Highlight constructive ways to prevent stress. Ways to prevent stress

Happiness is good health

and bad memory.

Albert Steitzer

Stress- this is the body's reaction to any influence that causesexpenditure of physical and mental energy. It is often quite difficult for a person to cope with stress and get some relief. Correctly reacting to stress is beneficial for the body. Divorce, moving, grandchildren - a lot of stress. Missing the bus - mild stress.

Our lives are constantly accompanied by stress. Under the influence of an external or internal stress factor, for example, in situations requiring great physical or mental stress, as well as during infection and injury, the secretion of adrenaline and norepinephrine sharply increases. These hormones increase cardiac activity, cause vasoconstriction of internal organs and dilation of blood vessels supplying muscles. In addition, they inhibit gastrointestinal motility and cause dilation of the bronchi and activation of the muscular system. The sugar has been released, the muscles are ready to work, but there is no work - hence the accumulation:

Ulcers and gastritis - the abdominal cavity does not work

· Shortness of breath, hypertension- lungs don't work

· Appetite problems- disorders in the gastrointestinal tract - a person is losing weight or gaining weight

Sleep disorders - in any case - the feeling that you haven’t slept, but you can’t sleep either

This is chronic stress. If it drags on, a depressed state to the point of depression and conflicts with others appear. A vicious circle arises: depression and withdrawal from others. Active physical rest with physical activity is necessary. In the family - resolving a conflict situation, it is better not to lead to distress (unreacted stress):

1. Express everything you think (in an adequate form)

2. Go for a long walk, do intense work (physical activity)

3. Hit something, break dishes

4. Express everything so that people can hear. Speak only about myself and without derogatory language.

Psychosomatic problems arise when feelings are hidden and difficult to experience. Asthma - pent-up tears, sore throat - something unspoken. You need to write down for yourself: how much is “you”, how much is “I”. “You” must be absent, “I” must be. Talk only about your feelings, offer a way out of the situation.

Example:

- “I’m very upset that we quarreled”

- “What a pity that we could not understand each other”

- “I’m so upset about what happened”

- “I am very dissatisfied and simply angry!”

And as for communication between relatives and older people.....I strongly recommend dosing the information you carry for your mother or father, grandmother, grandfather, or just an elderly stranger - a minimum of negative information and a maximum of positive information. At this age, people react sensitively to any news, especially concerning their loved ones. Therefore, if we surround them with a trail of positive information, good news, a joyful smile and hugs, then we will increase their resistance to stress and set them up for mental and physical health!

Elderly peopleare one of the risk groups for stress. It's hard to worry whenget sick. Worried, anxious, panicking . They are afraid that there will not be enough money for treatment, thatwill find themselves helpless and dependent on others , including from their children. Older people forget a lot. And as paradoxical as it sounds, the ability to forget unnecessary things for them maybeone of the methods of dealing with stress . Human memory - it's not only ability to remember, but also, as a rule, ability to dislodge from memoryexactly what we don't want to remember, somethingunpleasant, tragic, something that brings pain or resentment . The body tries to repress this information. Psychologists have special techniques that help repress some acute memories that prevent a person from living.

Example:

With the help of images, you canmentally erase or cover up bright paint unpleasant events, “burning in a candle flame” unnecessary dates, phone numbers, names, faces, write on the sand with a twig events that you want to forget. In the same way, you can learn to relieve toothache and headache, fatigue, and the onset of illness.

· You can conduct a practical exercise using images and observe your condition. Most likely, you will feel better.

At the heart of all these skills is a way of life,

who can really heal!

Don't believe me? I suggest you check...

Tatiana Zaitseva.

A stress reaction causes a natural response in the body in the usual reflex way. Our current “natural” way of life, with its “habitual” lack of movement, does not provide an incentive for an active response. In such situations, the reaction of “escape from the situation” is becoming more and more common for us. And this combination of an inadequate lifestyle with biochemical and hormonal reactions to stress can lead to serious health problems.

For a long time, there was a belief that the anxiety response was unpredictable and unsafe and that there was no other way a person could react to stress. However, many years of experience testify: it is much more useful, using the body’s reserve capabilities, to master the methods of conscious and active self-regulation. This will allow you to respond to stress more calmly. This means learning to manage stress contrary to the natural automatic reaction and respond to it autoregulatory, or, as doctors say, relaxation.

