In this day and age, we all lead incredibly busy lives. Trying to balance your job, family, friends, pets, home, health, hobbies, and other responsibilities can become overwhelming.
As if life wasn’t already stressful enough, the COVID-19 pandemic brought on even more mental health challenges due to social isolation and changes in routine. According to the 2021 Global Emotions Report, the world was more stressed-out than it was any time in the past 15 years.
The 2020 Stress in America™ Report from the American Psychological Association (APA) found nearly 78% adults said the COVID-19 pandemic was a significant source of stress in their lives, and 67% of adults said they experienced increased stress levels during the pandemic.
The report also found a variety of societal issues caused a large percentage of Americans a significant amount of stress:
The future of the U.S. – 77%
Health care – 66%
Mass shootings – 62%
Climate change/global warming – 55%
Suicide rates – 51%
Immigration – 47%
Widespread sexual harassment/assault reports in the news – 47%
Opioid/heroin epidemic – 45%
Stress can have a great impact on not only your mental health, but your physical health as well. When you’re feeling especially stressed, you may notice you feel fatigued, or even snap at those around you without meaning to. An accumulation of stress can take a major toll on your mind and body.
Mental and physical signs of stress include:
High blood pressure
Chest pain or high heart rate
These symptoms are not ideal and can impede your daily responsibilities and overall happiness. In some situations, stress can also lead to substance use, eating disorders, smoking, gambling, and other issues.
Some days it may seem impossible to eliminate what is making you stressed and to find a way to relax. Thankfully, there are strategies you can adopt to reframe what is making you feel stressed.
The first step in alleviating stressors in your life is to identify them. Becoming more mindful to what triggers your stress can help you find the root of the problem. Do you get anxious when thinking about your finances? Is your job so demanding that you’re losing sleep and feel irritable? If so, they may be the main stressors in your life.
According to the University of Minnesota, one of the best ways to deal with stressors is to adjust your attitude. When dealing with stress, we can become very negative, which can be detrimental to effectively dealing with stressful situations. By reframing your mindset and viewing stressors as challenges and not threats, you can cope with stress in a more effective way.
“You can’t get rid of [unhealthy] stress altogether, that would be great if you could, but you can learn to manage it effectively,”
–Angela Ficken, psychotherapist
Follow these steps to adjust your attitude when dealing with stressful situations:
When you feel stressed, remind yourself you have the resources to tackle this situation’s challenge.
Conversely, accept that there are some things you can’t change – don’t stress about things you can’t control.
Avoid being angry or combative and voice your assertive beliefs, opinions, and/or feelings.
When tackling a large task, divide responsibilities into smaller tasks to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
Create your schedule wisely and allow time for interruptions or change.
Research ways to eliminate stress such as therapy, yoga, walking, or writing in a journal.
Resetting how you view stressful situations can help you deal with them in a more effective way, helping you feel more at-ease when problem solving. Over time, identifying your stressors and mindfully reframing or eliminating them can have a better impact on your mental and physical well-being.
If you are searching for mental health or substance use disorder treatment, we can help. Visit Treatment Connection to find a treatment provider in your area.
DISCLAIMER: THIS BLOG POST DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images, and other material (collectively, “Information”) contained on this blog post are for informational purposes only. None of the Information is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this blog post.
