Personal Growth: Dealing with Stress
September 10th, 2021 \\
| Personal Growth | Mental Health |
Stress is a necessary part of life, we hate the crap out of it, yes but with it, we learned how to readjust to better our lives. We become stronger and more present with it.
But, if we let it control our lives we can deteriorate. Falling into a 100-foot hole that is lined with marble. PTSD can occur, depression, extreme anxiety.
Let me help you learn about stress and all of its glorious benefits and well shittyness.
Let's dive on in babes.
Table Of Contents:
What is stress?
Stress by definition is the feeling of being overwhelmed or unable to cope with mental or emotional pressure. Stress causes chemical changes in the body that can raise blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels. It may also lead to feelings of frustration, anxiety, anger, or depression.
Let's just say stress is a bad bitch that will f you up if you let her. She has no mercy, don't give two cows who the hell you are and will come when you least want it to.
Stress has no preference and no age requirements. Yes, even newborn babies are stress! Do you want to know why? Well, because stress is a normal part of life baby. It can either make you or break you.
The hard truth is that it is up to you how you deal with it. You can drink as I used to or you drugs or exercise till you drop. But, I want you to deal with stress productively. To strengthen you and lessen the effects of it.
How does stress affect personal growth?
With stress comes a whole lot of side effects that can make you stop at a halt. It is just a pain in the booty. But, personal growth and stress can be either a recipe for disaster or motivation to work harder.
When working on your personal growth, you will become stressed. Just like running, you have to work your way up. Or, you will get tired and burned out. That is the stress, it is a normal reaction, and I hate how people say that you can get rid of stress out of your life.
Listen to me, "STRESS IS A NORMAL PART OF LIFE BABES!" You will get stress once in a while, and that is ok, don't stress yourself with those quick get-rich-quick scams, because honey, it will make your personal growth so much harder.
Acknowledge how you feel and take steps to figure out what you should do next to make you stronger. Because darling you are strong as hell and a badass.
What are signs that you are stressed?
Yes, there are signs that you are stress, and recognizing them can give you power over it.
Aches and pains.
Chest pain or a feeling like your heart is racing.
Exhaustion or trouble sleeping.
Headaches, dizziness, or shaking.
High blood pressure.
Muscle tension or jaw clenching.
Stomach or digestive problems.
Trouble having sex.
Weak immune system.
There are even mental signs that you are overstressed, which cause:
Anxiety or irritability.
Depression.
Panic attacks.
Sadness.
I have a mood journal I write every day to track my stress level. By having Bipolar, when I'm stressed even a little, it triggers episodes that can last for days to even months.
I recommend starting a stress journal to track yours so you know when you need to take a step back before you crash. You can learn more about journaling here in my article Journaling: One Hell Of A Habit.
What happens to your body when you are stressed?
When you feel stressed, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, which rouse the body for emergency action. Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper.
Stress is such a badass that it can give you a heart attack. It's your body's way of telling you that what you are doing is too much, and you need to stop and take a break.
But sadly, most people still keep pushing. Ignoring their symptoms until it is too late. I've done it so many times, and every time I regretted it because it pushed me back days to months behind.
I'm here to tell you that doesn't have to be the case, you can use your stress as a learning tool to get to know yourself better and challenge yourself to become stronger. Which in turn, causes you to be less stressed.
What are the top reasons for being stressed?
There is a lot of reason why you could be stressed. It could be that you haven't been getting much sleep. Stress affects everyone differently. Here are just some of the top reasons you can be overly stressed.
Being under lots of pressure.
If you are at work and you are trying to get a higher position. You will feel the pressure of being the best to achieve your goal.
Facing big changes.
When you are moving to a new house and town, it could be exciting. But, it will be stressful because you will have to meet new people and not know what your future holds there.
Worrying about something.
Basically, when you worry about anything, you will be stressed, whether a lot or a little.
Not having much or any control over the outcome of a situation.
When you don't have control over something, that is one of the top stressors because you don't know what could happen. You will then think of every bad scenario and cause panic attacks and depression.
Having responsibilities that you're finding overwhelming.
If you are the man/woman of the house and you are the breadwinner. (Meaning you bring home the money) You can become stress with the responsibility to make enough money to support your family. That is another top reason for stress with anyone... well unless you're rich of course.
But even if you do have the money, you will always be in fear of losing it or running out. Which, in turn, causes stress.
Not having enough work, activities, or change in your life.
This goes to my fellow stay-at-home mommies/daddies. When you are stuck in the house every day with nothing to do but laundry and dishes. You will pull your hair out with stress.
Times of uncertainty.
I'm going to give a medical reason. When I was pregnant I was very sick. I was told that I might not make it a year or even through childbirth. I had to wait 2 weeks to see if I had a disease that might take me from my children.