There are four main methods of stress prevention using autoregulation:

1. relaxation,

2. anti-stress “remake” of the day,

3. first aid for acute stress

4. and autoanalysis of personal stress.

The use of these methods, if necessary, is available to everyone.

Relaxation

Relaxation is a state of wakefulness characterized by reduced psychophysiological activity, which is felt either throughout the body or in any of its systems.

How does relaxation affect stress? The automatic alarm reaction consists of three successive phases (according to the theory of G. Selye):

1) impulse,

3) adaptation.

In other words, if adaptation occurs, the stressful state soon subsides - the person, one way or another, calms down. If adaptation is disrupted (or absent altogether), then some psychosomatic diseases or disorders may occur.

With the help of relaxation, a person is able to intervene in any of the three phases of stress. In this way, you can prevent the impact of a stressful impulse, delay it, or (if a stressful situation has not yet occurred) reduce stress, thereby preventing psychosomatic disorders in the body. By activating the activity of the nervous system, relaxation regulates mood and the degree of mental arousal. This allows you to ease or relieve mental and muscle tension caused by stress.

Physiology of relaxation

Volunteers with sufficient experience in using relaxation techniques were tested. Pulse, blood pressure were measured, electroencephalogram (bioelectric fluctuations associated with brain activity), oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide emission levels, as well as lactate(lactic acid) in the blood. When comparing the data, the following results were obtained. The pulse became slower, breathing calmed down, oxygen consumption decreased by an average of 16% (from the initial 251 cm/min to 211 cm/min), and the amount of carbon dioxide released decreased. The electroencephalogram showed calming, manifested by an increase in the number of alpha waves. During relaxation, the level of lactate in the blood decreased. It is interesting to note that after relaxation ended, blood lactate levels remained low for some time and then returned rather slowly to baseline. These measurements are consistent with the experience of many people who claim that after relaxing for a certain time they feel calm and balanced.

This can be explained relatively simply. The fact is that the source of lactate is smooth muscle. Naturally, when muscles relax, it produces much less of it, which, in turn, is beneficial for health. These objective measures obtained further prove that relaxation reduces the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, while activity increases sharply during stress.

Relaxation is a very useful method because it is quite easy to master - it does not require special education or even a natural gift. True, there is still one indispensable condition - motivation, everyone needs to know why they want to master relaxation.

Of course, relaxation will not solve all worries and problems, but, nevertheless, it will weaken the degree of their impact on the body, which is very important. With the help of relaxation, it is impossible to eliminate negative memories or impressions stored in the subconscious; there is no need to expect any special, miraculous effect. But thanks to relaxation, you can actively fight stress.

With regular exercise, relaxation exercises; gradually become a habit and are associated with pleasant experiences. Naturally, these impressions will not arise immediately - mastering physical and mental self-regulation requires diligence, perseverance and patience

Anti-stress “remake” of the day

Very often, when people return home, they transfer their work activity and excitement to their family. What do you need to get rid of your daytime impressions and, having crossed the threshold of the house, not take out your bad mood on your family? After all, in this way we bring home stress, and the fault is our inability to detach ourselves from the impressions accumulated during the day. First of all, you need to establish a good tradition: when you return home from work or school, immediately relax. Here are some recommended ways to relax in 10 minutes.

2. Sit in a chair, relax and rest peacefully. Or sit comfortably on a chair and take a relaxing “coachman’s pose.”

3. Brew yourself some strong tea or coffee. Stretch them out for 10 minutes, try not to think about anything serious during this period of time.

4. Turn on the tape recorder and listen to your favorite music. Enjoy these wonderful moments. Try to completely immerse yourself in the music, disconnecting from your thoughts.

5. If your loved ones are at home, drink tea or coffee with them and calmly talk about something. Do not solve your problems immediately upon returning home: in a state of fatigue and weakness, this is very difficult, and sometimes impossible. You can find a way out of the deadlock after a little time has passed and the stress of the working day has subsided.

6. Fill the bathtub with not very hot water and lie in it. Do calming breathing exercises in the bath. Take a deep breath through closed lips, lower your lower face and nose into the water and exhale very slowly. Try to exhale as long as possible (exhalation with resistance). Imagine that with each exhalation, the overall tension that has accumulated during the day gradually subsides.

7. Take a walk in the fresh air.

8. Put on a tracksuit, sneakers and run for 10 minutes. It is very important that the initiative for such “changes” of the day comes from ourselves. It is necessary to warn your loved ones that during this short period of time we forget about our household responsibilities and try to spend these 10 minutes with them. With a fresh head, solving all household problems will require much less nervous and physical energy.

