Yes, stress will come, because it is our body’s response to changes in life. Not only stress, but large doses of it is a big deal with most people. Why? Well, there are many factors that add to the “Why” and maybe you have experienced some of them.
Here are statistics showing the percentages of people affected by stress, the “Why” behind their stresses and the affects that stress has:
| Top Causes of Stress in the U.S. | ||
| Cause | Factors | |
|
1
|
Job Pressure | Co-Worker Tension, Bosses, Work Overload |
|
2
|
Money | Loss of Job, Reduced Retirement, Medical Expenses |
|
3
|
Health | Health Crisis, Terminal or Chronic Illness |
|
4
|
Relationships | Divorce, Death of Spouse, Arguments with Friends, Loneliness |
|
5
|
Poor Nutrition | Inadequate Nutrition, Caffeine, Processed Foods, Refined Sugars |
|
6
|
Media Overload | Television, Radio, Internet, E-Mail, Social Networking |
|
7
|
Sleep Deprivation | Inability to release adrenaline and other stress hormones |
| U.S Stress Statistics | Data |
| Percent of people who regularly experience physical symptoms caused by stress | 77 % |
| Regularly experience psychological symptoms caused by stress | 73 % |
| Feel they are living with extreme stress | 33 % |
| Feel their stress has increased over the past five years | 48 % |
| Cited money and work as the leading cause of their stress | 76 % |
| Reported lying awake at night due to stress | 48 % |
| Stress Impact Statistics | |
| Percent who say stress has a negative impact on their personal and professional life | 48 % |
| Employed adults who say they have difficulty managing work and family responsibilities. | 31 % |
| Percent who cited jobs interfering with their family or personal time as a significant source of stress. | 35 % |
| Perccent who said stress has caused them to fight with people close to them | 54 % |
| Reported being alienated from a friend or family member because of stress | 26 % |
| Annual costs to employers in stress related health care and missed work. | $300 Billion |
| Percent who say they are “always” or “often” under stress at work | 30 % |
| People who cited physical symptoms experienced the following | |
| Fatigue | 51 % |
| Headache | 44 % |
| Upset stomach | 34 % |
| Muscle tension | 30 % |
| Change in appetite | 23 % |
| Teeth grinding | 17 % |
| Change in sex drive | 15 % |
| Feeling dizzy | 13 % |
| People who cited psychological symptoms experienced the following | |
| Irritability or anger | 50 % |
| Feeling nervous | 45 % |
| Lack of energy | 45 % |
| Feeling as though you could cry | 35 % |
| via statistic brain |
Maybe you fall into these statistics yourself. With the craziness of our schedules, it is no wonder why we have the stresses that we do and the multiple affects that stress has on us. So, I think we can agree that we all need to lessen the stresses in our lives in some way. You can start with knowing that you need to pick and choose the right focuses. Even when we do this, stress will still come. So, what do we do with the stresses we have during the process?
The following questions come up at some point during stressful times:
How am I going to finish this on time?
Who can I get to help me?
Can I really afford this?…
And the list goes on and on.
Stress will come, but it is how we deal with it that counts. We have three options when stress comes.
We either explode, we internalize it or we do something about it. I am guessing that you want to do something about it and get through stressful times easier than you have in the past. Since worry will get you nowhere, we need to look at ways to get the quickest fix possible and move on from stress. Stress will come, but we can do a lot with it when it does show up.
So, here are four actions you can start doing today to lessen the load in your life and grab hold of the mindset you have always wanted-
A stress-less life.
1. Find ways where more freedom can enter your life.
Perfectionists, things aren’t as big of a deal as you think they are. Freedom gives you wide open thinking, not tunnel vision. This is where creativity can take place. Freedom also brings less stress. Can you take a longer break in the middle of the day? Can you spend more time with your top people to bring more peace in your life? Can you lessen your schedule and open up more time? Can you take things less seriously and realize that almost any mistake can be fixed? Can you return to having more fun in your day and remember to laugh more often? Can you cut out the guilt of your past and move on to freeing up more mental space for the things that matter, your present and future? Can you accomplish more in your day and not have left over tasks for the next day?
If you can implement any of these in your own life, you will learn to handle stress better. No matter where you are in life or where you have been, there is a better way that you can deal with the stresses in life. Life is too short to live it being stressed all the time.
2. Help others more often than you are right now.
Nothing causes more stress than being stuck in the place of only thinking of yourself. When you think of others, you don’t think about yourself as much and your problems become more dim. Someone else has it worse of than you do and they could be closer than you think. When you focus on yourself, you cannot help but to have selfish tendencies
3. Have an outlet.
Having God to rely on for Him to help me through life is a necessity for me. I really don’t know what I would do without it. I know that marriage counseling has really helped for us and I would recommend it to anyone. It is actually a goal of ours to stay in it constantly throughout our marriage as a method of refining.
You are not alone. Someone else is going through the same thing that you are or has been there before. Share your stresses with your close friends and go through life together. You were never meant to do life by yourself. Talking it out not only gives you a friend to talk it through with, but a lot of what you feel are stressful situations in life can be minimized when you realize that they have easy fixes.
4. View Stress Differently.
If you have tried to kick stress before and just can’t seem to see improvement in that area, maybe it is time to embrace stress. That is if you can change your perspective on how stress affects you.
Watch video from Kelly McGonigal on more about embracing stress:
I am not saying that stress will be totally eliminated from your life, but it can definitely be lessened or embraced, depending on your view of stress. Begin with implementing these steps in your life and benefit from the joy that comes through a less stressful life. Stress less and enjoy life more.
