Top 18 Effective Ways To Long-term Stress Relief That Actually Work

Stress is one of the most common diseases of modern men, and therefore we can not only talk about the undeniable relevance of this topic today but also find a lot of curious statistics on the subject.

It should be said that scientists believe that the number of people suffering from stress will only increase in the future. But let's leave the future alone and focus on the present. 

According to the Mental Health Foundation's 2018 study, during that year, 74% of people have felt immense stress that they were unable to deal with. Also, everyday stress is experienced by:

• 51% of the inhabitants of Germany.
  
  
• 39% of US residents.
  
  
• 38% of residents of the UK, Canada, and France.
  
  
• 23% of the inhabitants of Italy.

The expert also stated that stress is a disease of the 21st century and has reached the proportions of a global epidemic. And this statement has the most compelling reasons because today life is loaded with a huge number of stress factors. All of this raises the question, what leads to the development of stress in modern people?

Causes Of Stress In Modern Humans

The Americans were among the first to study the causes and consequences of stress, so by digging around on the Internet, we found highly spoken data presented by the American Stress Institute [What Is Stress, 2017].

According to the studies carried out by the above-mentioned Institute, it turned out that the main causes of stress are (in descending order of importance):

• Stress at work, supervisory pressure, and overload.
  
  
• Fear of losing your job, reduced pension, and medical expenses.
  
  
• Health problems, including chronic diseases.
  
  
• Divorce, death of a spouse, problems with friends, and loneliness.
  
  
• Poor nutrition, the use of caffeine and refined sugar, low-quality products.
  
  
• Information overload associated with the media and the Internet.
  
  
• Sleep problems, increased production of adrenaline, and other stress hormones by the body.
  
  

The study also notes that:

• 77% of people regularly experience physical symptoms of stress.
  
  
• 73% of people regularly experience psychological symptoms of stress.
  
  
• 33% of people feel they are living under extreme stress.
  
  
• 48% of people believe that stress levels have increased over the past 5 years.
  
  
• 76% of people believe that the reasons for their stress are income and work.
  
  
• 48% of people suffer from insomnia due to stress.
  
  

Among the physiological causes, it is possible to identify various things that adversely affects the physical condition of a person, for example:

• Poor nutrition.
  
  
• Overwork.
  
  
• Lack of sleep.
  
  
• Weather changes (changes in pressure, temperature, etc.)
  
  

Interestingly, physiological factors do not affect people in the same way, while in some people they may cause stress, others have almost no reaction to them. And this difference is often explained by the second group of factors — Psychological factors.

Psychological factors provoke powerful emotional outbursts that arise from all kinds of psychological problems, such as difficulties in communicating with people, insecurity, etc. But it is important to note that we are talking not only about excessive negative emotions but also about positive ones.

Among other things, stress is caused by external and internal causes. External factors are various life situations beyond a person's control (e.g. the state of the environment, weather, etc.), and problems in interaction with society (blockages at work, problems in the family, conflicts, etc.).

And internal factors such as health problems, unjustified hopes, unachieved goals, frustrations, and other factors that affect a person without external influence.

Naturally, this is only a brief consideration of the causes of stress, but it gives quite a clear idea of what causes the deterioration of a person's physical and mental state in general.

And in addition to the above, we should mention people who are primarily affected by stress:

• People who consciously expose themselves to stress factors. Adrenaline addicts, fans of extreme sports, people who are testing their nerves for strength with the help of activities on the verge of their bodies capabilities.
  
  
• Employees in the fields of finance, education, and medicine: brokers, traders, bank employees, office workers, teachers, and educators, and medics.
  
  
• Public transport drivers and representatives of other specialties, whose work is associated with increased stress.
  
  

Such people literally spend every day under the influence of stress factors of various magnitudes that cause the production of cortisol — the stress hormone, nervous and emotional overstrain, and various nervous states that do not allow an adequate and constructive response to events. Naturally, any comfort or high productivity here is out of the question.

Today it is quite difficult to find a person who has not experienced stress at least once. Moreover, stress is expressed mainly with the same signs, and they are also familiar to everyone. But we still think it will be very helpful to say a few words about the symptoms of stress.

Stress Symptoms

Stress manifests itself at different levels and is harmful to the physical, emotional, intellectual, and behavioral aspects. Let's talk about all of them separately.