First aid for acute stress.

If you find yourself in a stressful situation unexpectedly (someone made you angry, your boss scolded you, or someone at home made you nervous), you begin to experience acute stress. First, you need to gather all your willpower and command yourself “STOP!” in order to sharply slow down the development of acute stress. To recover from a state of acute stress and calm down, you need to find an effective way of self-help. And then in a critical situation that can arise every minute, we will be able to quickly navigate by resorting to this method of helping with acute stress.

Here are some tips that can help you get out of acute stress.

1. Anti-stress breathing. Slowly take a deep breath through your nose; At the peak of inhalation, hold your breath for a moment, then exhale as slowly as possible. This is a calming breath. Try to imagine. That with each deep inhalation and long exhalation you partially relieve stress.

2. Minute relaxation. Relax the corners of your mouth, moisten your lips. Relax your shoulders. Focus on your facial expression and body position: remember that they reflect your emotions, thoughts and inner state. It's natural that you don't want others to know that you're stressed. In this case, you can change your “facial and body language” by relaxing your muscles and breathing deeply.

3. Look around and carefully examine the room in which you are. Pay attention to the smallest details, even if you know them well. Slowly, without rushing, mentally “go through” all the objects one by one in a certain sequence. Try to fully concentrate on this “inventory”. Say to yourself mentally: “Brown desk, white curtains, red flower vase,” etc. By focusing on each individual subject, you will distract yourself from internal stress, directing your attention to a rational perception of the environment.

4. If circumstances permit, leave the room in which you are experiencing acute stress. Go to another place where there is no one, or go outside where you can be alone with your thoughts. Mentally disassemble this room (if you went outside, then the surrounding houses, nature) “bone by stone”, as described in paragraph 3.

5. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, lean forward and relax. The head, shoulders and arms hang down freely. Breathing is calm. Hold this position for 1-2 minutes, then very slowly raise your head (so that it does not become dizzy).

6. Engage in some activity - no matter what: start washing clothes, washing dishes or cleaning. The secret of this method is simple: any activity, and especially physical labor, in a stressful situation acts as a lightning rod - it helps to distract from internal tension.

7. Turn on soothing music, the one you love. Try to listen to it, concentrate on it (local concentration). Remember that concentrating on one thing promotes complete relaxation and evokes positive emotions.

8. Take a calculator or paper and pencil and try to calculate how many days you live in the world (multiply the number of full years by 365, adding one day for each leap year, and add the number of days that have passed since your last birthday). Such rational activity will allow you to redirect your attention. Try to remember a particularly remarkable day in your life. Remember it in the smallest detail, without missing anything. Try to calculate what this day of your life was like.

9. Talk about some abstract topic with any person nearby: a neighbor, a workmate. If no one is nearby, call your friend or girlfriend on the phone. This is a kind of distracting activity that is carried out “here and now” and is designed to displace the internal dialogue saturated with stress from your consciousness.

10. Do some anti-stress breathing exercises. Now, having pulled yourself together, you can calmly continue the interrupted activity.

Autoregulation of breathing.

Under normal conditions, no one thinks or remembers breathing. But when, for some reason, deviations from the norm occur, it suddenly becomes difficult to breathe. Breathing becomes difficult and heavy during physical exertion or a stressful situation. And vice versa, when they are very frightened or tensely expecting something, people involuntarily hold their breath (hold their breath). A person has the opportunity, by consciously controlling his breathing, to use it to calm down, to relieve tension - both muscular and mental, thus, autoregulation of breathing can become an effective means of combating stress, along with relaxation and concentration.

Anti-stress breathing exercises can be performed in any position. Only one condition is required: the spine must be in a strictly vertical or horizontal position. This makes it possible to breathe naturally, freely, without tension, and fully stretch the muscles of the chest and abdomen. The correct position of the head is also very important: it should sit straight and free on the neck. A relaxed, upright head stretches the chest and other parts of the body upward to a certain extent. If everything is in order and the muscles are relaxed, then you can practice free breathing, constantly monitoring it.

We will not go into detail here about what breathing exercises exist (they are easy to find in the literature), but we will present the following conclusions:

1. With the help of deep and calm autoregulated breathing, you can prevent mood swings.

2. When laughing, sighing, coughing, talking, singing or reciting, certain changes in the rhythm of breathing occur in comparison with the so-called normal automatic breathing. It follows that the method and rhythm of breathing can be purposefully regulated through conscious slowing down and deepening.

