Top 12 Winning Formulas How To Reduce Stress? Symptoms, Signs & Causes

How would you define Stress?

We can define "Stress" as a state of mental and physical strain or tension between situational demand and the person's capacity and creativity to address those demands.

Why Is It Important To Learn About Stress? 

• Everyone experiences stress at one point or another in their daily lives
• It is affecting your performance
• It can cause accidents due to human error
• Lead to poor attendance levels
• Difficult to concentrate on studies 
• Trouble completing assignments on time
• Changes in eating habits & sleeping habits

Stress Warning Signs & Symptoms

The most dangerous thing about stress is how easily it can crawl up on you. You get used to it. It starts to feel familiar — even normal. You don't notice how much it's affecting you, even as it makes a heavy substantial damage. That's why it's important to be aware of the common warning signs and symptoms of stress overload.

• Cognitive symptoms
• Memory issues
• Unable to focus
• Poor judgment
• Focusing only the negative
• Anxious or too many thoughts
• Constant worrying

• Emotional symptoms
• Depression or feeling unhappy
• Anxiety and disturbance
• Moodiness, irritability, or anger
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Loneliness and isolation
• Other mental or emotional health problems

• Physical symptoms
• Aches and pains
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Nausea, dizziness
• Chest pain, rapid heart rate
• Frequent colds or flu

• Behavioral symptoms
• Eating more or less
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Pulling back from others
• Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities
• Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax
• Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, roaming)

Causes of stress

The situations and pressures that cause stress are known as stressors. We usually think of stressors as being negative, such as an exhausting work schedule, divorce, death of a close family member or a rough relationship. However, anything that puts high demands on you can be stressful. This includes positive events such as getting married, buying a house, going to college, or receiving a promotion. 

Stress can likewise be inside or self-produced, when you stress unreasonably over something that could conceivably happen, or have nonsensical, critical considerations about existence.

So Why We Should Be Concerned?

Chronic stress may be the ultimate risk factor. Some experts think stress is a major cause of 50% of all disease. Research indicates that stress has a dramatic effect on your immune system.

Stress has been linked to the nation's two leading causes of illness—heart disease and cancer.

• Heart disease - Research over the past decade has documented that mental stress is as potent a trigger of heart disease as strenuous exercise or overexertion.  
• Cancer - Although not conclusive, some studies have indicated an increased incidence of early death, including cancer death, among people who have experienced major life stress factors.    

The Good News…

• God will never give you anything you can't handle, so Don't Stress. 
• Just because the past didn't turn out like you wanted it to, doesn't mean your future can't be better than you ever imagined.

Four Foods That Can Cause Stress

1. Sugar: If you want to reduce stress, sugar is one of the first ingredients to cut out of your diet. When you're stressed, the body releases more cortisol hormone which is responsible for helping to manage both stress and blood sugar levels in our body. That's why when you eat sugary foods, blood sugar levels spike, and the body must release more cortisol to balance blood sugar. The problem is that increased cortisol can also cause sleep issues, decreased immune response, headaches, and unhealthy food cravings. Additionally, rapidly fluctuating blood sugar levels cause feelings that are similar to stress, including anxiousness and fear. By eliminating foods with added sugars—like pastries, flavored yogurt, and soda—and eating more whole foods, you'll keep your blood sugar stable, which means fewer mood swings, reduced stress, and a happier body.

2. Caffeine: I can't live without my morning cup of tea or coffee, but sipping caffeinated drinks all day long or drinking more than your body is used to can cause your stress to simmer. Caffeine stimulates your nervous system and specifically adrenal glands, which means too much can lead to a rapid heartbeat and increase in blood pressure. It can also irritate your digestive system. Additionally, excess caffeine can interfere with sleep and trigger dehydration, which can zap energy and cause headaches.

3. Alcohol: A few sips of wine may make you feel relaxed, but consuming more can actually exacerbate stress. Alcohol stimulates the production of the same hormones the body produces when under stress, and research shows that stress and alcohol "feed" each other. The researchers measured effects such as anxiety and the desire for more alcohol, as well as heart rate, blood pressure, and the levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) present. They found that alcohol can actually prolong feelings of tension brought on by stress, and stress can reduce the pleasant effects of alcohol and spike cravings for more. Like caffeine, alcohol is also dehydrating and can interfere with sleep.

4. High-Sodium Foods: Fluid is attracted to sodium like a magnet, so when you take in surplus sodium, you'll retain more fluid. This extra fluid puts more work on your heart, ups your blood pressure, and leads to bloating, water retention and puffiness, all of which are side effects that can drain your energy and increase your stress level.

