Just Stop Being So Stressed!

By: Karyssa Shaw 

I am a Big Ole Stress Ball!

Everyone is stressed. Some people are stressed all the time, others only occasionally. But everyone has gone through the overwhelming feelings of stress at some point in their life. 

Stress is one of those things where you almost get more stressed when someone tells you to “just stop being stressed”. It doesn’t just go away with the snap of your fingers. Me personally, I’ve always been overwhelmed and anxious regardless of what is going on in my life. I have had to learn how to cope and not let those feelings take over my life but honestly, it is much easier said than done. I am getting married in just over a week and I’ve experienced some pretty sucky side effects to my stress that I only feel before big events. These side effects are really taking a toll on my physical, mental, and emotional health. Some of my symptoms include fatigue, foggy brain, breakout acne, headaches, upset stomach, difficulty falling asleep, lack of motivation, and decreased appetite. I even had a little bit of a short temper which is unlike me. 

Stress can be dealt with in a handful of ways. Some people will take naps. Others will meditate, do yoga, or go to the gym. Some people even go out and go shopping or do errands. I like to do all of the above depending on what my symptoms are. Naps are a great way for me to relax when I have a headache or an upset stomach. Meditation or structured breathing exercises are my favorite for when I am really tired or need to cool down my temper. And shopping, well, I can do that whether I am stressed or not 😉 

Unfortunately, ongoing long term stress can really hurt your body. It causes consistent increasing heart rate and blood pressure and also elevates your stress hormone levels. If it isn’t controlled properly, it can increase the risk of hypertension, heart attack, or stroke. Surprisingly though, there is one good thing that stress can cause and that is stimulation of the immune system which is a plus for things like fighting off an infection or healing a wound. 

Regardless of how often you stress or what your symptoms are, you should always have coping skills in your back pocket at the ready. If you need a little extra “kick”, I will FOREVER recommend seeing a therapist. I have mentioned my anxiety/depression journey before in another blog and also on our podcast but my big takeaway for you is to talk to someone. Sometimes getting the opinion of someone who doesn’t know all the ins and outs of your life could be helpful.