Feeling Stressed? 3 Things You Should Never Do

Everybody gets stressed sometimes but if you’re constantly overwhelmed with stress, it can become a big problem. It’s been linked to all sorts of health problems, both mental and physical, so keeping those stress levels under control is very important. The main reason that people end up letting their stress levels out of control is that they deal with it in the wrong way. There are things that you should be doing to deal with stress, but it’s often more useful to understand the things that you shouldn’t be doing. When you’re feeling stressed, always avoid these behaviors.

Ignore It

It’s fine, I’m just a bit stressed because of work. It won’t last long. These are all great excuses you can use for ignoring your stress and we’re all guilty of it sometimes, but it won’t help. There is something causing that stress and if you don’t change it, things will only get worse. When you’re feeling a little stressed, taking measures to deal with it won’t be that difficult, but the longer you leave it, the worse the effects will be and the harder it will be to get it under control again.

Drinking

Coming home after a long day at work and having a glass of wine or a bottle of beer is something most people are familiar with, and once in a while, it’s not a problem. But if alcohol is your go-to solution for stress, you’re in dangerous territory. When every day at work is a stressful one, you can easily fall into the habit of regular drinking. Excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to increased stress levels and even depression, so even though it might relax you for a while it’s making you more stressed out in the long term. If you think that drinking to relieve stress is becoming a problem for you, visit https://canadianhealthrecoverycentre.ca for information about recovery centers that can help you to deal with it. It’s far better to seek help early on before things spiral out of control.

Smoking

You may have heard people say that they need a cigarette when they’re stressed out but it’s a common misconception that smoking a cigarette relieves stress. The nicotine in a cigarette actually does the opposite and increases anxiety levels. Obviously, there are all of the other health problems associated with smoking so if you’re having lots of cigarettes as a way of calming yourself down, you’re making it worse and doing a lot of damage to your body in the process.

Comfort Eating

Some people reach for alcohol or cigarettes when they’re stressed, others reach for junk food. Comfort eating is quite a common reaction to high-stress levels but it will only make the problem worse. Once you’ve finished eating a load of unhealthy food, you’ll feel sluggish and tired and your mood is likely to be a lot worse. You’ll also increase your blood pressure if you’re eating junk on a regular basis so it’s better to stick to something healthy that will boost your mood instead. Visit prevention.com for a great list of foods that can help reduce stress rather than make it worse.

If you’re trying to deal with stress in any of these ways, you’re making things a lot worse for yourself.