Stress is an emotional state people experience when facing problems, leading to discomfort, anxiety, and pressure. Often, many are unaware they are stressed because individuals respond differently. Stress manifests physically, mentally, emotionally, and behaviorally. Some get irritable easily, some fall ill more often, and some have trouble sleeping. Knowing how to manage and alleviate these stresses can at least help us better cope. Let's look at some simple ways to handle stress.
Whenever we feel stressed, the hormone cortisol is highly active. We can counter this by stimulating endorphins through exercise. Even just realizing you are stressed and taking a break from your desk to stretch or walk up and down stairs can help you temporarily shift focus from stress. Exercise here doesn't mean intense activity causing heavy sweating but rather mental health-beneficial movement. A simple 10-minute walk with positive attention diversion is effective. If possible, after work, engaging in more serious exercise for at least 30 minutes, 3-5 times a week, is enough to activate those happiness hormones fully.
If you notice, whenever you feel stressed, it’s like certain thoughts keep running through your mind constantly. This repetitive stress-related thinking makes us dwell on the problem. Being stuck in stress can make us unwilling to do anything else. A simple solution when feeling overly anxious is to find time for meditation or chanting, focusing on breathing. Try regulating your breath slowly, which slows your heartbeat and helps you focus on breathing, allowing you to forget stressful thoughts.. ApproximatelyOne, indeed.
Work-life balance is a concept we've heard for a long time, yet many still struggle to achieve it. Properly allocating time between work and personal life not only improves personal life but also helps withthe matterof not bringing work-related stress home. After eight hours of work, one should stop thinking about work and avoid mixing it with family time, focusing instead on family and getting adequate rest. This is another effective method for managing stress.
Even if we cannot immediately solve stress problems, stepping away from stress for a while can be beneficial. Doing something enjoyable for yourself, like watching a movie, listening to relaxing music, or engaging in activities other than dwelling on stressful thoughts, certainly helps clear the mind temporarily and may enable us to return with fresh perspectives to solve problems or stress.
Dwelling excessively on any single thought can unknowingly cause stress. If we constantly worry, stress accumulates and causes emotional suffering. Scientifically, thoughts influence the brain’s responses. When stressed about work, health, or colleagues, a way to cope is to step back and view problems from an outsider’s perspective. This might help identify causes and solutions more easily than being stuck inside the stress. Overlooking minor issues and accepting flaws in work or colleagues can help us understand situations better and relieve stress faster, also preventing suffering.
While taking care of mental health, don't forget physical health by eating well and getting enough sleep, which also helps alleviate stress. Here’s another encouragement to help you maintain good mental health and feel refreshed every day.
Thanks for the information from the Psychiatry Center (LET'S TALK), Phyathai Phaholyothin Hospital.