3. Increasing the duration of exhalation promotes calm and complete relaxation.

4. The breathing of a calm and balanced person is significantly different from the breathing of a person under stress. Thus, by the rhythm of breathing one can determine the mental state of a person.

5. Rhythmic breathing calms the nerves and psyche; The duration of individual breathing phases does not matter - the rhythm is important.

6. Human health, and therefore life expectancy, largely depends on proper breathing. And if breathing is an innate unconditioned reflex, then it can be consciously regulated.

7. The slower and deeper, calmer and more rhythmically we breathe, the sooner we get used to this method of breathing, the sooner it will become an integral part of our life. Try doing some other activity to quickly forget the stressful situation. Moderate exercise or walking - in short, any activity that requires physical activity and concentration - won't hurt, but again, don't overdo it.

Lifestyle is a daily reality that continues from morning to evening throughout life. The components of a relaxing and active lifestyle include a working day, eating habits, sports, sleep and rest, relationships, and reaction to emerging stress factors. All this affects the quality of the subjects’ lifestyle - depending on them, it can be either active or passive, unhealthy. Treatment consists of correcting the reaction to stressful situations that happen to modern people almost every day.

Relaxation helps relieve nervous tension

In order to calmly perceive stressors, and not avoid them, you need to change your main principles in life. You will need to ensure that concentration and relaxation begin to occupy a significant place in your life. Every person has the ability to autoregulate, that is, they can consciously change processes in the body by mastering special techniques for relieving tension.

Types of prevention

In psychology, stress prevention methods are briefly divided into 5 types:

relaxation;
concentration;
“reworking” the day against stress;
providing emergency assistance for stress;
autoanalysis of stress.

Anyone can master these methods to develop stress resistance, even older people, but the exercises must be done on a voluntary basis. Let's consider methods of getting rid of stressful conditions in more detail.

Relaxation

Psychocorrection of tension is carried out through relaxation. It is a psychoprophylaxis against stress. If a person masters its methods in advance, he will be able to reduce the intensity of unpleasant emotions and depression at the right time. Such psychoprophylaxis requires consistency—it is necessary to perform tasks to develop skills regularly.

To perform the exercises, you need an empty room where there are no strangers. The goal of the exercise is to ensure that the muscles completely relax.

Mental autorelaxation leads to a state resembling emptiness. During this period the brain rests.

There are many methods of getting rid of stress to achieve relaxation:

Lie down and remain in this position for 2 minutes with your eyes closed. Imagine the room in which you are lying. Take a mental walk along it, and then take a path throughout your body.
Watch how you breathe. Notice that the air you exhale is warmer than the air you inhale. Concentrate on the breathing process for a couple of minutes, driving away all extraneous thoughts.
After a slight inhalation, hold your breath, tense your entire body for 5-6 seconds, then begin to exhale and relax your muscles. Repeat this exercise to overcome psycho-emotional stress 3 times. Next come exercises designed for certain parts of the body.
Tighten each leg muscle for a few seconds, then relax and repeat the same muscle tension 3 more times. After this, lie quietly for 3-4 minutes, feeling how your legs become heavy. Try not to perceive sounds coming from the real world, but register them in your mind. The same applies to thoughts.
Then sequentially tense other muscle groups. After this, mentally concentrate on your body to make sure that the tension has completely left it. If this is not the case, repeat the prophylaxis on the desired parts of the body.

Once you have completed all the exercises, take a deep breath, hold your breath, tense and relax, exhaling. Lie quietly on your back, breathing evenly. You will feel calm inside. Preventing stress will give you the strength to cope with any stressor.

Such prevention methods fill you with energy, strength and vigor.

Over time, provided you practice regularly, you will be able to quickly achieve a state of complete relaxation of the body when the situation requires it. Methods for getting rid of stress require constant implementation.

Concentration

Stress and depression have a lot to do with the inability to concentrate. This is especially true for people who try to do several things at the same time, unable to concentrate on any one thing. As a result, at the end of the day a person feels severe mental exhaustion. To avoid such situations, regular concentration exercises will be required. The advantages of such stress prevention are that it can be done before bed, after work, or before school.

