There are a lot of things that we know about the effects that stress has on the human body. For example, stress is linked to a lowered immune system response, overproduction of stress hormones which can cause weight gain, and of course, the negative mental health effects of being overstressed. Being overstressed is linked to many health conditions and diseases. What can you do as a senior to reduce your stress level?
Is All Stress Bad?
One of the key misconceptions about stress is that it is all bad. The fact is there are two types of stress responses. One is key to getting us up and moving every day and one form has a negative impact on our bodies. The first type of stress is Eustress, which is beneficial stress. It motivates us. The other type of stress Distress is the type that needs to be controlled. Distress is overwhelming and is often explained as an individual’s feelings of inability to control their situation.
Medications to Control Stress
There is a range of medications that can be used to control mental anguish caused by stressors. Other medications focus on specific body stress. For example, ThePelvicCenter.com recently released study information that showed a medication, Emsella, helped to improve urinary incontinence by about 95%.
While medication can be helpful, it is important that you also focus on behavior modification therapies to learn how to control your stress response while you are on medication. About 55% of communities with assisted living residents offer counseling and mental health services. Taking medication to control feelings of stress treats the symptoms, not the underlying causes; counseling treats the underlying causes.
Diet Can Help
What you eat and drink can affect how stressed you feel. Beverages containing caffeine can easily ramp up your heart rate and your feelings of being stressed out, but caffeine is not the only culprit. Overdrinking alcohol can do the same. Sugary drinks and foods can also be an issue.
Eating foods and drinking beverages that have little to no added sugar is a great option if you want to get stress under control. The average US family uses about 400 gallons of water every day. Water should be your go-to beverage as well.
Depending on your weight, you should be consuming about 1 gallon of water per day. Most people do not get enough water to drink, which can cause light dehydration, which can cause your body to be stressed out.
Exercise
Study after study has found that people that exercise are not only physically healthier but are mentally healthy as well. Simple exercises like walking can help to keep stressors down to a minimum. Walking is a great form of exercise.
A daily walk can help to ease your mind and keep things in perspective. It also helps to burn off that excess energy that hormones can cause. Take a 30-minute daily walk and you will start to feel a difference. Of course, if you can do more you should do more.
Seek Social Support
A chat with a friend can do wonders for improving your emotional health. Sometimes relieving stress can be as simple as talking to someone about the things that are bothering you. Chatting with close friends can help you to find solutions to some of your problems.
Creating a circle of social support can be a great way to keep stressors in perspective. Join a club, reach out to old friends, and create a circle that you can depend on.
Identify Your Triggers
The final tip for keeping stress at bay is to identify the cause of your stress. For example, if you are having family problems, identify the problem, then consider family counseling to put the problem to rest. One of the best ways to control stress is to deal with the problem head-on and determine the cause and then work toward eliminating the cause.
These were just a handful of helpful tips you can start following. Take control of your stress and focus on your mental well-being.