CDC report on Stress and how to cope in a chaotic world
I know a lot of people like myself that are struggling with stress in their lives. Are you? But according to this article by the CDC US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, stress is something we can adapt to and help reduce.
After reading excerpts of this article about coping with stress in the high pressure world in which we live, please feel free to share about some of the stresses in your life and or how you are coping with stress. Let's see what they have to say.
Coping with Stress
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on our lives. Many of us are facing challenges that can be stressful, overwhelming, and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Public health actions, such as social distancing, are necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but they can make us feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress and anxiety. Learning to cope with stress in a healthy way will make you, the people you care about, and those around you become more resilient.
Stress can cause the following:
- Feelings of fear, anger, sadness, worry, numbness, or frustration
- Changes in appetite, energy, desires, and interests
- Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
- Difficulty sleeping or nightmares
- Physical reactions, such as headaches, body pains, stomach problems, and skin rashes
- Worsening of chronic health problems
- Worsening of mental health conditions
- Increased use of tobacco, alcohol, and other substances
- Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including those on social media. It’s good to be informed, but hearing about the pandemic constantly can be upsetting. Consider limiting news to just a couple times a day and disconnecting from phone, tv, and computer screens for a while.
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Take care of your body
- Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditateexternal icon
- Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals
- Exercise regularly
- Get plenty of sleep
- Avoid excessive alcohol, tobacco, and substance use
- Continue with routine preventive measures (such as vaccinations, cancer screenings, etc.) as recommended by your healthcare provider
- Get vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine
- Make time to unwind — Try to do some other activities you enjoy
- Connect with others — Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling
- Connect with your community- or faith-based organizations — While social distancing measures are in place, try connecting online, through social media, or by phone or mail
Helping Others Cope
Taking care of yourself can better equip you to take care of others. During times of social distancing, it is especially important to stay connected with your friends and family. Helping others cope with stress through phone calls or video chats can help you and your loved ones feel less lonely or isolated.
Excerpts from Coping With Stress by US Center for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/stress-coping/cope-with-stress/index.html
The most stressful thing for me is the news. I want to be informed on what is happening, but the volume of crises in the world is just too much to handle. Somehow I need to limit what I watch and read to just keep from getting overwhelmed.
I am interested to hear what other people find stressful.
To not watch the news is to be uninformed.
To watch the news is to be misinformed.
-D Washington
Thank you to the OP for this thread.
The tangential side effects of such stress on ppl worldwide of all nationalities with all this is such a brutal and life altering side effect that never seemed to quite have enough consideration acknowledged before leaders and pharma just started “winging it.”
But especially for the kids who can’t speak up for themselves probably hurts the most, being smothered 7 hrs a day and it doesn’t take a Nobel prize to realize the harm that continues to do not only to their building immune systems but basic social interaction as well and making sense of the world and ppl depends largely on the ability to see joy, discontent, happy, sad. The whole spectrum of facial expressions and I hope this fear mongering stops here in 2022 and at risk groups are completely reconsidered instead of this blanket approach like Pokémon or whack a mole in that the goal is to mRNA every last one 😒 or divide ppl as much as possible while trying.
The stress on adults alike is 100% real and verifiable as well. Just hoping things shore up sooner rather than later 🤞
@JustWant2bWell I am sorry the news is so filled with challenges and crises. Overdoing news can make us over stressed. I do not want to stop watching the news, but I want to do it with boundaries. Sometimes I shut off the TV or shutdown a web page when it gets too much.
I learn what is happening, then I reinterpret in a way that in personally meaningful to me.
@soulsings
Thank you so much for this very informative post and the resources given. I'm a great believer in exercise and healthy food to help the body in dealing with stress (and of course coping skills!).
Something that is stressful for me is being around people irl who are unhappy with themselves since I tend to pick up and absorb their emotions or if people lie. I'm grateful for the coping skills about managing emotions I learned here which do help me. We always have a choice how we want to see situations and feel about them.
@amiablePeace77 I think sensitive people are like sponges and need to be careful around people that have very strong emotions.
thank you for sharing this, I'm doing all the things suggested here and trying to cope with a heap of past trauma, have taken steps to be honest and open with those close to me, making new friends locally and online, practicing my faith, doing creative activities... am so grateful for my 7 cups family...thank you
@irisfairy I am so glad you found confirmation in this article. Keep up the good work!