Many people are suffering from stress and various other mental and physical ailments. These ailments arise in any form of the condition in the body or the mind that makes an individual feel uncomfortable or not at peace.
Diseases can range from very serious conditions of the physical body or even mental ailments. Most mental ailments start with the development of stress. One can take very small steps to manage their stress levels like simply booking a short trip to nature cottages with their friends, family, or even alone.
WHAT STRESS IS AND HOW IT AFFECTS THE BODY
The human mind is highly developed and evolved. It is capable of handling and managing the physical body functions and also produces more than a million thoughts every single day. It allows us to be creative and seek answers to the mysteries of the world.
Curiosity, consciousness, and creativity are three aspects of a very highly developed brain and all these are seen in human beings.
But what happens when the mind cannot stop working, keeps producing numerous thoughts even when it doesn’t need to? We all have experienced those moments and times in the day or sometimes even for longer durations when we cannot stop thinking. The mind, rather than being used for useful purposes starts to wander and create useless thoughts.
Many people call this overthinking. The mind is definitely supposed to be used to keep us safe from the dangers outside and help us learn, evolve, and grow. But if the mind is producing thoughts and unnecessarily creating noise out of compulsions, that is not healthy and leads to various troubles.
The problem becomes even serious when one’s mind doesn’t just produce a million thoughts, it also makes the individual think, assess, and contemplate every single one of them. This leads to worry, confusion, and fear of the outcomes that haven’t even occurred in one’s life yet. This leads to stress.
Stress is an inescapable condition of the mind when it starts to use its own capabilities to create misery and then affects the wellbeing and quality of one’s life. It can have various harmful effects on one’s health.
One of the major effects of stress is the development of mental disorders like depression, anxiety, affecting sleep patterns, or even body weight and appetite. With time, stress can also manifest itself by creating trouble with the health of organs like the kidneys, heart, or even lungs. Any kind of stress is unhealthy for the body and one must make sure to stay healthy and keep the mind in control.
HOW TO DEAL WITH STRESS FOR A HAPPY LIFE
Being stressed is the opposite of being mindful and aware of everything. Stress comes from a place of uncontrolled thoughts and compulsions to think over them while imagining stressful outcomes that are generally imaginary.
So the first step to managing stress is to be more aware and mindful of everything around us. This includes the food we eat, the water we drink, the time we spend doing physical exercises, spending time with friends and family.
Being mindful allows us to be more open to the activities we indulge in and also choose consciously between the things that make us happy and the things that we do to please others or other reasons.
One can start by making a journal and writing everything they think about their life aspect from the smallest to the most frequent thoughts they have. Recording the thoughts will allow one to be conscious of their decisions and make better ones to maintain their wellbeing.
Other steps that one can take to be more mindful is being around nature and practicing mindful breathing. Various nature cottages allow people to book a trip to the best scenic places in the midst of trees and fresh air, allowing people to take a break from their busy lives and spend some time rejuvenating.
Another way to practice mindfulness is by practicing meditation and yoga. Meditation is the art of helping the mind focus, controlling unnecessary thoughts, and bringing peace and contentment.
There are also various breathing techniques that one can learn and practice like kapalabhati. Focussing on breathing is the first important step towards practicing mindfulness and awareness.
Some forms of spiritual yogic practices can also help one to break old patterns of thinking, making them more aware of the present. These practices can help one break free from functioning through memory and old habits and allow one to make more conscious choices in their life.