When stressed, the body seeks to mobilize all of its resources, and on the physiological level a whole range of changes is possible:

• Cardiovascular system. Drops in blood pressure, hypertension, heart rhythm disturbances, heart palpitations, tinnitus.
  
  
• Digestive system. Lack or decrease in appetite, weight loss, abdominal pain, dyspeptic symptoms (nausea, vomiting, belching, heartburn, stool disturbance, heaviness in the stomach).
  
  
• Respiratory system. Lack of air, inability to take a deep breath, shortness of breath, asthma attacks, frequent colds.
  
  
• Musculoskeletal system. Muscle spasms, cramps, constant muscle tone, back pain.
  
  
• Integumentary system. Rash, allergic reactions, increased sweating.
  
  
• Nervous system. Headaches, low resistance to stress, low temperature (less often - increased).
  
  
• Reproductive system. Decreased libido.
  
  
  

The next level is emotional, and here such changes are possible:

• Anxiety, a premonition of trouble, and panic attacks without reason;
  
  
• Causeless irritability and moodiness.
  
  
• Emotional decline, sadness, melancholy, depression, suicidal thoughts (separately, tearfulness is noted in women).
  
  
• Decreased self-esteem, overestimation of requirements for oneself.
  
  
• Lack of interest in life, passive behavior.
  
  
• Constant tension, difficulty in relaxation.
  
  

Next, we move on to the intellectual level, in which stress manifests itself as follows:

• Inability to make decisions.
  
  
• Memory impairment.
  
  
• Obsessive thoughts (mostly negative).
  
  
• Difficulty concentrating.
  
  
• Distraction and disorganization.
  
  

As for the changes in behavior, they manifest themselves as follows:

 

• Emotional instability (it often leads to conflict situations at work and at home).
  
  
• Inattentiveness (it affects the results of activities and appearance).
  
  
• Workaholism (one of the options for responding to stress is going to work).
  
  
• The desire to suppress stress with the help of cigarettes and alcohol (there is an increase in the number and frequency of their use), as well as drugs.
  
  

The above-mentioned symptoms are most often manifested in a complex way, not one at a time. You should not be alarmed if you suddenly began to notice one or two manifestations of stress in yourself or someone around you (although you still need to pay attention), but if several of them began to appear at once, it is already a reason for closer monitoring and taking appropriate measures.

As you may have noticed, even the symptoms of stress are already a serious shake-up for the body (by the way,  stress does not always have only negative effects, and you can read more about this in our article “ Stress: Uses and benefits "). However, stress can lead to other consequences, which we will discuss this below.

The Effects Of Stress

The study we have already mentioned by the American Institute of Stress [What Is Stress, 2017] also contains statistics on the impact of stress on a person, and this is what it shows:

• 48% of people believe that stress negatively affects their personal and professional life.
  
  
• 31% of people say that stress prevents them from managing their work and household chores.
  
  
• 54% of people note that stress leads to conflicts with loved ones.
  
  
• 26% of people said that due to stress they distanced themselves from their friends and family members.
  
  

Plus, there is some statistical evidence of how people think stress affects their lives:

• 51% - fatigue.
  
  
• 44% have headaches.
  
  
• 34% - stomach upset.
  
  
• 30% - muscle tension.
  
  
• 23% - impaired appetite.
  
  
• 17% - dental problems.
  
  
• 15% - decreased libido.
  
  
• 13% - dizziness.
  
  
• 50% - irritability.
  
  
• 45% - nervousness.
  
  
• 45% - lack of energy.
  
  
• 35% - the desire to cry.
  
  

In general, the researchers distinguish the following among the main consequences of stress:

• Frequent headaches.
  
  
• Systematic lack of sleep.
  
  
• Persistent problems with the digestive and cardiovascular systems.
  
  
• Tachycardia and increased blood pressure.
  
  
• The occurrence of bad habits (including addictions).
  
  
• Weakening of immunity.
  
  

Initially, the effects of stress on the body can be almost imperceptible, but after a while, the problems begin to take hold. Stress acts tricky, at first, cortisol is produced, which affects the immune system, then more and more adrenaline is released into the blood, and then the whole body suffers.

