Stress is a normal part of life, and it affects everyone in one way or another. Low to moderate levels of stress can actually be good for you when managed properly. But extreme levels of stress can take a physical and mental toll on your health and contribute to severe problems such as heart attack, stroke and depression.
Although you can’t completely eliminate tension from your life, you can reduce your emotional and physical stress levels by making small changes like:
- Understand how you experience stress
- Everyone experiences stress differently. How do you know when you are under extreme stress? You may think or behave differently from times when you do not feel stressed.
- Identify your stressors
- What events or situations trigger stressful feelings? Are they related to your children, family, health, finances, work, relationships or something else?
- Learn your own stress signals
- You may have a hard time concentrating and making decisions, feel angry, irritable or out of control. Some people experience headaches, muscle tension or a lack of energy when stress is high.
