How to deal with stress?

 Residents of modern megalopolises and large settlements are under pressure from various factors that are harmful to health, well-being and performance. The reaction to severe stress is present in the International Classifier of Diseases ICD-10  and requires a visit to a doctor. However, there are scientifically based methods that you can implement yourself to prevent such consequences. In this article, we will talk about different strategies for dealing with stress and understand their effectiveness.

Causes of stress

Stress is a physiological mechanism that helps to quickly adapt to changed conditions. It serves as a kind of natural reaction of the body to discomfort and danger. If the environment does not change and continues to bring discomfort to life, the stress state becomes chronic. This threatens with neuroses and prolonged depression - serious mental health disorders that develop under the influence of a complex of biological, psychological and social factors.

To understand how you can quickly deal with stress, you must first identify the cause. It usually happens as a consequence:

• excessive fatigue
• difficulties in work and study,
• low self-esteem and dissatisfaction with oneself,
• problems in personal relationships,
• experienced tragedy or loss.

If a person suffers from increased anxiety, in order to start "stressing", it is enough for him to think about his future or plunge into memories of the past.

Chronic anxiety cannot be cured by simply ignoring it. It can develop into nervous tension, which will suppress the psycho-emotional state, affect the quality of work and concentration. In the absence of proper treatment, there is a high probability of a decrease in immunity, disruption of the endocrine and nervous systems, as well as the development of diseases that are in no way associated with an emotional state.

Diagnosing stress

Despite the severity of the stressful condition, many people still confuse it with simple excitement. A bad mood caused by a quarrel with a loved one or a nervous environment at work cannot be called distress, much less depression. Provided that it does not affect the physical well-being and does not drag on for several days.
Chronic stressful condition stretches over days and weeks, gradually combining with other symptoms. You can distinguish it by the following features:

• headaches and dizziness;
• feeling of chronic fatigue;
• drowsiness or, conversely, insomnia;
• frequent awakenings in sleep;
• disorder of the gastrointestinal tract;
• feeling of numbness in the limbs;
• muscle tremor;
• excessive sweating;
• allergic rashes;
• decreased libido;
• sharp fluctuations in weight;
• loss of interest in favorite activities;
• low concentration of attention;
• memory problems.

Let's add here the signs that many associate with depression and stressful conditions: a constant feeling of fear, depression, aggression, excessive irritability, pessimism, sudden and unreasonable mood swings.
As a rule, each person has encountered one or another symptom. According to statistics, approximately 70% of Russian residents have experienced similar feelings at least once in their lives. This is normal. It is not normal for them to drag on for weeks or months. In this case, you need to consult a specialist who must select an effective method for diagnosing a stress condition and prescribe a comprehensive treatment.

Ways to deal with stress

Modern medicine identifies three basic strategies for managing stress effectively 2 :

• Changing the problem. The challenge is to overcome internal tension.
• Avoiding the problem. The task is to distract from stressful influences.
• Change in attitude to the problem. The task is to reduce the significance of the situation, while continuing to satisfy the simplest needs and move towards goals.

In other words, it is necessary to maintain the normal functioning of the body and monitor your psycho-emotional background.

The value of psychotherapy

For the treatment of a stressful condition, it is necessary to contact experienced psychologists and psychotherapists. A person suffering from nervous disorders is unlikely to be able to adequately assess their well-being and the effectiveness of the treatment methods that they prescribe to themselves. It is not enough to read books on psychology or advice on thematic forums on the Internet. A specialist who has the appropriate education should work with the psychoemotional state.
Professional psychotherapists and psychologists use techniques that help relieve stress and return to normal life. This may require one or more sessions. They usually last 40-60 minutes. During this time, the patient talks about his experiences and the reasons that caused them. Even if speech is completely incoherent, an experienced psychologist is able to assess a person's condition.

Consultation with a psychologist is not a conversation with a friend who can share his experience. The specialist does not provide a ready-made solution. He looks for the source of the problem and helps to change a person's attitude towards it.

Impact of physical activity

To improve the psycho-emotional state, physical activity can be used. They help raise levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that improves mood. Sport relieves tension in muscles, so even after swimming in the pool, running, brisk walking and moderate training, they return to normal, spasms are eliminated, blood circulation is normalized.

Lifestyle change

People who smoke, drink alcohol or have other bad habits on a daily basis are much more susceptible to emotional burnout. Any "doping" gives only a temporary effect, after the exhaustion of which the body begins to experience discomfort again. To effectively deal with stressful conditions, you need to give up bad habits. Instead, go for a massage, exercise, yoga, or meditation. This will help relieve nervous and muscle tension.

