So the main reason I haven’t been actively posting any articles for the past 3 months is because I’ve been under a lot of stress lately. I consider myself no stranger to work-related stress. I’ve always thought of myself as someone who can handle stress quite well, but the past few months have caused me to seriously re-evaluate my previous self-assessment. I have honestly never felt so down and frustrated in my entire life. Even now I’m still in the process of dealing with my stress and trying to overcome it, so I can make the most out of my life.

What causes stress anyway? Well, by now lots of people already know that stress can be caused by many things. What may be stressful for one person may not be stressful for another. There’s good stress and bad stress. Good stress can motivate you to push harder and achieve more in a short span of time, like when you do physical exercise or when you stay up all night to cram for an exam. Bad stress is stress that eats at you from the inside out, causes your blood pressure to rise, and makes you unhappy and gives you a host of other negative feelings and physical manifestations.

The thing is, stress doesn’t necessary always come from negative events in life. In my case, I believe my stress came from recent positive life changes - having a new job and preparations for my wedding. I changed jobs after over 10 years at my previous company, and am still adjusting to the different work environment and job description, longer work hours, and a much more demanding workload. I am also preparing/planning for my wedding early next year (and not getting enough done, in my opinion). I’ve also been doing a lot of soul-searching and worrying about the future… like what will my life be like after the wedding? Will we be financially secure and happy? Will I be a good wife or mother? Will I be able to do well in my job responsibilities? Am I doing a good job now?  What if..? (you get the picture).

What are the effects of bad stress? Well, I’ve already mentioned some, but in my case, I’ve noticed the following effects: lowered immune system (getting sick more often), no motivation to do physical exercise, becoming more serious and irritable, becoming tired and restless all the time, difficulty in falling asleep or achieving restful sleep, eyestrain, anger, frustration, indulging in bouts of self-pity, not eating right, drinking too much coffee, not alloting quality time for myself, looking older and not paying attention to my own appearance, weight gain, hyperacidity, pessimism, sadness, and a general lack of joy and enthusiasm in life. That’s just the effects on me. I’m sure my family and loved ones have also been affected by my stress because I’ve also been less attentive and loving towards them.

So how can we overcome stress? Luckily, I have a loving and very positive fiance and some good friends who remind me every so often that I’m already becoming “too stressed” and that I should learn to take it easy. I am sure that there are many ways of coping with and overcoming stress. Here are some that I am trying to implement in my own life: setting limits on the amount of work that I do (try to do only what you can, given the constraints of time and other tasks, instead of trying to make everything perfect), eat more healthfully, try not to overstay or work overtime unless absolutely necessary, leave work concerns at the office, drink more water, cut back on caffeine, do regular non-strenous exercise (like walking, yoga, and weight training), get at least 8 hours of quality sleep a night, pray and write in a journal more often, be grateful and thankful for the positive things you have in your life, and spend more time with loved ones.

I’m trying to consistently incorporate more of these things in my life. Even a couple of things from the list, done regularly, would already be a big help. It’s certainly better than staying stuck in this rut, damaging my health, and losing my joy in life.  I’m also really thankful that I have loved ones who are supportive, happy, and optimistic. I’m hopeful that in less than a month, I’ll be able to get back on track and back to my cheerful self again, with the energy to take on my dreams and make them come true! :)