Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the demands of life. There are positive and negative kinds of stress that can both help and hurt our mind and body. Stress is also categorized by how long it lasts by being either acute or chronic.
It's normal to feel stress from time to time. But if the stress lasts a long time and doesn't go away, you may need to take take steps to manage it in order to stay healthy. Coping with stress starts with identifying what triggers your stress and then figuring out a positive outlet for those stressful feelings.
If chronic, ongoing stress is a part of your life, it's important to make healthy lifestyle changes that can help ease your symptoms. Exercise, eating a healthy diet, and cutting back on alcohol and caffeine will not only improve your general health but will also ease the physical and mental symptoms linked to stress.
Everyone has some stress in their life at times, but it's important to recognize if your stress is chronic, or ongoing, because it can impact your overall health and well-being. One way to determine if you might be dealing with chronic stress is to take a personal inventory, identifying all the stressors that are going on in your life and then making changes to bring your stress level down.
