The saying “home sweet home” cannot be true every time. Like any other place like an office or school, our home can also become a stress zone sometimes.
The stress at home can be due to many reasons like
- A very noisy environment like living in the heart of a city
- Personal problems like financial issues
- Physical pains, broken relationship
- Tiring household chores like doing a ton of laundry, cleaning the house, etc.
Although it appears as a simple discomfort, stress is not something that can be taken lightly. Many psychologists say that stress can be related to many psychological and physical problems. Stress and anxiety are some common things experienced by people. About 60 to 70 percent of people pass through mild to extreme stress conditions.
What is stress?
Stress is a common feeling of both emotional and physical tension. It can happen because of any incident or thought that could make you feel irritated, angry, and nervous, and tensed. Stress is your body’s reaction to a challenge you are facing. It can be emotional or physical. Stress can sometimes be positive also. For example, if you are stressed about the work you have to do, then it will help you to complete the work at the right time. But if the stress you are experiencing persists for a long time, then it can cause damage to your both mental and physical health. There are mainly two types of stress:
- Chronic stress: This type of stress can persist for a long period. It can be there for about weeks or even months. This stress can be many like money problems, relationship problems, work problems, etc. The main issue with this type of stress is that you can get adapted to the problem and may not even realize you have stress. If not treated timely manner, it may have repercussions like suicidal thoughts or depression.
- Acute stress: This is short term stress. It will be there for just a moment, and then it will fade away. The reasons for this stress can be a fight, falling, hitting the hands or legs somewhere, etc. It can also be considered as positive stress since it can help you to overcome the bad situation. Most people have acute stress one time or another.
Symptoms of stress
To recognize and understand that you have stressed is the initial step to manage stress. Your body is an emotional, physical, and behavioral way that indicates that you have stress. Some of the stress signs exhibited by the body are:
- Emotional signs: difficulty in sleeping, anxiety, depression, feeling of emptiness, nightmares, negative feelings etc.
- Physical signs: body pains and aches, rapid heartbeat and breathing, tiredness, nausea, headache, sweaty palms, trouble in speaking and concentrating, etc.
- Behavioral signs: anger, impatience, social isolation, change in appetite, no interest in doing anything, boredom, getting demotivated easily, irritability, aggression, etc.
When stressed, the body will release hormones called stress hormones like cortisol. These hormones alert the center of the brain, increase the pulse, and make muscles tense. These are good for the body to cope up with the stress. Cortisol will increase the glucose in the blood, thereby enhances the brain’s utilization of glucose and increase the availability of substances that repairs the tissues. Too much stress can also cause skin problems, menstrual problems, and sexual problems also.
Tips to reduce stress at home
Some of the strategies you can use to avoid stress at home are:
- Make your schedule less tight: If you have made a schedule that includes too many tasks to do without any break, it can induce some stress. Try not to take too many projects or commitments all at once and try to prioritize.
- Speak for yourself: In the house, there can be many issues from small to big. If you are feeling mistreated or used, stand for yourself. Express what you are feeling. If the works of the house are too burdensome for you, then speak it out. You can diplomatically express what you are feeling. It can help you to strengthen your self-esteem also.
- Surround yourself with supportive people: You are lucky if you have a supportive family. Try to be around people with a positive attitude who can help and support you. Be close to people who were there for you through your thick and thin if you can help to give you a positive mind and can relieve your stress.
- Try to be more organized: If there is a lot of work to do, and you do not know where to start, it can make you stressed. Making a to-do list helps you in this situation. Living an organized life not only helps you to overcome the stress but also help you to do everything more easily and effectively.
- Always find time for fun and relaxing: Try not to spend half of the life running to do things you want to do. Find yourself time and space to relax and explore yourself. Taking a break between the jobs also make you more productive. You can do simple things like hearing music, cooking something you like, reading a book, playing with your pet, etc. It will help to enhance the emotional center of the brain and can make you happier.
- Find your personal space: Being alone for some time in your personal space can help you explore and know yourself more. It does not mean you have to forget about your responsibilities. In addition to caring and look after others, self-care is also important. The personal space can be anywhere like a lounge or a chair in the balcony somewhere calm. Make yourself happy.
- Select a stress management activity: Even though you have many things to do, find a way to do something that can decrease your stress, and calm you. If you have things to do, like cleaning the house, try to do it along with some music. It can make you less stressed and also help you to be more productive. If you are working at home, take some snacks along with you. You can also have some yoga sessions, gardening, etc.
- Try to solve the problem: There will make some reasons that are making you stressed. Find that reason and try to solve it. For example, if the problem is financial, try to solve it by preparing a budget, increasing your saying, or finding other sources of income. Trying to solve the problem is always better than solving the symptoms.
- Try to convert your home to a more peaceful place: The surrounding of the place where you are living can have an impact on your behavior. If it is a noisy region, then it can be very stressful. Try to avoid those places if you are dealing with stress issues. You can also transform your home to a peaceful environment by adding decors like plants, stones, paintings, etc. that can give a warm feeling.
Related Read: Best Adderall Alternatives
Stress can be removed completely through proper caring and therapies. But you can also do something from your part to deal with stress. Our home is the only place where we can be ourselves. If you do not feel that the place you are living is not feeling like your home, it is very important to change it.