Stress is almost a certainty in everyone’s life whether it be
due to school, work, society, or family. Depending on the severity of the
stress it may have serious mental and physical health implications. Even the
most mundane of stresses may become severe if not managed appropriately. Due to
the
COVID-19 epidemic, Jordan has seen an increase in stress levels in a
varying array of topics. One study conducted in Jordan in 2020 on stresses due
to COVID found that:
اضافة اعلان
32.7 percent of participants were concerned about the impact on their studies/graduation
30.5 percent were highly concerned of the effect on a family member
18.7 percent were greatly concerned of the effect personally
23.9 percent were greatly concerned about their income
22.2 percent were greatly concerned about their ability to get food
18.7 percent were greatly concerned about their ability to get medication
Health concerns of stress
The inability to manage stress properly may lead to
manifestations physically, in mood and behavior. Physically, stress may cause:
Headaches
Muscle tension or pain
Chest pain
Fatigue
Change in libido
Upset stomach
Sleep disturbances
In terms of mood stress may cause:
Anxiety
Restlessness
Lack of motivation and focus
Feeling overwhelmed
Irritability or anger
Sadness or depression
Furthermore, stress may cause an individual to seek unhealthy
coping mechanisms, especially those at risk due to a previous or family history
of substance abuse.
Alcohol abuse, drug misuse, or tobacco use are not uncommon
in people with high stress and may be difficult to spot by friends or loved
ones. Additionally, behavior such as bouts of rage, over or undereating, social
withdrawal, and decreased physical activity may all be symptoms of high stress.
Occupational stress and its management
Occupational stress is psychological stress relating to one’s
job and may be caused by the working conditions, workplace conflict, long hours,
or economic factors. These stressors are often times unavoidable and require
the individual to properly manage the associated stress. A meta-review
conducted by the University of London compared multiple studies, reviewing the
effectiveness of various workplace techniques to reduce stress. The methods
that were mentioned were muscle relaxation, biofeedback, meditation, cognitive
restructuring/behavioral skills training, and combinations of these. All
workplace stress management studies showed a statistically significant benefit
physiologically and/or psychologically.
Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique for stress
management that is widely employed and accepted. It works on the principle that
muscles are unusually tensed in stressed people. In essence, progressive muscle
relaxation works by lying down and systematically flexing and relaxing specific
groups of muscles. The flexing phase lasts four to ten seconds, all the while
breathing in, followed by a sudden relaxation of the muscles and exhale. Then
to twenty seconds should be allowed between muscle groups.
Biofeedback is a technique that helps to control certain
bodily functions such as heart rate. Although the traditional method is
intensive and requires a technician as well as multiple advanced devices, there
are a few home remedies that aid in a similar manner. Essentially, biofeedback
is a form of meditation where the practitioner uses manipulation of thought, emotions,
or behavior in order to control bodily functions that can be observed through a
device such as a smartwatch.
There are many forms of meditation and there is no one right way of
performing it. Most of today’s stresses come from overthinking and worrying of
past or future events. Meditation works by focusing the mind on the present in
order to bring a sense of calm and tranquility. In order to focus the mind,
perform and focus on deep breathing, mentally become aware of your body and its
sensations, and repeat a mantra. A mantra is a sentence of phrase repeated to
yourself that helps bring tranquility to you and can have religious focus. With
these criteria in mind, the Islamic form of prayer (salat) more than qualifies
as a form of meditation. To corroborate this, a study published in the Journal
of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that salat “produces
positive changes in brain function and human well-being.”
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