To turn stress into a pleasure in life, it is helpful to do housework. Transformation and purification of the surrounding space, culinary experiences - all this allows you to switch from a dead-end situation to creative activity.

Also helping to change the attitude to the problem is the regular manifestation of care for hygiene and their own appearance, communication with animals.

Proper nutrition

Constant nervous tension affects not only the emotional state, but also the functioning of the body as a whole. At this time, he especially needs vitamins, minerals and other active ingredients that support his functions.Vitamins of group B. Intense situations increase the consumption of vitamins of this group, which are involved in all metabolic processes and are easily destroyed during cooking. From 60 to 100% of the daily value of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12 contains NUTRILITE ™ B-complex plus i ii .

Vitamin C. A useful substitute for sweets that many abuse under stress is the NUTRILITE ™ Vitamin C Plus Fruit Chewable Tablets . The ingredients they contain stimulate the immune system and have antioxidant properties.

Proteins. To maintain efficiency, the body requires essential amino acids that it cannot synthesize on its own. NUTRILITE ™ Protein Powder helps to compensate for their lack in food . It dissolves easily in water and milk and can be added to any food.

Fatty acid. According to VTsIOM, only 33% of Russians eat fish two or more times a week 3 . Thus, 67% have a lack of fatty acids that help the cardiovascular system. It can be supplemented by taking the Omega-3 NUTRILITE ™ Complex .

Alimentary fiber. WHO recommends that you eat at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables daily to meet your fiber needs 4 . If this is not possible, it is useful to add appropriate dietary supplements to the diet - for example, the NUTRILITE ™ Inulin Fiber Blend .

Many people prefer to take vitamin and mineral complexes instead of a set of individual drugs. NUTRILITE ™ DOUBLE X ™ - a balanced composition of 12 minerals, 10 vitamins and 22 phytonutrients - helps to cope with the oxidative effects of 5 free radicals on the body . It is necessary to take dietary supplements in courses, according to the attached instructions, having previously consulted with a specialist. The change in the problem is not immediately observed, so it is worth connecting other methods as well.

Stress relievers

In case of ineffectiveness of other methods of dealing with a stressful condition, the specialist has the right to prescribe various drugs. They are divided into the following groups:

Sedatives. The drugs reduce nervousness, and in combination with nootropics, they stimulate mental abilities and improve concentration.

Medicinal. The preparations, which include chamomile, valerian, motherwort, lemon balm, sage, etc., have a mild soothing effect.

Homeopathic medicines, vitamins and dietary supplements s . They contain vitamins, minerals, extracts of plants, which have a tonic and soothing effect.

Anxiolytics. The group includes drugs that help to get rid of tension, anxiety, autonomic and somatic disorders, as well as help restore the functioning of the nervous system. They have practically no side effects, they do not cause addiction and drowsiness.

Antipsychotics and antidepressants. Taking drugs of this group is advisable for severe depression. They can only be obtained by prescription and should not be taken as a preventive measure. To find a medicine and dosage, a specialist needs to carefully study the patient's mental state. Only in this case will it help relieve arousal and smooth out the reaction to external stimuli. Sometimes it is necessary to change the treatment regimen.

Dealing with stressful conditions should be comprehensive and professional. You should not try to diagnose yourself and choose a method of treatment on your own. With a nervous disorder, it is necessary to fight it under the supervision of a specialist. Uncontrolled intake of drugs threatens to worsen the situation, which will require medical intervention.

List of sources:

1. International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Approved. Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation of 05/27/1997 No. 170 // URL: https://zakonbase.ru/content/part/416054 (date of access: 28.04.2020)
2. Stress management as the basis of emotional management / Ustyugova V.S., Elmurzaeva R.A. Bulletin of Tomsk State University, 2012 // URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/upravlenie-stressom-kak-osnova-emotsionalnogo-menedzhmenta/viewer (date accessed: 28.04.2020)
3. Fish consumption in Russia: who's on the hook? / Analytical review of VTsIOM, 13.09.2018 // URL: https://wciom.ru/index.php?id=236&uid=9306 (date of access: 28.04.2020)
4. Healthy eating / WHO fact sheet, 31.08.2018 // URL: https://www.who.int/ru/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet (date accessed: 28.04.2020)
5. Oxidative stress: impact on the human body, assessment methods / Nagornaya N.V., Chetverik N.A. Journal "Child Health", 2012 // URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/oksidativnyy-stress-vliyanie-na-organizm-cheloveka-metody-otsenki (date of access: 28.04.2020