Consider an effective concentration exercise. Try to ensure that no one distracts you while doing it - it is advisable to conduct classes in a quiet and empty room:

Sit on a hard chair with your side to its back, take a comfortable position. Place your hands on your knees and keep your eyes closed throughout the exercise so that your concentration is not interrupted by visual distractions. Breathing is calm, through the nose. Think about the fact that the air you exhale is warmer than the air you inhale.
Next, you can concentrate on a leisurely extended count up to 10. If you notice that you are distracted, then start the count again. You need to count for 4–5 minutes. This “educational” method can also be taught to a child.
Another prevention option is to focus on the word. Think about a word with which you have pleasant associations; it could be an affectionate nickname from loved ones, a delicious dish or flowers. The first half of the word must be spoken mentally while inhaling, and the remaining part while exhaling. Over time, this word will turn into a special “anchor” - after you think about it, you will feel relaxed and ready to face any stressful situation.

The duration of the exercise is 5–6 minutes. Once completed, gently run your fingers over your eyelids, slowly open your eyes, and look around the room. Notice that you have become much more focused.

Such prevention is an indispensable assistant in cases when you urgently need to remember something (a person’s last name, a certain word, or why you came to another room). Within a few seconds, the forgotten will appear in your memory.

Redesigning your day to combat stress

If you had a bad day at work, as a result of which your mood turned out to be completely ruined, then these recommendations will help you calm down and not bring negativity to your family and loved ones. To avoid such situations, there are methods for getting rid of stressful conditions:

Sit comfortably in a chair, and then just sit.
Brew coffee, brew tea. During this prevention, try to drive away all thoughts about your affairs and responsibilities. Stretch the procedure for 8–10 minutes.
To combat stress, grab some headphones and turn on your favorite music. Concentrate completely on the melody, forgetting about the rest of the world.
When the whole family is gathered, sit next to them and discuss some things. You should not try to solve your problems when you are tired, as in this case you will not succeed. Solutions usually occur to people when they are in a calm, rested state.
Take a warm bath and do some breathing exercises. Take a deep breath, then lower your face into the water (except your eyes) and exhale slowly. You need to inhale with resistance, slowly. At this time, mentally imagine how all the negativity that has accumulated during the day begins to disappear. This method allows you to relax even after the most stressful day.
Take your time and stroll through the quiet, deserted streets, enjoying the fresh air.
Go for a 15-minute run.

Making coffee will help ward off fatigue

How to help yourself in a stressful situation

A stressful situation can also arise for objectively frivolous reasons - the whims of children, criticism (even constructive) from the boss. To prevent stress, you need to mentally give yourself the command “Stop!” - this will slow down the further development of the negative state and develop mental control skills.

Next, you should follow the stress prevention methods listed below, so that at a critical moment you will be able to relax, begin to think clearly and avoid a situation of loss of control over yourself:

Breathe slowly through your nose. When you inhale, hold your breath and then slowly exhale. During the exhalation, you need to imagine how it takes away with it all the tension that has arisen.
This exercise lasts for a minute. It is necessary to relax and lower your shoulders, get rid of tension in the corners of your mouth. You should take deep breaths and completely relax your facial muscles, since our facial expressions and facial expressions affect our internal state.
Take a look at the environment you are currently in. Take a closer look at even the smallest details. Mentally move from one object to another, pronouncing their names and definitions - “blue curtains”, “wooden table”, “old carpet”. This consistent concentration on objects will allow you to distract yourself.
Leave the room where you felt unpleasant emotions. It’s great if you can go outside and be alone. As in the previous exercise, examine the situation, nature, nearby houses and buildings.
Lean forward. Try to relax completely, with your arms, shoulders and head hanging down. Take calm, deep breaths in and out for a couple of minutes. When lifting, be careful not to feel dizzy. This is an effective remedy for combating negative thoughts.
Distract yourself by doing something - cleaning, washing dishes. These exercises are an effective way to cope with stress, since physical labor always distracts from unpleasant experiences.
Listen to your favorite soothing music and focus completely on it.
Talk to someone about neutral topics. If there is no one near you, call close friends and relatives.
Do breathing exercises.

Prevention of stress is primarily aimed at the formation and development of stress resistance - a person’s ability to endure significant stress without harmful consequences for health.

After this stress prevention, you will completely calm down and be able to continue work or any other activity.

How to analyze experienced stress

Since each person experiences different stressful conditions, it is important to determine your personal reactions to such situations and the reasons for their occurrence. This will allow you to find the most suitable way for you to cope with stress and create effective prevention of such experiences.