But, as you have understood, this matter is not limited to the body, the ability to work gradually decreases, the perception of everyday life situations are distorted, the person's communication with others changes for the worse. People become more susceptible to destructive mental states (anger, aggression, depression, apathy, etc.)

It’s also very dangerous that the stress symptoms that we’ve just looked at can get worse and chronic very quickly. Not only does it result, on a physical level, in a variety of illnesses (angina, heart attack, stomach ulcers, colitis, and a host of others, including degeneration of brain cells), as well as on a psychological level, stress also manifests itself in an extremely dangerous way.

In addition to the fact that when the individual begins to feel ill, his or her condition begins to have an active impact on interaction with society. Relationships with friends, colleagues at work, relatives, and even the closest family members would be deteriorating. That’s why stress is so often the cause of family problems, from minor disturbances to divorces. Without mentioning the impact on achieving goals and success in life.

And perhaps most frighteningly, stress (in its most chronic and severe form, of course) can lead to loss of adequacy and capacity, and even death. It is therefore essential that stress should not be allowed to worsen and that it should be addressed as soon as possible.

First Steps In Dealing With Stress

To be successful in coping with stress, it is necessary not only to know what methods are being used to deal with it (we will talk about them in a moment), but also to understand how it works and to be able to determine the sources of pressure. Let’s talk about this in order.

Determining the stress stage

Understanding the stages by which stress develops is required to correctly determine the options for its subsequent treatment, as well as to realize how neglected the situation is. To describe the stages of stress progression it is best to refer to the concept of Canadian physician Hans Selye, first described in 1936 in his work describing the general adaptation syndrome [A syndrome produced by diverse nocuous agents, 1936].

Selye named three stages of stress, each of which gradually flows into the other:

• First stage. The human body is in a state of shock, seeks to overcome irritating factors, for which it produces more energy. The feeling of anxiety increases.
  
  
• Second stage. It can be called the stage of resistance when the body tries to develop a certain immunity. The volume of hormones that increase the state of stress and depress a person is reduced. Balance and calmness are noted, the disappearance of anxiety.
  
  
• Third stage. While still under the influence of stress, the body begins to cut back. The psycho-emotional state worsens, the body's resistance to stress factors decreases, and the feeling of anxiety increases. If this condition continues for a long time, changes begin to occur at the physiological level.
  
  

For each individual, each stage has its own duration. Moreover, all stages are individual for individual situations. They can last as long as a few minutes or weeks.

To know exactly in which case you are, ask yourself, "Regarding my stress, what did I feel so far?" and see what stage fully describes your situation.

This information is enough for the average person to measure the progress of stress in their own case. But this is mostly theoretical. The practice of dealing with stress begins directly with the identification of the source of stress and the possible elimination of stress.

Identifying the source of stress

Even the barking of the neighbor's dog can be a source of powerful psycho-emotional excitement. However, such things are perceived by people as mundane, they fit harmoniously into the array of daily events, and therefore in most cases are not the main irritant.

A true stressor is usually presented to people as something on a much larger scale. This may be, for example, an endlessly yelling boss at work or the economic crisis in the country. But still, this is a misconception, and in reality, this is completely different than most people think.

If we start looking for a starting point, we will find it in a barking dog. When we are awake and full of energy, we perceive almost all external stimuli relatively objectively and adequately. But when we haven't had enough sleep because of a barking dog, irritation begins to take hold of us, and through its lens, we begin to perceive everything that is going on.

As a result, after a while, we already begin to "boil", commit rash acts, "break furniture". And the neighbor's dog has no idea that his barking presses on our psyche and that it is because of him our life is filled with problems, and relationships with loved ones are in distress.

We have described the simplest situation, although in real life not everything is so simple, and the causes of stress are often not so obvious. But still, in the vast majority of situations, you can do without the help of a specialist to understand the problem and find its true cause — the source of stress.

For a start, you can use the simplest technique to help you understand what is causing the pressure. You take a piece of paper and a pen and write down in chronological order all the negative events that have happened recently. After that, it is enough to do a little analysis of everything you have managed to write, to get to the bottom of the truth.

And to help find this truth, psychologists have even developed several special auxiliary questions to answer the basic question, "From where did it all begin?" To determine the primary source of stressful influences, it is necessary to ask yourself these questions (in this exact order):

• When did the changes start?
  
