April is Stress Awareness Month. According to Healthline and other health experts, “stress is a natural physical and mental reaction to life experiences” that “can be beneficial to your health” for immediate, short-term situations. The issue, Healthline points out, is “if your stress response doesn’t stop firing, and these stress levels stay elevated far longer than is necessary for survival.”
Symptoms & Consequences of Chronic Stress
What are the symptoms and consequences of chronic stress, you ask? The answer is the following:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Body aches
- Alcohol or drug abuse
- Social withdrawal
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Irritability
- Vomiting
- Stomachache
- Back and shoulder pain
- Erectile dysfunction or Impotence
- Overeating or not eating enough
- Irregular, heavier, or more painful periods
- Weakened immune system
- Constipation
- Increased recovery time for an illness or injury
Believe it or not, there are more symptoms and consequences of chronic stress than those listed above. It’s safe to say Stress Awareness Month is warranted and needed. But once strangled by the unforgiving tentacles of chronic stress, what can you do to find relief? Psychology Today makes the following valid points about managing chronic stress:
- First: “Recognize and admit [chronic stress] exists.”
- Second: “Find the time or manage your time in such a way that you can develop and implement strategies to manage the stress that you are attempting to deal with.”
Both of the above steps are crucial. When it comes to the first step, until you admit chronic stress burdens your life, it will continue to place you in a chokehold. When it comes to the second step, you must be consistent when pursuing a stress management strategy. One yoga class won’t kick chronic stress to the curb, nor will one evening run around the block. Reaching out one time to a friend won’t silence chronic stress either. Any strategy you pursue to deal with your stress must be pursued consistently to increase its likelihood of success. Psychology Today even recommends smiling and laughing more about your situation to relieve stress and touches on the importance of self-care and taking a break to make time for self-care.
Self-Care is a Battering Ram for Chronic Stress
Mental Health America offers the following tips for self-care:
- “Live Healthy, eat healthy foods, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and avoid drugs and alcohol. Manage stress and go for regular medical check-ups.”
- Living healthy includes taking supplements such as EMPowerplus Advanced, which is the most studied micronutrient formula in the world.
- “Practice good hygiene. Good hygiene is important for social, medical, and psychological reasons in that it not only reduces the risk of illness, but it also improves the way others view you and how you view yourself.”
- “See friends to build your sense of belonging. Consider joining a support group to make new friends.”
- “Try to do something you enjoy every day. That might mean dancing, watching a favorite TV show, working in the garden, painting, or reading.”
- “Find ways to relax, like meditation, yoga, getting a massage, taking a bath, or walking in the woods.”
Not All Supplements Are Created Equal
There are many supplements on the market, and they are not created equal. There is only one “most studied micronutrient in the world,” and that is EMPowerplus Advanced.
Lack of nutrients is linked to mental health issues time and time again. Whether the conversation on stress centers on physical, mental, or emotional consequences, experts agree that nutrition plays a significant role in how your body and mind respond to stress. Adding high-quality bioavailable supplements to your daily routine may be the best shield to stress that you ever wield.
Never be timid about addressing an issue that’s tearing your world apart.
Author: Evelyn Lindell
Certified Health & Wellness Coach