Stress may be considered as any physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and that may be a factor in disease causation. Physical and chemical factors that can cause stress include trauma, infections, toxins, illness, and injuries of any sort.
Avoid These Ten Stress Pitfalls
These traps can wreck any stress control plan.
Be on the lookout for the following common stress pitfalls, which can sabotage your stress management plan:
1) Skipping Meals
Skipping meals on the run is a common practice among stressed individuals. While it may seem harmless enough, skipping regular meals actually can increase both short-term and long-term stress levels.
In the short term, neglecting to eat regularly can lead to episodes of hypoglycemia as well as hunger pangs and headaches, all of which can provoke aggression, anxiety, and increased stress. In the long run, missing meals results in a vicious cycle of poor nutrition, increased susceptibility to infections and other illnesses, and even further stress.
2) People-Pleasing
Trying to make everyone else happy at the expense of your own needs can be a major stress-inducer. Whether it be due to spouses, friends, kids, coworkers, or parents, many people wind up with impossible schedules and epic to-do lists because they have a built-in need to please others or an inability to refuse requests. While accommodating others’ wishes and needs is fine to an extent, be sure you are able to reserve enough time and energy for your own well-being, even if it means saying ‘no’ more often.
3) Poor Organization Skills
A poorly organized home, desk, office, or even closet can cost time and energy that can better be used elsewhere. The few hours needed to effectively restore order to your chaos are well worth the investment – in addition to all the time you’ll save by not searching endlessly for needed items, you’ll save aggravation and frustration and ultimately reduce your day-to-day stress.
4) Road Rage
This relatively recent phenomenon is a definite stress management pitfall. Bolstered by the anonymity of traffic situations, many people vent their anger and frustration through aggressive driving practices or even downright dangerous traffic maneuvers. In most cases of road rage, no one feels vindicated and everyone suffers – a true lose-lose situation. Try to accept the fact that some people drive rudely or aggressively, and resist the temptation to “teach them a lesson.” In the best case scenario, road rage causes you to arrive stressed and angry at your destination. In the worst case, you’re risking tickets, fines, auto damage, or even your safety.
5) Self-medication
It’s a known fact – persons under stress drink more, smoke more, and are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as drug use than nonstressed individuals. While people justify these actions as releases or escapes from day-to-day stress, “treating” yourself with substances such as alcohol, tobacco, or drugs is an unhealthy and dangerous practice guaranteed to sabotage your efforts to control stress. Our bodies and minds are not independent entities; damage to your physical health only increases your potential for mental stress and poor functioning. 6) Blaming Others
While the behaviors of family, coworkers, and even strangers can contribute to your high stress levels, only you can take responsibility for managing and controlling your stress. Realize that the degree of stress you experience is largely due to your own reactions to the situations around you. Blaming others for your stress is a defeatist tactic that absolves you of any responsibility or ability to change. If your stress is out of control, only you can act to improve things.
7) Junk Food
Similar to skipping meals, subsisting on junk food while on the run can have short- and long-term health consequences that ultimately only increase your stress levels. Fast food, typically rich in fat, sodium, and calories, eaten regularly can lead to elevated cholesterol, weight gain, increased cancer risk, and other medical problems.
If you have no time to cook or eat regular meals, make the things you do eat count by choosing vitamin- and fiber-rich takeout offerings (salads, yogurt, fruits) instead of fat and calories.
8) Martyrdom
While some people are constantly striving to please others at their own expense, some folks simply aren’t able to recognize and meet their own emotional needs for a variety of reasons. Stress can ensue if you’re constantly denying yourself things you need or would enjoy because there is no time, they are too expensive, others need them more, or you feel you are just not worth it. Try to achieve a healthy balance between your own needs and those of others, and make time for relaxation and rejuvenation a regular part of your schedule.
9) The Need to Win Arguments
Learn to argue and discuss without the need to convince everyone that your opinions are the only correct ones. Conflict is a regular part of life, and your reactions to conflict can influence your stress level. Trying to convince stubborn people to change their views or win everyone over to your side can be emotionally draining and anxiety provoking. Accept the fact that arguments need not have “winners” and don’t bottle up anger trying to prove something to an unreceptive audience.
10) Comparing Yourself with Others
A last way to guarantee a high stress level is to compare yourself with everyone else. Although you may find instances where you’ll come out on top, everyone can find someone who appears, at least outwardly, to be more successful, happier, richer, better adjusted, or to possess whatever quality you find wanting in yourself. Set your own goals based upon what you want and need, and don’t use others’ lives as benchmarks.
Melissa Stöppler, M.D. is a physician, researcher, and writer with an interest in stress and its effects on the human body.