Katika siku hizi na umri, sisi sote kuongoza maisha incredibly busy. Jitihada za kusawazisha kazi, familia, marafiki, wanyama-vipenzi, nyumba, afya, mambo ya kupendeza, na majukumu mengine yaweza kuwa ngumu sana. Kama maisha hayakuwa na mkazo wa kutosha, janga la COVID-19 lilileta changamoto zaidi za afya ya akili kwa sababu ya kutengwa na jamii na mabadiliko katika utaratibu. Kulingana na ripoti ya Global Emotions ya 2021, ulimwengu ulikuwa na mkazo zaidi kuliko wakati wowote katika miaka 15 iliyopita. Ripoti ya 2020 ya Mkazo nchini Marekani kutoka kwa Chama cha Saikolojia cha Amerika (APA) iligundua karibu asilimia 78 ya watu wazima walisema janga la COVID-19 lilikuwa chanzo muhimu cha mkazo katika maisha yao, na asilimia 67 ya watu wazima walisema walipata viwango vya kuongezeka kwa mkazo wakati wa janga hilo. "Hata hivyo, ripoti hiyo imesema kuwa ""matatizo ya kijamii yanawaathiri wengi sana, kama vile: Ugonjwa wa akili, mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa, ongezeko la idadi ya watu wanaojaribu kujiua, ripoti za unyanyasaji wa kingono, na janga la opioid.""" Unapokuwa na mfadhaiko wa pekee, huenda ukagundua kwamba umechoka, au hata kuwachukia watu wanaokuzunguka bila kukusudia. Mkazo unaozidi kuongezeka waweza kuathiri sana akili na mwili wako. Dalili za akili na kimwili za mkazo ni pamoja na: shinikizo la damu la juu, maumivu ya kifua au msukumo wa moyo wa juu Dalili hizi sio bora na zinaweza kuzuia majukumu yako ya kila siku na furaha yako kwa ujumla. Katika hali fulani, mfadhaiko waweza pia kusababisha matumizi ya dawa za kulevya, matatizo ya kula, kuvuta sigareti, kucheza kamari, na matatizo mengine. Siku nyingine huenda ikaonekana kuwa haiwezekani kuondoa kile kinachokufanya uwe na mkazo na kupata njia ya kupumzika. Kwa bahati nzuri, kuna mbinu ambazo unaweza kutumia ili kurekebisha mambo yanayokufanya uhisi umevunjika moyo. Hatua ya kwanza ya kupunguza mkazo katika maisha yako ni kuutambua. Kujua zaidi mambo yanayokusababisha mkazo kunaweza kukusaidia kupata chanzo cha tatizo hilo. Je, una wasiwasi kuhusu pesa zako? Je, kazi yako inakufanya uwe na mambo mengi sana hivi kwamba huwezi kulala na unahisi kuwa na hasira? Ikiwa ndivyo, huenda ikawa ni mambo hayo yanayofanya maisha yako yawe na mkazo. Kulingana na Chuo Kikuu cha Minnesota, mojawapo ya njia bora za kukabiliana na mkazo ni kurekebisha mtazamo wako. Tunaposhughulika na mkazo, tunaweza kuwa na mtazamo hasi sana, jambo linaloweza kutuzuia kushughulika vizuri na hali zenye mkazo. Kwa kubadilisha mtazamo wako na kuona mambo yanayokusumbua kuwa changamoto badala ya tisho, unaweza kukabiliana na mkazo kwa njia yenye matokeo zaidi. "Huwezi kuondoa mkazo kabisa, ingekuwa nzuri kama ungeweza, lakini unaweza kujifunza kuushughulikia kwa ufanisi. "" - Angela Ficken, mtaalamu wa kisaikolojia Fanya hatua hizi ili kurekebisha mtazamo wako wakati wa kukabiliana na hali za mkazo: Unapohisi mkazo, kumbuka una rasilimali za kukabiliana na changamoto ya hali hii." Kinyume chake, kukubali kwamba kuna baadhi ya mambo huwezi kubadilisha <unk> si kusisitiza kuhusu mambo huwezi kudhibiti. Epuka kukasirika au kupigana na useme imani zako zenye kudumisha, maoni, na/au hisia. Unapofanya kazi kubwa, gawanya majukumu yako katika sehemu ndogo-ndogo ili usichanganyikiwe na mambo mengi. Fanya ratiba yako kwa busara na upatie wakati wa kuvuruga au kubadilisha. Tafuta njia za kuondoa mkazo kama vile matibabu, yoga, kutembea, au kuandika katika jarida. Kuamua jinsi unavyoona hali zenye mkazo kunaweza kukusaidia kukabiliana nazo kwa njia yenye matokeo zaidi, na kukusaidia kujisikia vizuri zaidi unapotatua matatizo. Baada ya muda, kutambua mambo yanayokufanya uwe na mkazo na kuyaondoa kwa uangalifu kunaweza kuwa na matokeo mazuri kwa afya yako ya akili na ya kimwili. Ikiwa unatafuta matibabu ya afya ya akili au shida ya matumizi ya dawa, tunaweza kukusaidia. Tembelea Uunganisho wa Matibabu ili kupata mtoa huduma wa matibabu katika eneo lako. "Blog hii haitoi ushauri wa matibabu, habari, ikiwa ni pamoja na, lakini sio tu, maandishi, picha, picha, na vifaa vingine (kwa pamoja, ""Habari""), zilizomo kwenye blogi hii ni kwa madhumuni ya habari tu." Hakuna habari inayokusudiwa kuchukua nafasi ya ushauri wa kitaaluma wa matibabu, utambuzi, au matibabu. Daima tafuta ushauri wa daktari wako au mtoa huduma mwingine wa afya mwenye sifa na maswali yoyote ambayo unaweza kuwa nayo kuhusu hali ya matibabu au matibabu na kabla ya kuanza utaratibu mpya wa huduma ya afya, na kamwe usipuuze ushauri wa kitaaluma wa matibabu au uchelewesha kutafuta kwa sababu ya kitu ambacho umesoma kwenye chapisho hili.