Stress can be very apparent or it can hide under the surface. Many of us have developed coping skills to handle the daily stress we encounter. However, sometimes we face stress that is overwhelming or unexpected and it can feel too difficult to cope with. Other times, if we don’t deal properly with the normal stress, it won’t allow us to fully heal from it. Therefore it is important to look at some common ways that our coping skills can actually make our stress worse. Here are 5 behaviors to avoid when you are feeling stressed:
- Distracting yourself. While some distraction can allow your mind to rest, keeping busy and never addressing the problem is not healthy for you.
- Keeping to yourself. Each person may cope with stress differently according to their personality. And sometimes having some alone time can be very beneficial. However, isolating and not reaching out for help can be more detrimental to your mental health.
- Overeating or consuming too much alcohol. Everyone can have times of eating more than is necessary, whether in celebration or holiday, etc. However, stress eating/drinking can be unhealthy and end up causing health problems if not dealt with.
- Procrastinating. Sometimes putting something off can seem like the easy thing to do. However, if not dealt with properly, it can add to our stress in the end.
- Overthinking your situation. It can be healthy to think about your problem and stress, but ruminating over it is not. Allow your mind to process your stress and then take a break from it.
Source: https://possibilitychange.com/stress-reactions/
