stress negatively affects blood pressure and blood flow. Nutrients like omega 3 (found in fishes like salmon and tuna), polyphenols (found in red wine, blueberries, and dark chocolate), and Vitamin E (found in almonds, spinach, and avocados) can improve blood flow.

Get adequate sleep: As common as it sounds, getting at least 7–9 hours of sleep daily is extremely essential to cope with stress. Your body needs its time to heal and get back on the field. Because pretty obviously, you are a better problem solver when you are adequately rested.

Meditate: Inhale and exhale. Meditating is a form of guided thought. You can meditate through relaxation training or by practicing breathing exercises. Deep and relaxed breathing helps your body get plenty of oxygen and relaxation training eases your body.

Learn to let go: Not as easily done as told. But let’s face it, there are certain things that lie out of our control and there is no use getting worked upon or being anxious about them. So, the better alternative is letting go and accepting ‘come what may’.

Be prepared: Try to be prepared for and accept whatever comes your way. Prepare to the best of your ability for events that might seem stressful to you, such as an exam or an interview.

Talk to someone: Might be a counselor or just an individual you trust. Talking always helps get the burden off your shoulders. Discuss what’s bothering you or how it’s affecting your mental health. Remember that there is a solution to every problem.

Stress is very common in today’s world due to the huge burden of work, and responsibilities that we all have to deal with. And it isn’t exactly possible to eliminate stress from our superbly busy lives. But if stress is managed properly, it subsequently reduces the harmful effects of the same.