Ever heard anyone say “I can’t come and kill myself?” You will most likely hear this saying from friends or associates of African descent.
Let me elaborate on it a little bit for you. “I can’t come and kill myself” translates to I can’t let the stress get to me or let anything stress me out.
We all experience stress at some point in our lives but it’s become all too common that it goes too far. Stress can be dangerous and is not something to be taken lightly.
We always hear “mind over matter” but managing stress starts with managing your thoughts and you can’t accomplish that without self awareness.
The key is to be mindful of our reactions to situations, a negative response produces stress even if it’s not noticeable on the surface. As time goes on, it starts to take a toll on your body which can lead to health complications. Whether you know it or not, your worst nightmare is your stress escalating to anxiety.
Here’s some tips to practice staying healthy in this department:
- Keep a positive attitude.
- Accept that there are events that you cannot control.
- Be assertive instead of aggressive. Assert your feelings, opinions, or beliefs instead of becoming angry, defensive, or passive.
- Learn to manage your time more effectively.
- Set limits appropriately and say no to requests that would create excessive stress in your life.
- Make time for hobbies and interests.
- Don’t rely on alcohol, drugs, or compulsive behaviors to reduce stress. Drugs and alcohol can stress your body even more.
- Seek out social support. Spend enough time with those you love.
I have experienced firsthand the dangers of stress and anxiety just to give you that sense of personal connection. Experiencing chest pains, fainting, hyperventilating, panic attacks, migraines, mind overload, weight loss just to name a few are some of the symptoms displayed due to stress.
Stress can affect your emotional, mental and physical health. On your body; headaches, muscle tension or pain, fatigue, change in sex drive, insomnia. On your mood; anxiety, restlessness, lack of motivation or focus, feeling overwhelmed, irritability or anger, sadness or depression. On your behavior; overeating or undereating, angry outbursts, substance abuse, social withdrawal, lack of control over emotions.
Let’s be mindful of how we treat ourselves. We deserve the best. Let’s take care of ourselves. We won’t see the shining of the sun if we’re not shining ourselves. Peace is the most important thing a person could have, life flows smoother. Just be and be stress free.