Keep a diary in which you will make daily entries about when you discovered a stressful state in yourself, under what circumstances it appeared in you, and what its causes were. It is recommended to fill out the diary before going to bed - this way you can easily and quickly remember all the important details.

After a few weeks, review your notes to determine what specifically is causing you stress. It is facilitated by certain repeating situations - it is to them that you need to pay attention. Make a plan or reminder to overcome a stressful situation to prevent it.

Most often, signs of stress include lack of concentration, jaw clenching, absent-mindedness, increased irritability, constant bad mood, lack of restful sleep, high fatigue, anxiety, insatiable appetite or lack thereof, digestive problems, headaches. Preventing stress will help you get rid of such symptoms.

After analyzing the records, you will be able to find out when you feel stressed, under what circumstances, what exactly is preventing you from leading a full, happy life, and what kind of prevention needs to be done to get rid of negative conditions.

Stress is a series of nonspecific reactions of the body that arise as a result of exposure to unfavorable factors of various natures (physical, psychological), which disrupt its normal functioning, as well as the state of the nervous system.

As a result of exposure to various factors associated with danger or surprise, the body begins to produce specific hormones (adrenaline), which stimulate energy sources.

Thanks to this reaction, people cope with difficult situations. But, if this helped primitive people to survive, such situations are easy for modern people. The whole point is that it is not so much the stress itself that is scary, but its intensity.

Stress in a limited amount is good, but in the modern world this human condition does not go away even for a day, and this leads to exhaustion of the body, and, accordingly, to...

Causes of stress - know to avoid

It is difficult to list all the causes of stress, since each person is individual and everyone will perceive the same situation in their own way: for one it will be the norm, but for another it will cause stress. Be that as it may, one thing is important: a stressful state occurs in cases when a person feels danger, a threat to life, or he himself invents this threat.

Factors influencing the occurrence of stress include:

Prevention of acute stressful situations

In order for acute stress not to take you by surprise, you need to prepare yourself for such situations and be able to adequately accept them, thereby avoiding the destructive effects of stress.

The main task of preventing acute stress is to learn to manage it and respond to the influence of stimuli in a relaxing way.

Relaxation as the main method

Considering that stress consists of three phases (impulse, stress, adaptation), the use of the relaxation method allows you to intervene in this process and stop the impact of the impulse, weaken the situation itself, accelerating adaptation. This will help avoid the development of psychosomatic disorders, and therefore the diseases to which they can lead.

Relaxation, by activating the nervous system, helps regulate the degree of arousal and mood.

Consequently, muscle and mental tension is weakened or completely relieved.

“Reworking” the day in the fight against stress

The habit of bringing into your home the negativity accumulated during the working day can cause stress not only for you, but also for family members who are unwittingly drawn into the abyss of events that do not concern them at all. In order to avoid stress yourself and not transfer it to your household, you need to rearrange your day:

after you have crossed the threshold of the house, do not say a word about work;
sit comfortably in a chair and forget about what happened during the day for 10 minutes;
turn on your favorite music and completely immerse yourself in it;
prepare strong tea and drink it either alone or with family members;
fill the bath with warm, comfortable water (you can add sea salt or lavender essential oil to it), lie in the water for 10 minutes.

Also, when choosing this method, do breathing exercises: closing your lips tightly, take a deep breath. Place your face in the water and exhale slowly for as long as you can.

Each method lasts only 10 minutes. During this time, you will have time to switch to a positive wave and relieve stress.

Aromatherapy in the fight against negativity

The beneficial effects of aromatic oils on humans have been known since ancient times. Their effect is that vapors, entering through the membranes at the base of the nose and into the brain, affect mood.

So, using bottles, aroma lamps, massage, using ether and spraying it around the room can relieve stress. For this purpose, the following oils are used: basil, orange, spruce, jasmine, cedar, lemon balm, mint, rosemary, rose, tangerine, lavender.

How to prevent chronic stress conditions

In order to improve your life and avoid chronic stress, you can use a lot of methods to prevent it, but for each specific case a person will find the most effective one.

Conflict resolution

Conflicts in the family, at work, and other places are one of the most common causes of stress. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to meet their opponent halfway and this is completely in vain, since in order to get rid of a stressful situation more quickly and prevent stress, resolving the current situation will be the most effective method.

