Stress management: How to fight against stress?
Stress is a part of everyday life, so who is not under stress? People who have time, who appear to be unstressed, are quickly labeled as “lazy”. In this context, stress is the cause of many problems, diseases and accidents. Therefore, a good stress management can be indispensable.
Stress – the origin of our diseases
The American physician Bruce Lipton of Stanford University’s School of Medicine concludes that 95% of all diseases are caused by stress. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States puts the figure at 90%.
In prehistoric times, stress was a survival factor because, as hunters and gatherers, we were surrounded by animals that did not hesitate to eat a small snack that tasted human in their search for food. This meant either fighting or running – but for that you need strength.
What actually happens when we are stressed?
The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal cortex axis (HPA-Axis) regulates many processes in the body and controls reactions to stress. In case of stress, hormones are produced which are responsible for giving greater strength (individuals in very intensive stress situations can develop strengths that would otherwise be impossible), blood pressure rises, more blood reaches the extremities so that vision and pupils are focused, and many other consequences. On the other hand, everything that is not necessary will be disconnected, for example digestion, but also logical thinking.
These stress hormones must then be destroyed in order not to damage our health, because hormones attack the arteries and, in the long run, too high a blood pressure is not conducive to health. Added to this is the fact that stress causes hyperacidity and that diseases can only develop in an environment with excess acid.
Our precursors reduced stress in a natural way by taking the killed prey back to their caves after the battle was won, in other words, they had a healthy outdoor physical activity – what we nowadays call sport.
In 2017, our bodies still function as they did millennia ago, simply our “enemies”, in other words the stressors, no longer in nature, but rather at the office, at the workplace, on the street, in the family and many also stress during their leisure time and on vacation.
Control and management of stress
The stress-hormone basket shows what happens when we do nothing about the stress:
Normal, and therefore insignificant, stress is dissipated during sleep (if it lasted a sufficient number of hours – approx. 7 to 8 hours)
Long-term stress does not go away, the first signs such as nervousness, high blood pressure, etc. appear, the immune system is reduced
The next stage results in psychosomatic illnesses, medication is prescribed, the risk of depression and burnout increases dramatically, the immune system is attacked
In the final stage, serious illnesses occur and – if no intervention is made – can lead to death
Stress management – So what can be done?
1. Take into consideration
Be aware of what stresses you. Stress is very individual, what causes no stress in one person already causes considerable stress in another. It is not valuable as such either. Be honest with yourself, the principle of “what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger” has not lost any of its strength in this context.
Be aware of how you react to stress.
2. Accept the stress
Accept it: “Now I’m stressed!”
Also be aware of what it means for you to accept that you are stressed.
Place a “personal magic formula” anchor that points you back to your balance.
Important: accepting does not mean condoning!
3. Decompress and activate
Decompressing and activating are the Yin and Yang of stress management, because before you can regain your senses, you must first restore your body’s balance.
Find methods for stressful situations, such as:
Being present here and now.
Think in small steps → Partial successes are also successes!
Celebrate partial successes and build courage.
Being and staying in the business.
Find a personal rhythm of work
Energize – refuel
4. Change habits as a stress management technique
Set (realistic) goals (“anyone who sets unreasonable goals is playing Russian roulette with their self-confidence”)
Plan (a bad plan is better than no plan)
Set priorities
Pareto principle (80/20 rule)
Importance/urgency matrix
Provide a buffer space
Don’t just do the right things, do the right things
Make decisions (“tension and inner discord are more exhausting than hard, tireless work!”)
5. Change your attitude
Stress depends to a large extent on subjective considerations and attitude
A decision does not have to be final, it can also be made for a certain period of time
No one has an obligation! Obligations must be converted into wills. The role of the victim must be rejected
Realistic expectations (expectation comes from the word expect, disappointments are the end of deception)
Say no when you mean no!
Value yourself
Learn from your mistakes
See things positively
Decide in favor of happiness!
Eat healthy
Eating poorly stresses the body – in stressful situations we tend not to eat properly – a real vicious circle.
Although this has been known and proven for a long time, the wrong food pyramid is still recommended, based mainly on carbohydrates (grain products, etc.). This leads to illness and overweight, because carbohydrates only satisfy you for a short time. In other words, eat as little carbohydrates as possible (sugar of any kind, bread, pasta, etc.). Salad, vegetables, egg whites, fat should be recommended, but stay away from fruit (because fructose is also a sugar).
Yes, you read correctly. Fat does not make you fat, but it does make you feel full! And forget everything you’ve read about food and cholesterol, in the meantime it’s all been denied.
Drink plenty of plain water. Tap water is available in sufficient quantity, but it must be filtered because, even in Switzerland, there are many residues in water that are not present in the body. There are many suitable filters, ideally coupled with a water activator that produces basic water.
Generally, care must be taken to balance acids and bases, as most individuals eat too acidic a diet.
Tips for good stress management:
Exercise regularly, mark your “sports appointments” in your calendar and treat them like business appointments
Find a type of relaxation that suits you (meditation, mental training, yoga, autogenic training, etc.)
Get enough sleep
Learn to say NO
Find satisfying hobbies that relax you
Work regularly on your Work-Life Balance – you will find ideas for this in this newsletter
If your job is always stressing you, ask yourself if you are made for this job or if it would be better to change
Set out on the path towards your vision – don’t put off important goals
