Good mental health is something we all need to beware of and have, no matter what day it falls on.
In this ever changing world, there are times when we find ourselves in stressful situations. We all have good stress and bad stress. It’s the good stress that will keep us healthy and happy. Good stress could be being excited about something, or maybe winning a game, going out on your first date, being with friends that you haven’t seen for awhile. Do you remember when you rode the roller coaster, or any of the rides how you felt, even though you were probably screaming as the ride took you very high in the sky and brought you down very fast on the twists and the turns, you could have been a little scared, but it was still exciting this was your good stress. Although good stress is short -lived it will help to inspire you, and give you motivation.
Bad Stress, this is what we need to avoid if at at all possible. There are two types of bad stress, one is acute ( not lasting a long time, not too harmful to your mental and physical health ) or chronic (lasting a long time, can cause very negative things to your mental and physical health.) Bad stress, especially over a long period of time is very bad for your overall mental and physical health. Bad stress can make you feel jittery, make you confused, give you decreased motivation, headaches, insomnia, weight gain, anxiety, high blood pressure, poor concentration, depression, and a heart attack,
Each type of stress whether it is good or bad releases hormones in your system called adrenaline and cortisol, these hormones will set off the common signs of your stress. You may have the feeling of “butterflies in your stomach” your heart could be racing, your palms may be sweaty. These are all common reactions to stress. How you feel and or react to your situations will be the difference between the good and bad stress.
Reducing bad stress can be easier than you thought, stress management is finding out what the bad stressors in your life are and how you deal with them. Sometimes it is the easier things that we don’t normally think of.
Are you always finding yourself helping other people out, or doing things that you don’t normally want to do?
Learning to say “no” is a great way to start, the more you can say no to others and do the things that you would want to do, will help to begin to slow down the bad stress. If certain people stress you out, try avoiding them, this will also bring down your stress level.
There are some factors beyond our control that other people may do. You are only responsible for your own behaviour, not that of others.
Do you remember the line from Peter Pan, “Think Happy Thoughts”?
The more positive thoughts you can think about in any good or bad situation will put your brain on the right track to help you have good stress, remember that bad thoughts can lead to having negative behaviour.
Finding someone that you can trust and confide in like your family or friends, or even a professional can be very helpful expressing yourself instead of having your emotions build up in you keeping things bottled inside you can be disastrous.
Relaxing like deep breathing, yoga, and or meditation can help the bad stress to become good stress, it will help to clear your head.
Having a well balanced diet, and adding exercise to your routine, will not only lift your mood but it will also help your body and mind to feel better.
The better rest you can get at night the better it is for you, it can help to alleviate the stress of the day, and can help you fight off the new challenges that could happen the next day.
If your stress level is not chronic, stress can be beneficial and positive for you. The more positive things you can add to your life will help to reduce the chronic stress, which will then help you to have a more healthy balanced quality of life.
Did you know that being grateful for even the smallest things in life, like I am grateful the sun came out today, I am grateful the snails in my garden are no longer there, I am grateful that my car is working today, or I am grateful for my friends? Being grateful is also a great way to improve your mood. Try writing out something every day for whatever you are grateful for whether it is small, large, silly, fun, or anything at least for a month, you will see a vast improvement in how you feel. After a month or so, if you see your good thoughts improve, then continue with your everyday writing of being grateful, make a journal so you can go back and read it at times when you might need a mood booster.
Whitevalley Resource Centre would like to thank our sponsors Interior Health and The United Way.
A weekly feature for Lumby, Cherryville, and area seniors. For more information about any of the following please contact Colleen or Jenny at (250) 547-8866 Whitevalley Community Resource Centre Office (250) 547-8866. Funding support provided by Interior Health, the Province of British Columbia (Community Gaming), United Way Southern Interior and United Way Lower Mainland.