I was so stressed that I couldn't eat, sleep or move or of bed. Because it turns into severe depression. I was uncertain of the results, and I let it overtake me.
What are examples of stress?
Here are just a few examples of stress and why it could be happening to you.
The death of a loved one.
Divorce.
Loss of a job.
Increase in financial obligations.
Getting married.
Moving to a new home.
Chronic illness or injury.
Emotional problems (depression, anxiety, anger, grief, guilt, low self-esteem)
What are the three types of stress?
There are three main types of stress. These are acute, episodic acute, and chronic stress. Let's go through them, shall we?
Acute: An intense, unpleasant, and dysfunctional reaction beginning shortly after an overwhelming traumatic event, and lasting less than a month. If symptoms persist longer than a month, people are diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
If you were in a car accident, you would stress every time you are in or near a car. This stress will reoccur every day over and over again.
Episodic Acute: When a person experiences acute stress frequently. If you have episodic acute stress, you may feel like you are always under pressure or that things are always going wrong.
See this, this is what I have. Pretty much, you cause your own stress by overthinking and overgeneralizing things in your life that don't need to be.
Chronic Stress: A consistent sense of feeling pressured and overwhelmed over a long period.
Usually, with this, you also have chronic depression, anxiety, and other issues on top of it. It's when you need to take a mental break or even speak with your doctor. Remember stress is not meant to run your life.
What are some ways to cope with stress?
Here are some ways to cope with stress. Just because stress is a part of life doesn't mean you should live with it on a daily. Here are some ways to cope with being stress or overwhelmed.
Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate.
Working with breathing exercises is one of the best ways to cope with stress. It calms down your heartbeat in which then relaxes your body. Just breathe in for 5 seconds and breathe out for 6 seconds. Repeat until you are calmed and relaxed.
Add in affirmations for a more calming result.
Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
Not going to go into detail here. But crappy food makes you feel crappy. Healthy food makes you feel more clean and happy. But, I love me some taco bell when I am overstressed. Beef chalupa, and 3 chicken chipolte melts. The love of my life!
Exercise regularly.
Exercise increases your overall health and your sense of well-being, which puts more pep in your step every day. But exercise also has some direct stress-busting benefits. It pumps up your endorphins. Physical activity may help bump up the production of your brain's feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins.
But for me, since I have Bipolar, I have to watch how I exercise because It can cause mania. Mania is pretty much feeling like you can do anything and you are the bad bitch in the world. Sounds amazing but it is far from it and worse than depression.
With mania, I have no fear, no regrets, no conscious that I shouldn't be doing something. I would spend all my money and loved ones, bring home women to my spouse, and binge drink night and day.
So if you have a mood disorder be very careful with this.
Get plenty of sleep.
Without good sleep, our bodies will start to stress on their own. You will be grumpy all day, easily upset, fatigued, so much more. Just figure out what your perfect time is and roll with it.
Me 8 hours is way too much, 5-6 hours is perfect for me. Everyone needs a different amount of sleep.
Avoid excessive alcohol, tobacco, and substance use.
This is just obvious, alcohol is a downer or depressant, tobacco raises your blood pressure, and substance abuse rewires your brain's activity.
. Take breaks!
Taking a break to unwind and relax. It helps you from getting burned out and unable to achieve anything. Breaks can be taking a nice hot bubble bath with a great book to taking a weekend trip to the mountains and hiking.
It is whatever relaxes you in a healthy long-lasting way.
Talking to someone or journaling.
Talk therapy is a great way to release some stress and unwind. Also, helps you to process what is going on around you and how to rearrange it to help you and not stress you out.
I have therapy once a month, but my ultimate favorite is my Bitch Journal. I write in it almost every day and I don't have to listen to anyone's opinion but my own. You can read about journals here and the different types that can help you here: Journaling: One Hell Of A Habit.
Recognize when you need help!
I know that sometimes, scratch that most of the time it is more than difficult to ask for help. I get that, it took me 5 years to finally be able to ask for help with my children so I can work on my marriage and future.
But, it is possible and once you get the hang of it and do it correctly you will become not only stronger, but you will grow to even more of a better person.
You can read about asking for help here in my article: Ask For F'n Help: The Secret
Summary
Whoah, that was a whole lotta about stress. I could go on you about 10,000 words if I wanted to. But, I'm pretty sure you would be like " Nope I'm out!". I wouldn't blame you.
But, stress is part of your life. It is like the sister or brother that shows up just to mess with you. After a while, though you will learn what to do when it gets overwhelming and the signs to stop.
Practicing those tips every time you are stressed and you will become stronger and more resilient because you are an f'n badass. Never give up and never give in baby. I am here cheering for you in an all-black outfit in an awkward way. But, it's ok because ill brings the tacos and watch you beat stress every time because I KNOW your can.
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Do you mean that life is like a balloon?