There is no need to argue for a long time and clarify who is right and who is wrong. Just meet each other halfway, take the first step and the situation will be resolved, and at the same time the stressful situation itself will be resolved, accordingly, you will be able to avoid all the negativity.

Reading books

Reading books will help you take your mind off reality and avoid stress. It doesn't require too much time or money to improve your emotional state.

Take a book (not a laptop or a computer, but a book) and immerse yourself in a world of fantasy, wonderful novels that switch thinking to a positive way and stimulate its normal functioning.

Prayer

For believers, the ideal option is to read a prayer. It suppresses the effects of stress-forming factors and helps avoid nervousness.

Physical activity

To remove excess steroid hormones from the blood, you should use physical activity.

In addition to the fact that a person takes care of his figure and physical health, he also improves his psychological state.

After playing sports, you can relax as much as possible, getting rid of stress.

You can choose a set of exercises either independently or with the help of a trainer.

How to Stop Stress At the First Sign

As soon as a person notices the approach of stress: frequent headaches, palpitations, unexplained tension in the morning, frequent mood swings, it is necessary to immediately stop this condition.

You need to select the appropriate method:

Pay attention to your breathing and do gymnastics: Inhale deeply and very slowly. This simple exercise relieves anxiety and stress levels.
Visualize a nice picture. The brighter it is, the better. Let your imagination draw only pleasant moments, completely unrelated to the stress factor.
On a piece of paper, sketch out the situation that worries you at the moment.. This simple task will help reduce tension and free your thoughts from stress.
Admit that you have stress. Just say, “Yes, I feel anxious, but I can handle it.”

Prevention of professional burnout

The work of any, even a very well-coordinated team is associated with conflict situations that arise from time to time for a number of reasons. Dissatisfaction with your position, salary, relationships with employees - all this can provoke professional stress.

How to avoid stress at work:

Anti-stress approach to life

Emotional stress is one of the causes of the development of various diseases. The ability to deal with situations that cause such disruptions is the path to a healthy lifestyle and a strong body. In order to avoid emotional stress, you first need to learn to adapt and not “savor” your problems.

Engage in physical exercise: evening walks, jogging, Chinese gymnastics will allow a person to relax and unwind as much as possible.

Remember that nutrition should be complete and rich in various vitamins, enzymes and mineral salts. Drink carrot juice, sprouted grain products, fish oil, and brewer's yeast more often.

The use of medicinal plants is widely used in the prevention of stress. Help to relax and calm: sage, valerian, peppermint, chamomile, motherwort.

Allow yourself to relax for 10-15 minutes in a warm bath, after adding essential oil (melissa, lavender, geranium, orange, rose, chamomile) to the water. And if you add any of the listed oils to the massage cream and perform a self-massage procedure, relaxation will come even faster.

To calm the nervous system and prevent stress, drug treatment in the form of medications can be used. The most commonly used are: valerian (tablet form and tincture), motherwort, hawthorn, Novo-Passit, Persen.

Stress is the cause of various somatic diseases, so its prevention is the key to human health and normal performance.

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Posted on http://www.allbest.ru/

Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation

Voronezh Basic Medical College

Message

“Stress in old age and ways to overcome it”

Checked by: teacher Alla Anatolyevna Vysotskaya

Completed by: Student of group 228 Ekaterina Kochanova

Voronezh 2012

For many people, the transition to retirement is accompanied by stress, melancholy and apathy, and retirement age is associated with old age and illness, and therefore is perceived as a real disaster and causes a psychological crisis, especially for those who were engaged in active creative activities at work. Now it is replaced by inaction and emptiness. thoughts come to mind about approaching old age, about all sorts of restrictions caused by health conditions, about the need to give up your job to young people and admit that they can already do without you. Not everyone can find the strength to prevent such thoughts or calmly come to terms with them.

What effect does stress have on the body?

Stress hormones and aging.

Levels of stress hormones increase with age, and this is the main likely reason for the arrest of neurogenesis, or the formation of new hormones. However, as the brain ages, it does not actually lose its ability to generate new neurons, and neurogenesis resumes once stress is removed. Scientists who conducted animal studies came to this conclusion. Thus, neuron production in animals continues throughout adult life, and the sharp decline in neuron production is explained by high levels of stress hormones produced by the adrenal glands in old age. After removal of the adrenal glands, the growth of new brain cells was observed in old rats. Thus, it can be assumed that the process of slowing down the production of neurons due to aging can be reversed.

