How Do I Break The Stress Cycle? | Oakwood Solicitors Ltd

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Stress is a major factor in modern daily life, both at work and at home. A measure of stress is necessary to motivate us to meet our goals, but what to do if the stress cycle begins to take over?

Excessive stress over a long period of time can have many negative effects on your wellbeing, both mentally and physically. Such effects can include depression, sleep disturbance, weight gain, digestion issues and various skin conditions.

When dealing with stressful situations, the body’s coping mechanism to push you through is to release adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine – hormones that are designed to be effective at priming you physically and mentally to cope. In short bursts, no negative effects are felt by your immune system, but for spells in excess of ten minutes, it’s classed as ‘chronic cortisol release’.

Cortisol release lasting more than a day will begin to upset your body’s biological rhythm, leading to immune system suppression. Increased cortisol levels have been linked to higher white blood cell counts, higher blood pressure, disrupted insulin release and many other factors.

Stress Cycle

How do I know if I’m experiencing ‘bad stress’?

There are plenty of indicators, and different people will experience different symptoms. You may not be able to sleep well at all, you might be sleeping way longer than you normally would, but wake up feeling just as tired (if not, more so).

Coffee may not have the usual effect of making you feel more stimulated, you feel anxious, stressed or overwhelmed for the majority of the day, but be less productive at the same time. Feeling irritable, craving comfort foods, tiredness and irritability often occur.

How can I break the stress cycle?

List the factors that are making you feel stressed – This could be a combination of work, home and personal issues. Note which are the most significant to you.
Plan how you’ll tackle these issues – Enlist a friend or relative if you need to – they may have a clearer perspective on how to deal with them at this time.
Have solutions to potential problems – Don’t wait until it reaches breaking point, have a plan going forward. Tell your boss if you’re becoming snowed under with work, tell a loved one that you’re struggling and need to dedicate time to something to sort it out.
Change your routine – Talk about things that are troubling you, rather than stewing on them. Do something that fulfills you in your downtime, such as a hobby.
Eat well – Vary your diet and eat lots of vegetables. Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated.
Exercise – Excercise lifts your mood and gives you energy. It may also be a window for some to socialise more.
Seek help – Get advice from someone who may be able to help, whether that be a personal trainer, dietician or counsellor.

If you feel that all your stress centres around your job, speak to your manager and let them know that you’re struggling with workload. Likewise, if you are experiencing any form of bullying, speak to your nearest superior or your HR representative. If no action is taken and you’re still not satisfied, it’s time to know what your legal rights are.