It is the evil of the century and how to manage stress on a daily basis can be a challenge ! For those who follow me on the social medias – and in particular Instagram, I share very little “negative” content. I like to create a little bubble of pretty things for you! However, for the past few days and especially yesterday, stress has skyrocketed. We had to manage this moment so I told myself that I was going to discuss it with you and share some tips that I put in place during these times.
What is stress ?
In biology, stress constitutes all of the reactions of an organism subjected to pressures or constraints from the environment. These reactions depend on the individual’s perception of the pressures they feel – it is therefore a subjective assessment.
The medical profession describes stress as a complex sequence of situations causing physiological, psychosomatic reactions.
In psychology, stress corresponds to nervous tension. It is triggered by the brain, which stimulates the secretion of corticosteroids and adrenaline by the adrenals. It follows a general nonspecific activation, physical and psychic, favorable to the defense of the organism. Severe or prolonged stress is a source of various disorders. The concept of stress is often associated with anxiety.
How is stress manifested ?
You understand that stress will manifest itself in a state of tension and nervousness : both physical and psychological. We are not all equal in front of stress. Some will have a higher resistance threshold than others.
Personally, when I am in a situation that I assimilate as stressful, several things will appear.
“Mental bug”
The first, a state of mental “bug”. I nickname it like that because it is a moment when either my thought stops, or everything accelerates and I cannot keep my attention. There is this feeling of loss of control and of means. It is agitated in there !
Hypersensitivity
Then my emotions will be upside down. So I’m going to be a lot more on edge – my answers may be more annoyed, edgy, impatient, etc.
Psychomatization
Because our body is the champion of all categories to express words we don’t express ! My stress can result in several types of somatization : neck and/or back pain, stomach ache, headache, restlessness, etc.
How to manage stress on a daily basis
It is with stress that the concept of coping was born (cf. cognitive approach) which translates in French as “to face”. To deal with stress, each of us develops a strategy that is therefore called coping. It takes us out of a position in which we are victims of the stressors that we can only undergo and makes us understand that, whatever the factor, we have room to maneuver to adapt to it.
In summary, faced with a stressful situation : either I have some leeway and I can find solutions. Either, I have no leeway and we can wonder about the meaning of stress in response to this event ?
It is up to everyone to find “the right mode” of coping to manage their daily stress, the strategies that suit them and that do not cost them too much in symptoms and psychic energy. I’m going to share a few tips that I can put in place at these times :
- Breathing : it may seem silly but often when we are stressed we close our airways. So, let’s close our eyes for a second, relax our neck and shoulders and breathe !
- Essential oils : in addition to breathing, essential oils and certain plants are known for their soothing or relaxing properties. I have several options in case of an SOS moment : the essential mist Hug by uka, Lâcher Prise spray from 100 Bon,
- Moving : if I have had a stressful day and I manage to take the time, moving will allow me to discharge the overflow of negative emotions, to let my mind wander and especially to tire myself with a much healthier fatigue than this psychological exhaustion.
- Do something that makes me feel good : for example, yesterday, with everything that happened, I managed to take an hour to take photos. This allowed me to transform negative energy into creative energy – and above all to think about this article finally ! And in the evening, I went for a picnic near the Alexandre III bridge which is one of the Parisian views that I prefer. Sometimes, in these moments, we tell ourselves that we don’t have the time but sometimes, agreeing to let go of something to take a time that is more beneficial for us is probably healthier and more productive in the end than to force at all costs.
- Hydrate yourself : having a good drink helps. Often with stress, we tend to forget this basic need – and the less hydrated our system, the less efficient it can be. So drink !
- Have a cuddle plan : because being hugged does a lot of good ! Endorphins, our best friends.
If you are careful, I did not mention the food. It is not the solution that suits me – and especially food comes to put the veil on the emotions without really that we can work on the system. So, yes, why not a square of chocolate but to eat consciously.
And you, what are your tips on how to manage stress on a daily basis ?
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