Did you know that there are actually 6 dimensions of stress that can appear in your life? Yep, you read that right. SIX!
Stress can come out of nowhere when you least expect it, and when stress gets out of control, every time you make a move, it keeps smacking you down.
This is why it’s SO IMPORTANT to have a plan to manage stress before it manages you.
Because when stress is in control, you feel out of control, and reaching your goals is tough. It can affect your sleep, recovery, appetite, hormones, relationships, performance, and so much more! Stress is cumulative like a snowball. One type of stressor can affect another, compounding, getting bigger, and picking up speed.
Since most of us deal with more than one kind of stress at a time, you can see how it adds up to take a toll on your health!
So what are the 6 dimensions of Stress? Here is a list to see how stress can appear in your life:
- Physical stress: bad night of sleep, being sick or an illness, injury, being dehydrated, calorie or nutrient deficient, overtraining, or hungry.
- Mental stress: rough day at work, too many decisions to make (decision fatigue), multitasking or task switching, anxiety, overwhelmed.
- Emotional stress: the feeling of guilt, grief, anger, hate, frustration, shame, fear, or mood disorders (such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Emotional stressors can be particularly challenging because we feel them in our body, mind, and soul.
- Social stress: disagreements with others, feeling lonely, neglected, abandoned, harmed, harassed, bullied, lack of community, or rejected by others
- Existential stress: feeling hopeless, wondering what it all means, not feeling in control, identity transitions, or not meeting expectations.
- Environmental stress: loud noises, unsafe surroundings, hot or cold temperatures, stuck in traffic, dark or light, disease or pandemic, chaos, climate change, and pollution or smells.
Creating a healthy lifestyle and habits can help you prevent and manage those stressors, so you can become more resilient and even stop stress from getting in the way of your life.
PLUS BONUS, the same steps that help you manage stress will also move you CLOSER to your health and wellness goals.
That means finding ways to:
- Get enough sleep
- Move your body during the day
- Eat a healthy and balanced diet
- Work on more recovery and self-care
- Practice stress management techniques that work with you (meditation, prayer, journaling, yoga, pause more, breathing exercises, etc.)
Your challenge, if you accept, is to start focusing on the things you can control or have some control over. Slowly start implementing better healthy habits and mindset so that you can take back control of your life and not let stress control you. Go ahead and make yourself a PRIORITY Today!
Need help working on your healthy habits and mindset to reduce your stressors and improve your health and well-being? I can HELP! Book a FREE 15min call NOW to see how or ask away any questions you may have!