Stress is not an abstract concept it is our body's physiological response to any kind of demand a mechanism that evolved to help us survive say you're walking down the street and see a lion how does your body respond it immediately releases stress hormones that shut your non vital functions in order to prime your body for fight or flight your brain turns off the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for rational thought when you need to escape physical danger primal instincts are more important.
This mechanism is great if you need to escape from a lion but not helpful for coping with modern-day stressors that don't put our lives in direct danger while short-term stress boosts your resilience chronic stress takes a toll on your health in fact chronic stress is so bad it's estimated that 75 to 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related problems what kinds of chronic stress are we exposed to according to forbes the average business professional has 30 to 100 projects on their plate the World Health Organization has called stress the health epidemic of the 21st century and a 2005 Princeton study reports that 75% of employees believe workers experience more on-the-job stress than a generation ago these aren't the kind of stressors you can simply take a break from so what can we do?
Stress is a mechanism that evolved in response to physical danger which means your body expects physical activity when this mechanism is triggered.
Here are some practical tips in the short term if you're experiencing acute emotional stress
Take deep breaths as you strain and relax your muscles your body will think you're fighting and you'll feel better.
If you're freaked out before a big presentation lock yourself in the bathroom for a few minutes it will trick your body into thinking you're safe.
If you're overwhelmed from writing your thesis take a walk or get a massage allow your body to focus on something physical so you can get back on track.
If you got into an argument or dealing with a work conflict go to a boxing class or just hit a punching bag your brain will think you beat up your opponent and won.
I hope this article helps you manage your stress effectively.