Everyone is familiar with the mental strains of stress but fewer recognize the physical impacts associated with stress. Like a lot mental health issues, stress can have serious implications for your body.

Research has linked high levels of stress to:

• Insomnia or hypersomnia
• Fluctuations in appetite
• Decreased intimacy
• Heart attack and stroke
• High blood pressure
• Migraine headaches
• Fatigue

Night-time Grinding

Most people know someone in their life who grinds their teeth at night, you may even be one of them. This common condition is known as bruxism. Bruxism is often linked to high levels of stress and can do permanent damage to your teeth. Lowering the level of stress is your life is a good first step to help lessen the effects of bruxism.

Get Moving!

Exercise is a great stress reducer. Getting active regularly is an irreplaceable piece of a healthy lifestyle. Exercising for mental health doesn’t need to be excessive. Working out or doing some form of cardio a few times a week will do the trick. It can be fun too! Take your dog for a walk or get some friends together for a game of basketball.

Exercise benefits:

• More energy
• Boosted confidence
• Endorphin production
• Improved health and lifespan

Use your time wisely

Much of our stress is caused by time constraints in one form or another. Work deadlines or finding time to shop for groceries can all press down and overwhelm you. Learning to plan out days and use time efficiently can bring order to a chaotic schedule. Simply knowing that you have planned in advance can reduce stress because you know everything is accounted for.

Meditate

Getting into the habit of meditation is hard but it is possible and there are huge benefits. It takes serious discipline to meditate with regularity but it can be done. Meditation helps calm you and clears your mind of all the distractions the internet age has pumped your life full of. Researchers at Harvard have even linked mindfulness meditation to increased brain function. Setting aside 10-20 minutes a day can relieve a great deal of stress.

Whatever is causing your stress whether acute or chronic, you can take action to lessen its effects. Don’t grow complacent and just live with stress. Use some of the techniques we have talked about and take control of your stress.