By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
Do the challenges of life leave you overwhelmed? Or are you using challenges as an opportunity? How our bodies are affected by stress and tension determines a healthy or unhealthy body.
Stress and tension are not always bad experiences. Stress is the body’s reaction to a potential mental or physical threat. We strive to find answers while our brains are in “fight or flee” mode. Those situations cause us to reach deep within ourselves to find solutions.
Opportunities are golden moments that allow us to achieve something we want. The goal usually requires work and sacrifice, but the rewards are worth the investment. Stress and tension may accompany the opportunity, but with optimism, we can embrace the challenge and move forward. Sometimes we have a sleepless night or skip a meal while our brains are engaged. The result presents satisfaction of a job well done.
Consistent stress and tension shove a person into overwhelmed mode. A state of being overwhelmed causes a person to feel defeated, devastated, and often physically or mentally ill. It’s like drowning with no lifeline. The victim goes down for the third time and fails to rise again.
Unchecked stress leads to emotional behaviors such as agitation, inability to relax, avoiding others including loved ones, and depression that can escalate to suicide. Physical reactions such as nausea, high blood pressure, intense headaches, insomnia, addictive behaviors, and uncontrollable trembling can push a victim to a heart attack. Add to those mental and physical symptoms an inability to think clearly and constant worry. Many other conditions can stem from the inability to handle life’s challenges. Unmanageable stress can kill.
Here are 10 ways to approach challenges:
- Confess your overwhelmed condition to a trusted friend, loved one, or pastor.
- Commit to seeking help and making positive changes in your life.
- Connect with others who face the same issues in a group setting.
- Carve out time to pray and meditate.
- Consider diet and healthy foods to fuel your stressed body.
- Choose an exercise plan to work off stressors.
- Correct your lifestyle to avoid being overwhelmed.
- Cease to believe your self-worth is based on your performance.
- Collect quotes that are positive and uplifting.
- Create a journal to record the ups and downs of life.
Life can present itself with undo stress and tension, and we can become overwhelmed. Or we can learn the techniques to manage our lives and choose to convert challenges to opportunities.
Do you have a tip to help relieve stress?
