19/08/2025
Health tips: Stress and anxiety
Dear Reader,
Stress is something that just about everyone knows well and experiences often. It’s that feeling of pressure, typically a result of too much to do and too little time to do it in. In a busy life, stress is almost unavoidable. Stress may be caused by events that are positive — a new job, vacation or marriage — and by events that are negative, such as job loss, divorce or death in the family. Stress isn’t the event itself, but rather your psychological or physical reaction to the event.
Anxiety is a tense feeling that often accompanies stress. It’s typically directed toward the future — toward something that may happen soon. Some anxiety can motivate you or help you respond to danger. However, if you have ongoing anxiety that interferes with daily activities and makes it hard to enjoy life, then anxiety can be a problem.
Home remedies
To help control stress and anxiety, experiment with these self-help strategies:
Learn to relax. Try relaxation therapies like massage, yoga, aromatherapy or art and music therapy. These may help you cope with the physical signs and symptoms. Your goal is to lower your heart rate and blood pressure while also reducing muscle tension.
Discuss your concerns. Talking with a trusted friend helps relieve stress and may provide a more positive perspective on your situation. This may lead to a healthy plan of action.
Get plenty of sleep. A healthy body promotes mental health. Sleep provides more vigor and a refreshed state of mind for tackling life’s challenges.
Stay physically active. Exercise keeps your body healthy and helps burn off excess energy that stress can produce. Aim for at least 30 minutes of daily exercise.
Eat healthy. Try to eat regularly scheduled, balanced meals and healthy snacks.
Limit caffeine. Too much coffee, tea or soda can increase your level of stress.
Plan ahead. Approach daily responsibilities in a practical and organized fashion. Divide big jobs into smaller tasks and take them on, one task at a time, until you reach your goal.
Deal with anger. Anger can and should be expressed, when it’s done carefully. First, count to 10 and compose yourself. Then, respond to strong emotions.
Be realistic. Set goals that you can reasonably achieve. Concentrate on what’s important. Setting unrealistic goals only invites failure.
Get away. A change of pace or change of scene may help you develop a whole new outlook. Going for walks or to the movies, golfing with friends or getting together for a game of cards helps relieve inner pressures.
Avoid self-medication. At times people rely on medication or alcohol for stress relief. This may lead to dependency.
Nurture your inner spirituality. Nature, art, music, meditation and prayer, as well as religious services, can help build inner strength and perspective.
Develop a support network. Family members, friends and co-workers whom you can turn to for support may be helpful when coping with stress.
Contact your healthcare provider or a mental health professional if stress feels overwhelming or you’re unable to function well, physically or emotionally.
