Stress is inevitable and there sure are a lot of ways to deal with it. However, one of the problems faced by many people who are constantly stressed out is that they use the wrong or negative coping mechanisms to control their stress levels. Little amounts of stress can be good for you too, but long term stress can have a negative impact on your life, most especially in your health. Deal with stress if you have to but you have to know if you're doing it the right way or you might just be doing more harm than good.
Here are some of the bad ways of coping with stress you might have been doing.
- You avoid the stressor. It is really very tempting to walk away and steer clear of whatever it is that bothers you, however that is not going to work. David Spiegel, Stanford University's associate chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, told HuffPost "Avoiding makes it like it isn't happening - and the more you avoid it the worse it gets ... The more you deal with things that stress you out, the more mastery you have over them,"
- You don't get enough sleep because you stay up very late. Remember that lack of sleep will only worsen your emotional state, and it will only make you feel more irritable.
- You choose to live a sedentary lifestyle. Instead of being a couch potato, reduce your stress by doing some exercise. It will make a difference.
- You rant and vent to your friends. Although it feels good to have somebody listen to you, make sure you do not overdo it. When you unload your emotions to a friend, you also have to be careful because it can be contagious. Your friend may also start to feel bad instead of you feeling better.