  
• What happened on the eve of the changes?
  
  
• How much has the world around me changed?
  
  
• How has my attitude to what is happening changed?
  
  
• How has my attitude towards people changed?

On the same topic, we advise you to read the article "Questions to ask yourself to deal with stress "so that the search for the cause of stress was more thorough and painstaking. And remember that you need to answer these questions as honestly as possible, this way you can really help yourself, become a real friend and useful advisor to yourself. 

Still, the real work is, of course, not thinking and answering questions, but applying effective ways to deal with stress.

Ways to deal with stress and develop resilience

Based on the fact that all people are different, there is no one universal way to deal with stress, and what works for one person may not be effective for the other. But there are still several methods that anyone can successfully use. They are listed below:

• Eliminating the causes of stress. Having found the factors that cause stress, you need to try to eliminate them, i.e. change the situation that has led to tension. The faster you do this, the faster your condition will begin to bounce back. Moreover, it is also important to make sure that the cause of the stress does not reappear.
  
  
• Change of attitude. If the cause of stress does not depend on you and it is impossible to eliminate it, try to change your attitude towards the situation. Think about what is the point of worrying and resenting something that you can't influence. Use logic and objectivity to look at the situation from a new perspective.
  
  
• Problem Solving. Problems can be solved or not. If you realize that you can do something, don’t put things on the back burner, but start directing your energies to the problem right now. People often put themselves through the stress of inaction and sitting in one place.
  
  
• Switching attention. You can't dwell on a problem that causes stress. It is necessary to distract yourself and switch to something positive. Movies, reading, music, art, a walk, or even a simple nap are all very good ways to change your mindset and pay attention to the positive aspects of life.
  
  
• Physical activity. Given that the body mobilizes all forces to overcome stress and produces a large amount of adrenaline, all of this needs to be given a way out. Workouts, jogging, swimming are ideal for this. In extreme cases, you can "beat" a pillow, shout loudly or even break a couple of plates.
  
  
• Relaxation. In short, this method involves physical relaxation and the achievement of a state of psychoemotional rest. Relaxation is a great way to deal with stress because it holds it back and does not allow it to develop. A good way to relax is to relax with calm music, and you will learn more techniques from the article " Exercises for relaxation and release of emotional and muscle tension ."
  
  
• Breathing exercises. By controlling his breathing, a person can learn to perfectly control his physical and mental state. Relaxation and tranquility are achieved through deep and even breathing, which allows you to relieve tension, normalize blood pressure, calm the heartbeat and put your thoughts in order. For more breathing techniques click here.
  
  
• Crying. It's no surprise that for many people, crying is a great option for dealing with stress. When a person cries, it defuses their psyche and relieves nervous tension. And scientists have also discovered that tears contain peptides - substances that increase stress tolerance, which is why they say that if you feel bad, you should cry and you will feel better.
  
  

Even this small number of ways is sometimes enough to overcome the most severe stress cases. But we decided not to limit ourselves to them, and we offer you several more methods that have proven their effectiveness in practice (by the way, these methods are suitable not only for fighting but also for preventing stress and developing stress resistance in general):

• Hobby. Having a favorite activity and a way to spend time (reading, music, drawing, knitting, etc.) is an opportunity to release excess energy, calm down, achieve relaxation and tranquility. People who have a hobby are much less likely and less likely to suffer from stress than those who do not have a hobby.
  
  
• Resting. It is known that workaholism and work "at full stretch" lead to chronic stress. But even if you have to work a lot, do not forget to rest. First, during the day you should take breaks for 5-10 minutes every hour, and secondly, you should have at least one full day off during the week. Breaks and rest restore strength, help you relax, and take your mind off your problems and worries for a while.
  
  
• Proper nutrition. Malnutrition can also lead to stress. because of it, the body lacks nutrients and vitamins. To avoid this (and also to maintain good health), try to eat healthily and avoid fast foods, eat only fruits and vegetables, and other healthy foods.
  
  
• Time with loved ones. Relatives and friends are the support and the best support in difficult life situations when faced with difficulties and problems. Try to spend more time with those who are dear to you, share your experiences with them, ask for their opinion on this or that matter.
  
