3 Ways to Kill Stress

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by Braxton Cosby

I get it, you get it, we all get it: STRESSED! But do you know the effect stress has on your well-being? If you plan on living out the next two years or so in good health, you better get a grip quick and start doing something about managing your stress, or one day you may not have the chance. Let’s go over what can be done to kill stress, before it kills you.

Stress is the body’s natural reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses. It is important to know that stress is a part of life. You can experience stress from your environment, your body, and your thoughts. Although you can’t avoid it, you can do things to modulate the effects of stress. So, why kill stress?

Stress should not be ignored. It can play a major part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety. Your body’s natural response to stress is to increase your heart and breathing rates by releasing hormones, and we’ll talk about this later. This gives your brain more oxygen, so you can react faster and smarter to problems. You are better equipped to cope in tough situations.

 
Stressed? Why Kill Stress?

What are some stressors? Responsibilities at work and at home, negative life events like divorce or the death of a loved one, physical illnesses, and disasters.

Did you know that exercise is a stress? Well it is. But exercise is a good stress because it is asking your body to respond to forces placed upon it, such as resistance (from weights) and fatigue (from endurance or cardio training).

So what we need to do now is zero our focus on outcomes. Let’s take a closer look at the effects of stress on the body. It has an immediate effect, which is why we might want to kill stress. In the short term, occasional stress is not necessarily a bad thing; but chronic stress puts your health at risk.