Best Stress Busters Foods

• B vitamins are responsible for anxiety-easing and pleasure-inducing neurotransmitters like serotonin, GABA and dopamine. Foods include: chickpeas, lentils, tuna, green beans, milk, plain yogurt, salmon, chicken, asparagus, oatmeal etc.

• Magnesium produces calming neurotransmitters and can act as a muscle relaxant. Foods include: almonds, spinach, sunflower seeds, tofu

• Omega-3s reduce inflammation, which can be triggered by stress, and a deficiency in these fatty acids has been linked to depression and mood swings. Foods include: salmon, sardines, oysters, halibut, flax, walnuts

• Vitamin C—when you are stressed, your body produces cortisol, which can lead to belly fat and even brain cell damage. Vitamin C may help prevent this damage and keep the immune system strong. Foods include: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, orange juice, red and green peppers, strawberries

12 Winning Formulas for Reducing Stress

1. Find a support system. Find someone to talk to about your feelings and experiences. Speak to friends, family, a teacher, a mentor, or a counselor. Sometimes we just need to get something "off our heart". Expressing our feelings can be relieving, we can feel supported by others, and it can help us work out our problems.
2. Change your attitude. Find other ways to think about how to avoid stressful situations. Life is 10% what happens to us, and 90% how we react to it. Talk to yourself positively. Say this to yourself that, "I can handle it, " "this will be over soon," or "I have handled difficult things before, and I can do it again." Also, practice acceptance. We need to learn to accept things we cannot change without trying to exert more control over them.
3. Be realistic. Set practical goals for dealing with situations and solving problems. Setting our expectations or goals high may seem like a useful way to push ourselves and get things done, but we may also set ourselves up for disappointment and continued stress. Find the courage to recognize your limits
4. Get organized and take charge. Being unorganized or engaging in poor planning often leads to frustration, which most always leads to feeling stressed. Do this regularly until it becomes a productive habit. Take responsibility for your life. Be proactive. Problem solve and look for solutions rather than worry. 
5. Take breaks, give yourself "me time". Learn that taking time to yourself for rejuvenation and relaxation is just as important as giving time to other activities. At minimum, take short breaks during your busy day. You might purposely schedule time in your day planner just for yourself so that you can recharge for all the other things you need to do.
6. Take good care of yourself. Eat properly, get regular rest, keep a routine. Allow yourself to do something you enjoy each day. When we feel overwhelmed we tend to eat poorly, sleep less, stop exercising, and generally push ourselves harder. This can impose the immune system and cause us to become ill more easily. If we take good care of ourselves to begin with, we will be better prepared to manage stress and accomplish our tasks in the long run.
7. Learn to say "NO". Learn to pick and choose which things you will say "yes" to and which things you will not. It is okay to decline a request for a favor. Saying "no" does not mean you are bad, self-centered, or uncaring. Learn skills of assertiveness so that you can feel more confident and have effective ways of saying "no."
8. Get regular exercise. Exercising regularly can help relieve some symptoms of depression and stress, and help us to maintain our health. Exercise can build confidence, self-esteem, and self-image.
9. Get a hobby, do something different. For a balanced lifestyle, play is as important as work. Leisure activities and hobbies can be very enjoyable and inspiring, and they can offer an added sense of accomplishment to our lives. For ideas on new hobbies, browse through a bookstore or a crafts store, surf the internet, look up local organizations, see what classes or courses are available in your community or from a nearby college or university. Don't quickly dismiss new opportunities. 
10. Slow down. Know your limits and cut down on the number of things you try to do each day, particularly if you do not have enough time for them or for yourself. Be realistic about what you can accomplish effectively each day. Monitor your pace. Rushing through things can lead to mistakes or poor performance. Take the time you need to do a good job. Poorly done tasks can lead to added stress. 
11. Laugh, use humor.  Do something fun and enjoyable such as seeing a funny movie, laughing with friends, reading a humorous book, or going to a comedy show. 
12. Learn to relax. Develop a regular relaxation routine. Relaxation techniques are skills that need to be developed with patience and practice so that we can use them effectively during difficult times of stress later on.

Keep in mind that there will be stress throughout our entire life. Bills keep coming, work will always be there, teachers will still hand out assignments and homework. It is how we use our stress management skills that make the difference!

By taking control of our thoughts, emotions, and environment we are controlling our life instead of letting stress control us!

I enjoyed writing this post as it showed me numerous new things and I now know better approaches to manage stress and anger and how to keep the stress and anger levels to least in my life. I trust this post is useful and will help you overcome the stress and anger and that you will be in control from here on out. "So keep calm and don't stress."

At long last, Remember what is genuinely important in life - Your Happiness!