  
• Pets. If you like pets, be sure to get yourself a cat, dog, parrot. Coming home, you will always experience a surge of positive emotions from the fact that your beloved animal rejoices at your return, asks for food, or is looking forward to a walk. And when caring for a pet, you yourself will be distracted from disturbing thoughts and problems.
  
  
• Healthy night sleep. It has been scientifically proven that an ordinary person needs to sleep 7-8 hours a day for proper rest. Do not neglect this rule and try to get the proper amount of sleep. And if your job or lifestyle doesn't allow it, find the best ways to get your sleep schedule right.
  
  
• Positive thinking. There is an opinion based on scientific facts that thoughts are material, and what a person “sends” to the world around him begins to be reflected in his reality. If you take this as an axiom, it is easy to conclude that you need to try to think positively so that there are less stress and problems in life. And in general, outstanding, successful, and spiritually developed people have been talking about the benefits of positive thinking for decades, and it makes sense to listen to them. Check out this article "Positive Thinking".
  
  
• Special pastimes. Activities such as SPA treatments, various types of massage, relaxing baths, aromatherapy helps to relieve stress. All this is beneficial for the body and the psyche, it raises the tone of life, improves the mood, and gives strength and vitality.
  
  
• Collections of herbs. This method is a folk method, but this does not detract from its merits. Teas, infusions, and decoctions of sedative herbs, such as melissa with mint, chamomile, motherwort, willow-herb, and valerian help to relieve and prevent stress. It's only important that you aren't specifically allergic to any of these herbs, other than that, recipes can easily be found on the Internet.
  
  
• Therapy. In special cases, when you cannot deal with stress on your own, you should contact a specialist for professional help. Experienced psychologists and psychotherapists can help you understand the causes of stress and find the best ways to overcome it.
  
  

In addition to the above, we want to present you with some of the statistics of how people are dealing with stress. Due to the lack of Worldwide data, we gather some statistics from The GfK Institute for Market Research in Russia.

So, here's what Russians do to relieve stress:

• 46% of people watch TV.
  
  
• 43% of people listen to music.
  
  
• 19% of people drink alcohol.
  
  
• 16% of people are saved by food.
  
  
• 15% of people are taking antidepressants.
  
  
• 12% of people find an outlet in sports.
  
  
• 9% of people have sex.
  
  
• 2% of people practice yoga and meditation.

This shows once again that each person reacts to stress individually, and this is quite normal. The only important thing is to recognize stress in time and start overcoming it, not allowing it to grow into a neglected and chronic form. And you already know what to do about this.

And to finish with a little more scientific evidence: in 2015, scientists conducted several experiments in Spain as part of the SUN Project [A longitudinal analysis of diet quality scores and the risk of incident depression in the SUN Project, 2015], which found that people who followed a diet with lots of fruits and vegetables had better physical and mental health than those who ate little such food.

Based on this, to prevent and increase resistance to stress, as well as to maintain high performance and productivity, scientists advise:

• review your diet and, if necessary, make changes to it.
  
  
• start to play sports regularly, but at the same time avoid exhausting loads.
  
  
• sleep at least seven hours a day.

We are sure that following these simple recommendations is not difficult, especially if you really want to live a good life, have good health, and cope well with any difficulties.

The well-known German writer and spiritual speaker Eckhart Tolle wrote in one of his books: 

Have you ever seen an oak in a state of stress, or a dolphin in a gloomy mood, a frog suffering from low self-esteem, a cat that cannot relax, or a bird? burdened with resentment? Learn from them the ability to put up with the present.

We see a fair share of wisdom in these words, and we advise you to re-read the previous paragraph again to immerse yourself in deep thoughts. One of the best ways to deal with any stress will be, perhaps, the ability to accept the present as it is at a given moment in time.

If you are more concerned about your personality, here is another deep thought from the famous writer and master of horror, Stephen King: 

I think everyone has a sort of dung shovel that you use in times of stress and trouble to dig into yourself, into your thoughts and feelings. Get rid of it. Burn it. Otherwise, the hole you dug will reach the depths of the subconscious, and then at night the dead will come out of it.

This is precisely the value of his words, no amount of self-digging and self-flagellation will help us change ourselves or our lives. Accept the present and ourselves as we are. 

This thought should also become a faithful companion for everyone who wants to conquer his stress.

We wish you a good mood and the power to always and everywhere stay positive!


And as always...

Many thanks for reading.