Any competent doctor will tell you that you need to control your psycho-emotional state; if you can’t do it yourself, you can even be prescribed medications. Why is this so important? When stressed, the hormone cortisol is released. It affects the functioning of all body systems. Because of this, the functioning of the cardiovascular and nervous systems is disrupted, which can lead to deterioration in well-being, sleep problems, and problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
People who know how to cope with stress and avoid conflict situations tend to lead fulfilling lives. They have enough energy for work, friends and hobbies. Mentally balanced people have happy families, give birth to healthy children and raise them to be just as psychologically balanced.
INFLUENCE OF STRESS ON HUMAN HEALTH
Scientists have proven that the body of people who are constantly exposed to stress wears out 40% faster than those of those people who live in peace. Frequent stressful situations cause the following symptoms:
- Redness of the skin, various rashes;
- Feeling tired and exhausted even after a full sleep;
- Loss or gain of body weight;
- Constant feeling of anxiety;
- Tremor (shaking) of the limbs;
- Stool disorder.
If you do nothing, there is a high chance of developing the following pathological processes:
- Panic attacks;
- Depression;
- Heart failure;
- Stomach ulcer;
- Hypertension;
- Anorexia;
- Stress can also cause a decrease in sex drive in both women and men.
Find the meaning of life
Resilient people don't have a job - they have a calling. They have a mission and purpose that gives meaning to everything they do. And in difficult times, this goal pushes them forward.
According to Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's theory that work is one of the pillars of the meaning of life, the ability to see one's calling in one's work increases emotional stability. This is true even for people in low-skilled jobs (such as hospital cleaners) and for people who are unsuccessful in their chosen occupation.
"Unbreakable: The Science of Confronting Life's Challenges"
SLEEP AS THE BASIS OF GOOD WELL-BEING
Adequate rest and healthy sleep are the first rules of a stable psyche. A well-rested person is more resistant to stress. The norm is considered to be 7-8 hours of sleep (and at least 9 hours if a person trains hard or works on his feet).
If there is not enough sleep, the stability of the nervous system decreases. You've probably observed how small children become capricious when they are tired and want to sleep. A similar condition is observed in adults who regularly do not get enough sleep - it becomes difficult for them to control their emotions, they feel irritation and aggression.
To improve the quality of your sleep, be sure to create a comfortable sleeping environment in your bedroom - darken the room, ventilate it before bed, and try to make the room quiet. Maintain a sleep schedule - try to go to bed and wake up at approximately the same time every day and not deviate too much from this schedule, even on weekends. If these measures do not help, contact a neurologist or somnologist. Your doctor will help you improve your sleep and quality of night's rest.
Listen to your favorite music or sounds
Our brain is designed in such a way that surrounding sounds and images have a direct influence on it. With the help of sound you can scare, make you laugh, excite, upset and delight. Therefore, it makes sense to use appropriate sounds and music to lift your mood and improve your emotional background.
Remember your favorite musical compositions and listen to them for at least 10-20 minutes - you will see that your mood will begin to change. Think about what sounds are associated with pleasant emotions. This could be the sound of waves, birds singing or the crackling of wood in a fire.
Find these sounds on the Internet and listen to them with your eyes closed, return emotionally to the pleasant state that is associated with them, imagine yourself in this environment, live this moment again. You will definitely feel better - try it.
MEDITATION AND PSYCHOTHERAPY, THEIR INFLUENCE ON HEALTH
Meditation is a great way to cope with depression and stress without medication.
The effect of meditation on the body is:
- Improving brain function. It has been scientifically proven that a course of meditation helps restore brain cells;
- Reducing the risk of developing heart disease;
- Eliminate feelings of anxiety;
- Developing mental resistance to stress;
- Increasing immunity and strengthening the body's defenses.
Scientists from Washington conducted an interesting study. 15 colleagues from one enterprise voluntarily took part in it. Before the rehabilitation course, each of the volunteers underwent a stress resistance test. It turned out that 14 out of 15 workers live in constant stress and cannot effectively cope with nerve-wracking situations.
The workers completed an eight-week meditation course under the supervision of a specialist - and a repeat test showed that the workers became much calmer and learned to control their emotions. Psychotherapy also shows good results - it helps solve problems and combat anxiety.
Be optimistic
Yes, the ability to see the bright side helps. What’s interesting is that in this case we are not talking about “rose-colored glasses.” Truly resilient people who have to endure the most difficult situations and still go to the goal (prisoners of war, special forces soldiers) know how to maintain a balance between a positive outlook and a realistic view of things.
Realistic optimists take into account negative information that relates to the current problem. However, unlike pessimists, they do not dwell on it. As a rule, they quickly abstract from problems that are currently unsolvable and concentrate all their attention on those that they can solve.
"Unbreakable: The Science of Confronting Life's Challenges"
And it was not only Southwick and Charney who identified this feature. When American journalist and writer Lawrence Gonzales studied the psychology of people who survived extreme situations, he found the same thing: they balance between a positive attitude towards the situation and realism.
The logical question is: how the hell do they do this? Gonzalez realized that the difference between such people is that they are realists, confident in their abilities. They see the world as it is, but they believe that they are rock stars in it.
HOW TO LEARN TO CONTROL YOUR PSYCHOEMOTIONAL STATE?
How to maintain health and increase stress resistance?
- Don't take on several things at once. Complete every task you start without being distracted by extraneous factors. If your job does not allow you to do only one thing, make a schedule for the priority of tasks and, in the time allocated for a task, do only it.
- If you are nervous about a situation, ask yourself if there is something you can do. If not, then you need to come to terms with the fact that this situation and its result are beyond your control and try to distract yourself with something else. If you can, no need to worry, just do it.
