Balance Counselling and Coaching Ltd
PUT YOUR LIFE IN BALANCE By Kathryn Taylor
I have had many times in my life where I have felt that I was no longer in control of my destiny, be that through stresses of work, relationships or just life in general, today I want to focus on the impacts this can have on your mental health and then provide some easy to follow, achievable, steps that you can take for yourself, at any point that you start to feel, anxious, stressed or just plain overwhelmed in life.
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ut before I do that, I just want to start by giving a brief explanation of what stress is, what causes it and the impact on the body physically and mentally.
What is stress? Stress is the body’s natural response to any situation where it perceives a threat, real or imagined, the body then responds by triggering physical reactions in the body most commonly know as the “Fight or Flight response”. This is the bodies way of trying to protect you and keep you safe. Highly useful when you are in an emergency situation as it puts the body into a state of heightened awareness. The heart rate increases, the adrenaline pumps, your breathing quickens all helping to increase your strength and stamina as well as improving your focus and increasing your reaction time. Ensuring you are ready to stand and fight or run for safety. Examples of this would include: • Someone breaking into your house at night • Being followed by a stranger Sometimes, this reaction can also be useful in helping you face challenges in your life for example facing new opportunities, doing a presentation to others etc. After the perceived threat has passed it usually takes the body about twenty to thirty minutes to calm down after a stress response. When is stress bad for you? Stress is bad for you when it becomes your base state, when you start to feel overwhelmed frequently. I have listed below some of the behaviours and physical symptoms you may see if you or someone close to you is suffering from stress/ overwhelm. 74
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Behavioural Impact
Emotional Impact
Sleep issues (too much/too little)
Crying constantly
Substance abuse (Alcohol/Drugs)
Feelings of overwhelm
Eating (more/less)
Moodiness (Angry/Irritable)
Procrastinating
Anxiety
Mental Impact
Physical Symptoms
Inability to concentrate
Chest pains
Seeing only the negative
Stomach Upsets/Nausea
Constant worrying
Aches and Pains
When we are in a constant state of stress it prevents us from being able to respond in a rational and balanced way and our ability to deal with and manage our emotional responses reduces greatly so we are more likely to overreact and catastrophise about situations. This can lead us to become locked into a way of thinking where we can only perceive the negatives of the situation and find it difficult if not impossible to see the potential for solutions and opportunities As implied above many different things can cause stress some externally driven and some that we create for ourselves, however the feelings of overwhelm and stress have the same impacts. The top ten causes of stress as defined by the “Homes and Rahe Stress Scale” are: 1. Death of a spouse 2. Divorce 3. Marriage/Partner separation 4. Imprisonment 5. Death of a close family member 6. Injury or illness 7. Marriage 8. Job loss 9. Marriage reconciliation 10. Retirement
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