~ External and Internal Dimensions of ~ Stress part 1
Stress by definition, is the feeling of being overwhelmed or unable to cope with mental or emotional pressure (mentalhealth.org). Stress is one of the biggest pandemic that causes just as much problems as say the common cold or flu, maybe even worse.
Just as how the flu is transmittable, did you know that stress can be transmitted?
(sounds like some disease, maybe it is)
You may have known someone or yourself getting stressed because someone that you’re close to is stress – transmitted stress.
sounds familiar?
Stress can play a big part in affecting our overall health, causing many health problems that we may face daily.
For example, for some time I’ve been stressed and I also wanted to grow my hair, but each time I checked my hair length it wouldn’t grow, furthermore it seems to be getting shorter and I was pissed because I treat my hair right but I wasn’t getting any good result. It wasn’t until I realized that I was too stressed!
Stress doesn’t just take a toll on a person’s emotional being but, it also affects their physical being like your hair, weight, your skin and even your hygiene (your overall physique).
But how can we tackle stress?
Before entertaining the idea of tackling stress, there are several questions we should ask ourselves to understand our stress level.
There are two things that you can use to understand what’s affecting your stress level; external dimensions of stress and internal dimensions of stress.
External dimensions can include noises, overcrowding, major life changes, negative personal interactions and availability of choices.
Some of the questions that we should ask ourselves:
Noises –
- are recent life changes/events such as marriage, new home, new job (positive events can act as stress) or losing a loved one or your job affecting you
Availability of choices – This involves how much of a choice a person have
- Do you feel you have too much responsibilities to cope with
- Do you think you’re not permitted to think or act for yourself
If a person doesn’t have much choice they may feel bored or powerless that it leads to stress
Internal Dimensions: This includes biological factors…
Some of the questions that we should ask ourselves:
Nutritional Adequacy –
- Do you eat regularly
- Does your energy level fluctuates
- Do you crave sweets, like chocolate, when tired
Exercise –
- At the end of the day do you feel energetic or exhausted
- Are you getting adequate sleep
Personal Psychology –
- Are you in conflict with your work or with some other aspects in your life
- Do you like yourself, do you respect yourself
Sexual Fulfillment –
- Are you satisfied with your sexual life
- Are you involved sexually
Spiritual and Creative Fulfillment –
- Do you feel empty or purposeless
- Do you have the area of interests or self expression
Once you’ve answered whether or not these internal and or external dimensions are affecting you, that’s the first step taken in tackling your stress. It is also important to note that the idea is not to eliminate these dimensions but rather to understand if they are having an effect on your stress level.
~This is a product of myself and my current course~
EcomfortDiary 