For almost every person who lives and work actively in many big cities in Africa stress is an on-going battle.
In Lagos, Nairobi, Abuja, Accra, Johannesburg and so on, it is a normal part of life. There are bills to pay so you cant afford to let anything get you down. Even stress at that point become a stimulus.
However, if it persists, it can lead to health problems, such as headaches and insomnia.
According to Psychology today, stress is simply a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental equilibrium. In other words, it’s an omnipresent part of life. A stressful event can trigger the “fight-or-flight” response, causing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to surge through the body.
According to MayoClinic, a single episode of acute stress generally doesn’t cause problems for healthy people. However, severe acute stress can cause mental health problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, and even physical difficulties such as a heart attack.
Also if stress emanates from several sources at a time, dealing with it may be very challenging.
For example, it may be work related, family related or it may come from self-imposed anxiety. Experts also maintain that it may emanate from two or more sources. The good news is that no matter the source, there are always ways to beat it and move on with life happily.
Here are three simple ways to keep the stress off you:
1. Meditation
One of the first ways to do it is to get the mind focused on positive things.
“Research suggests that daily meditation may alter the brain’s neural pathways, making you more resilient to stress,” psychologist Robbie Maller Hartman, PhD, a Chicago health and wellness coach said on WebMD, a popular wellness website.
To meditate is simple: Sit up straight with both feet on the floor. Close your eyes. Focus your attention on reciting ― out loud or silently ― a positive mantra such as “I feel at peace” or “I love myself.” Place one hand on your belly to sync the mantra with your breaths. Let any distracting thoughts float by like clouds, experts suggest.
2. Deep Breathing
The practice of deep breathing stimulates the body’s parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), responsible for activities that occur when it is at rest. It functions in an opposite manner to the sympathetic nervous system, which stimulates activities associated with response to stress.
3. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive Muscle Relaxation, or PMR, is an anti-stress technique that is very useful for getting a good sleep. It enables you to completely relax all of the muscles in your body quickly, thereby releasing tension from stress. PMR can be done at virtually any time or place, once you’ve learned the technique and practiced it.
The technique involves tensing specific muscle groups and then relaxing them to create awareness of tension and relaxation. It is termed progressive because it proceeds through all major muscle groups, relaxing them one at a time, and eventually leads to total muscle relaxation.
