Stress – it’s something we all experience and something that can have a profound impact on our life, our health, and our relationships.
Is there anything that can be done to truly combat stress?
There is, as long as you know what type of stress you’re dealing with.
That’s why it’s important to identify the various types of stress we generally experience. Today, we’ll take a look at three types of stress and discuss what we can do to work through each one.
3 Types of Stress and the Solutions for Each One
Understanding the types of stress people deal with will help you find ways to healthfully work through them. Here are three common types of stress that most people experience throughout their life.
1. Physical Stress Can Come In Many Different Forms
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We can put stress on our body in a number of different ways. These include:
- Tobacco use (in any form, including vaping)
- Alcohol abuse
- Consuming too much caffeine or sugar
- Nutritional deficiencies.
Even the pollutants in our environment put stress on our bodies.
What’s the Solution?
Eliminate tobacco completely and reduce alcohol consumption. Cut out foods you’re sensitive food, as well as overly processed foods, sugar, and caffeine. Or, at the very least, reduce them significantly.
Try to eat fresh, organic fruits and vegetables on a daily basis to reduce the likelihood of nutritional deficiencies. Talk to your doctor about getting blood tests to periodically check for these types of deficiencies.
2. Mental and Emotional Stress
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When people think of stress, they typically think of mental and emotional stress – the stress you feel when dealing with a difficult co-worker or when you’ve had a fight with your partner.
This is a common form of stress and it can come from many different directions and manifest in a variety of ways.
Mental stress can be caused by expecting perfection, feeling excessively worried, social anxiety, or working long hours.
Emotional stress can be the result of anger, fear, guilt, sadness, and even loneliness.
Mental and emotional stress can also be caused by:
- Relationship issues (with parents, spouses, children, bosses, co-workers, etc.)
- Financial issues (debt, loss of a job)
- Not having spiritual needs met
- Not achieving life goals or feeling like you’re not where you’re supposed to be or planned to be in life.
What’s the Solution?
Talk to someone! Get in touch with a counselor or coach, or even join a support group. These types of treatments will help you cope and even help you change your perception about some of the things you’re going through.
3. Trauma Is Also Considered a Form of Stress
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The body can put it into a state of stress includes:
- Extreme temperatures
- Illness
- Injuries
- Burns
- Surgery
- Infections.
What’s the Solution?
Trauma can be hard to prevent. Besides being cautious – safe driving, living, and working conditions – make sure you get treatment as soon as you experience trauma.
While undergoing treatment, make sure to get plenty of rest. Sleep is necessary for the body to heal properly.
Is There Such a Thing As a Stress-Free Life?
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With all of the self-help gurus out there spouting information about how to combat stress, it’s easy for us to get the idea that there’s such a thing as a stress-free life.
The reality is, though, that stress is something that will always be a part of life.
Even if you do everything you can to reduce stress, there are some things you just don’t have control over.
Does this mean that we should give up hope?
Absolutely not!
What you need to focus on is what you do have control over. You control what kind of foods you eat, how/when you exercise, your sleep routine, your self-talk, and how you react to other people.
Taking baby steps every single day will help you take back some of the control in your life that can feel lost when you’re stressed out.
Learn to Control the Stress in Your Life for Better Health
While it’s true that we will all experience stress from time to time, that doesn’t mean we become powerless slaves to it.
We do have a measure of control and we can take steps to reduce the stress in our lives. We also have the power to control how we react to stressors that come up that we don’t have any control over.
It will take some work to do this, but it’s totally worth it.
Stress has been related to a number of serious health issues, including heart disease. Someone who is in fairly good health – with a healthy body weight and who exercises regularly – could very well be at risk of a heart attack if they live a high-stress lifestyle.
By taking steps every single day to reduce the amount of stress in your life – and how you react to it – you’ll live a happier, healthier life. Yes, by doing this, you can even save your life.
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