- Try to develop independent self-esteem. Of course, listening to a negative assessment and scolding is unpleasant - but, if you think about it, this assessment has nothing to do with you. This is just the opinion of another person, which can be taken into account if the person is important to you, but should not be taken as an objective reality. Evaluate yourself.
- Set realistic goals for yourself. Not the easiest, but achievable. When determining the deadline for completing a task, reserve 15-20% of the time for force majeure situations and the human factor, then delays will not unsettle you.
- Light physical activity helps stabilize the psycho-emotional state - nothing calms you down like a light jog or swimming.
- Go to bed no later than 11 pm, try to sleep at least 8 hours.
- Organize your workplace in such a way that it is pleasant to be there and easy to find everything you need.
- Eat the right foods. For the stability of your psycho-emotional state, it is very important to eat a balanced diet. B vitamins are especially important.
- At least once a week, do something that makes you happy. Meet with friends, dance, eat delicious food, play computer or board games.
If nothing helps, and you feel that it is difficult for you to cope with stress on your own, contact a specialist; you may have depression. In this case, you need qualified treatment.
Exercise 2
Take a convenient and comfortable position that is already familiar to you, preferably in a cozy chair. Take a deep breath and exhale. Now tense your toes while inhaling deeply through your nose. Let your stomach protrude slightly as you inhale. As you exhale slowly, imagine that you are exhaling through your toes. Try to see how the tension “flows” out of them. Repeat: inhale, tighten your fingers, exhale. At the same time, the shoulders and lower jaw drop slightly. Pay attention to the foot and ankle. As you inhale, tense your foot, and as you exhale, “breathe out” through it. Repeat: inhale, stick out your stomach, exhale slowly without effort through your feet.
Calves of the legs. Inhale, tense your muscles. Exhale through your calves. Exhale through your mouth, letting your shoulders and jaw drop slightly. Once again: inhale, slowly tense your calves, exhale, slowly relax.
Thigh muscles. Inhale and tense, exhale slowly through the muscles. Inhale again and tense your muscles, exhale slowly, lowering your shoulders and jaw.
Gluteal muscles. Inhale and tense them, exhale and relax. Again: inhale through your nose, tense your muscles, exhale slowly, lower your shoulders.
Small of the back. As you inhale, bend at the lower back, as you exhale, relax and exhale through it. Inhale, tension, exhale, imagine how the tension leaves this area.
Stomach. As you inhale, tighten your abdominal muscles and exhale freely and effortlessly. Inhale through the nose, exhale, shoulders and jaw drop.
Upper back. Inhale and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Exhale through your shoulder blades. Inhale slowly, tense your back, exhale slowly, relax.
Shoulders. As you inhale, raise your shoulders; as you exhale, let them fall calmly. Inhale, tense, exhale through your shoulders.
Neck. Inhale through your nose, sticking out your stomach, and exhale freely through your neck.
Face. As you inhale, tighten the muscles around your eyes and mouth and wrinkle your forehead. Exhale through your face, relax. Inhale, tense your muscles, exhale, watch how the tension “flows out”. Hands. Inhale and tense your muscles, then exhale through them. Inhale through your nose, then exhale slowly, freely lowering your shoulders and jaw.
Hands. Inhale and gather all the tension that remains in your body into clenched fists, then exhale through your hands, slowly extending your fingers. Inhale again and clench your fists, then exhale effortlessly and imagine how the remaining tension flows from your fingertips.
By doing exercise 1 and/or 2, you will give your body the opportunity to remember a somewhat forgotten state of relaxation.
By learning to quickly relax the muscles of your body, you can achieve a state of relaxation in 1-2 seconds. Every time any problem arises in front of you, you will be able to quickly release all your muscles from excessive tension.
ALSO SEE: How to create a good mood: four practical techniques
Relaxing your muscles will make it almost impossible for you to deal with a stressful situation as usual; you will no longer react as sharply as before. Perhaps if you relax completely, you won't even be able to get angry or feel anxious. Relaxing your muscles will also be very beneficial for your physical health.
Many managers complain about the state of “constant internal monologue,” that is, a state when work moments are constantly replayed in the form of an internal monologue. In this case, the problematic situation is not resolved, fatigue, insomnia, and irritation appear. The desire to think about something else usually leads to a return to thoughts about work.
It is very difficult to get rid of obsessive thoughts. Many managers begin to try to replace this state by resorting to alcohol intoxication, gambling, and sex. At the same time, other states are not perceived as self-sufficient. They are necessary only in order to at least temporarily disconnect from the internal monologue. Therefore, replacement states do not bring satisfaction and an internal comfortable state.
To stop the internal monologue, we suggest the following exercises.
Pamper yourself
Each of us has an “inner child” that wants to be pampered. Remember how in childhood, doing what we liked, we easily and quickly lifted our mood. Think about what makes you happy, what activity nourishes you emotionally.
This could be painting pictures, singing karaoke, swimming, cycling, trampolining, sports, dancing. Surely, in your arsenal there are favorite hobbies that are guaranteed to give you moments of happiness. Put everything aside for a while and devote yourself to an inspiring activity. You will see, having nourished yourself emotionally and lifted your spirits, everything else will be done much faster and easier.
Watch an interesting movie
If you have 2 hours of free time and need to cheer yourself up, then go to the cinema or watch it at home. Choose a film that suits your current situation. For some, a comedy is more suitable for a good laugh, for others it is better to watch a romantic film to awaken warm feelings and tenderness.
By the way, a drama with a sad ending can also come in handy if you need to compare your situation and the history of the film’s characters in order to understand: “I’m not so bad yet.” And horror films and thrillers will tickle your nerves, cause a rush of adrenaline and a desire to act. This genre is suitable for those who need to disperse melancholy and apathy.