Stress and stroke.

A study in Finland followed nearly 2,000 middle-aged people over eleven years and found that an increased risk of stroke was associated with stress. Thus, it was found that an increase in blood pressure as a response to stress can increase the risk of stroke. The sympathetic nervous system responds to mental and emotional stress by increasing blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. This response forms the basis for chronic hypertension and atherosclerosis, two known risk factors for stroke and cardiovascular disease.

Sustained stress impairs learning abilities.

Long-term or persistent stress can damage the brain's hippocampus, making it harder to remember new things. Research has shown that constantly stressed rats continuously explored their surroundings as if they were unable to retain new information in their memory. Probably, the hippocampus of the rats was under constant attack from hormones harmful to this part of the brain, which made memorization impossible. stress neurogenesis brain hormone

Stress weakens the blood-brain barrier.

Stress can greatly increase the ability of harmful chemicals to pass unhindered through the blood-brain barrier, a complex system of blood vessels that protects the brain from toxins circulating in the blood. We have already written about this in one of the previous articles, and we will not go into details, but we will introduce the ignorant part of our audience to this problem. Even during the Gulf War, in order to protect against chemical and biological weapons, soldiers took the drug pyridostigmine. However, the stress caused by the war allowed the drug to enter the brain, causing headaches, dizziness and nausea. This has never been observed before in a calm environment. The results revealed a weakening effect of stress on the blood-brain barrier. This is a significant discovery because many drugs and medications are designed with the assumption that they will not be able to penetrate the brain, and therefore taking them while the body is under stress can have negative consequences.

A quick response to stress on a subconscious level.

By monitoring individual neurons in the right prefrontal cortex, researchers at the University of Iowa found that these cells responded surprisingly quickly to unpleasant images, including photographs of mutilation and war scenes. Happy or neutral photos did not elicit the same quick response. The neurons responded to disgusting visual stimuli in about twelve hundredths of a second, much faster than the subject himself was aware of the content of the images. The conclusions suggest themselves: the brain has improved the system for recognizing potentially dangerous or threatening stimuli.

How to avoid stress?

In order for retirement to be smoother psychologically, a pensioner needs to take care in advance about what to do at home after retiring, what hobbies and interests can help them overcome the changes associated with the end of their working life without complications. To prevent the transition to retirement from being perceived so tragically, passive inaction should not be allowed - this will cause pessimistic thoughts, blues, and boredom.

But passion for what you love can give a pensioner a feeling of interest in its results, employment, and satisfaction. Retirement age is much easier for those people who have a favorite pastime and interests that are not related to professional work. Retirement age is a favorable and even expected time for women busy with home, family, and raising grandchildren. Memories of conscientious work that brought satisfaction can also become a source of positive emotions, arouse the respect of others and a sense of pride in one’s professional victories. An elderly person has what young people lack - a lot of free time, which can be used to implement plans that may have been conceived for a long time. If they are not there, you need to find something you like, preferably one that involves communicating with people, where you can give advice, exchange experiences, and feel needed by someone. Making new contacts can enrich the boring and monotonous life of a pensioner and raise it to a new level. You can and should use this time to think seriously about your health and thoroughly work on improving it; or devote your free time to growing vegetables and fruits, growing flowers in the country, etc. Some retirees find it helpful to brighten up their lives by interacting with pets, taking care of them, feeding them, and walking them.

Some tips for seniors on how to overcome stress:

Exercise - at least a little, but every day - this will increase your energy supply and release endorphins, which help cope with both physical and mental stress.

Don't be careless about your health. Minor ailments can lead to serious illnesses if they are not treated promptly while they are still mild. Physical and mental ailments should not be treated as a natural condition of older people.

And the opposite advice - don’t be too suspicious. Extra trips to the doctors will not improve your morale. You should not study the medical encyclopedia, looking for signs of a particular disease - this will only aggravate the stressful state.

If you are single, get a pet - now you have enough time to take care of it. A dog or cat, in turn, will satisfy your need to take care of someone and the desire to be loved and will relieve you of the feeling of loneliness. In addition, it is possible that you will communicate with fellow dog breeders or cat lovers.

Try to give up destructive habits - cravings for alcohol and smoking - they are even more destructive for older people, since the body is quite worn out and is often unable to cope with such a load.

Develop your abilities. Many famous musicians, writers, and sculptors began to do what they loved after 45-50 years. This will give you additional incentive and add variety to your life.

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