The first week of November is International Stress Awareness Week.
Ukrainians face stress, anxiety, panic, losses, grief, sadness, and injuries every day. War causes not only physical wounds, but also psychological ones. So it is important to recognize stress and understand that help is needed.
How serious is it and how can we protect ourselves?
How serious is it and how can we protect ourselves?
Stress is a protective reaction of the body to external stimuli. It manifests itself mentally, physically, emotionally and allows you to adapt to changes.
We are often exposed to short-term stress. Short-term stress is useful, it mobilizes the body's defenses and stimulates mental activity.
But chronic stress is dangerous: it can cause mental disorders and physical diseases. Prolonged stress can cause depression, anxiety disorder. At the physical level, chronic stress can cause coronary heart disease and increase the risk of heart attack.
It can also cause hypertension, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, asthma and type 2 diabetes. It can lead to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
What happens in the body during a stress reaction?
The brain, perceiving a threat, signals the adrenal glands to release stress hormones - adrenaline and cortisol. The body's internal reserves are activated, so muscle strength, reaction speed, endurance and pain threshold increase. These are important reactions that help the body fight the source of danger or escape from it.
In the conditions of constant unrest due to the pandemic and the threat of military action, most people face chronic stress.
Getting out of a state of stress and interrupting the stress reaction can be learned!
Find out what exactly worries you and affects you for the living.
Psychologists claim: the problem extracted from the subconscious is already half solved. For this, it is not necessary to go to a psychoanalyst. Talk to a loved one about what's bothering you. This is a special psychological technique: after analyzing your problem out loud, you will get to the root of the problems and find a way out of the situation.
Breathe
Deep breathing is calming. During stress, we breathe often and shallowly - in contrast, breathing exercises should be slow and deep.
Take a short breath, hold your breath for a while, and exhale long and slowly (exhalation should be several times longer than inhalation).
It is recommended to count mentally: inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 8. Hold your breath as much as it is comfortable for you. You can count to 6.
Plan your day.
Scientists have noticed that for a person whose condition is close to stressful, time accelerates its course. Therefore, she feels excessively busy and lacks time. Coping with overloads is simple: write down your actions, dividing by the degree of importance, and follow your plan.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
Instead of lying in bed, run, go for walks. Regular sports, swimming, dancing, jogging, cycling strengthen the nervous system. Firstly, active movements prevent adrenaline from accumulating, and secondly, they distract from negative thoughts. During physical activity, the level of the stress hormone (cortisol) decreases, and endorphins - "hormones of happiness" - are released, we feel an elevated state and enjoy life more.
Smile even if you don't feel like it.
Laughter has a positive effect on the immune system, activating blood T-lymphocytes. In response to your smile, the body will produce the desired hormones of joy.
OKSANA KUNINETS is a doctor of general hygiene of the Lviv Regional Center and Disease Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine
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