How to get rid of tension and stress: useful tips. How to quickly relieve nervous tension

The profession of a TV correspondent is considered to be the most nerve-wracking job, since on air the pulse of media representatives can reach up to 200 beats per minute, which can be equated to an astronaut who goes into outer space. Next in stressful professions is the work of a pilot, policeman, bodyguard, dentist, acrobat and journalist.

However, no one said that office employees, daily immersed in a monotonous routine, have an easier time going through stress and its consequences. They are also susceptible to the negative effects of stress, if not worse.

Adrenaline, you are not alone among stress hormones

Yes, the stress hormone known to many adrenaline is far from the only and by no means the main hormone released into the blood during stress.

The top of the pedestal has long been occupied by such a hormone as corticoliberin. It is produced in the hypothalamus (a subcortical region of the brain), triggering many endocrine responses that make us freeze with fear, buzz with nervous tension, pace the room and experience other signs of stress during the work process.

Corticoliberin goes side by side with another "guiding" stress hormone - adrenocorticotropic (ACTH). Roughly speaking, it communicates information to the adrenal glands that it is time to release “ordinary” stress hormones into the blood: adrenaline, norepinephrine, cortisol.

Therefore, as you can see, adrenaline, in fact, closes the hierarchy of stress hormones.

How do you know when stress hormones are kicking in?

Everyone knows the states: the heart is pounding, the blood rushes or, conversely, ebbs from the face. Under the influence of cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine, our voice begins to sit down, there is a sensation of a lump in the throat, an increase in sweating, pressure, muscle tone and even blood sugar.

All these signs tell us that we are under stress. The system of response to certain experiences has begun to act.

But when the level of adrenaline and other hormones reaches a maximum, the feedback mechanism automatically works in the body: ACTH stops being produced, due to which the well-known feeling comes: “Let go ..”. Stress is gradually fading away.

Is it worth restraining yourself after a conflict with your superiors?

Yes, it's worth it!

“Endocrinologists say that such violent reactions do not contribute to the washing out of nervous tension hormones from the blood, but, on the contrary, they increase their level even more and prolong the state of stress,” Dr. Carney Ginzburg (Israel) made this conclusion, observing two large groups of volunteers.

Those who did not restrain themselves and freaked out, then for more than a month were in a state of nervous tension. And this form of behavior did not contribute to building good relations with colleagues. In stress-resistant workers, adrenaline and cortisol levels declined rapidly.

How to relieve stress? Talk!

Troubles, conflicts of interest, and so on are not uncommon in the workplace. All this causes most people to worry, to be loaded, in other words, to be influenced by stress. And stress must be removed so as not to undermine health. Therefore, if a trouble that has happened at work does not allow you to recover and calm down, do not immediately drive this problem away from yourself. On the contrary, think it over properly, and even better, retell it to a friend or colleague. In this case, the trouble will turn into one of the ordinary production difficulties, ceasing to cause pain.

To begin with, let's figure out what the word “stress” has been hiding in itself so popular lately. To do this, let's turn to Eastern wisdom, since in Chinese, stress means "danger" and "opportunity". That is, stress implies a “possibility of danger”, a kind of state on the verge of health and illness.

Why is work one of the main sources of stress?

Yes, because it is to her that we dedicate a good third of our lives. This is where we spend 8 hours a day. And it’s good if the work brings satisfaction, the opportunity to realize oneself as a professional and personality, if the team is friendly and united. But it also happens that relationships do not add up, there is too much work, and there is so little time to complete it ...

Just think about it: according to the results of research conducted by the HeadHunter Belarus research center among 820 respondents, it turned out that almost all citizens of our country experience stress at work. At the same time, 27% of them - daily, 50% - from time to time, and 20% can say that this phenomenon is rare for them. But those who are never stressed in the workplace are almost non-existent.

What are the consequences of constantly being stressed at work?

The consequences of constant exposure to stress on the human body are complex and diverse. In this case, not only the psychological state suffers, but also the physical:

Yes, there are muscle clamps, which are dangerous for the development in the future of stoop, radiculitis, vegetovascular dystonia, osteochondrosis and headaches.
From the side of the nervous system, due to constant tension, there may be neuroses. In the future, with chronic stress, irritability, pain for no reason in healthy organs and fatigue may appear.
From the side of the cardiovascular system, there is surge heart muscle (myocardium) due to vasoconstriction during stress. After 10 years of such a life, the heart wears out so much that it looks like a heart attack.
In addition, due to the normalization of hormone levels due to the reserve of calcium, protein and vitamins found in our bones, teeth, skin, they demineralization, devitaminization, which is fraught with a decrease in bone density, the development of caries and skin problems.
Immunity also reacts with its weakening. A person becomes susceptible to viral, bacterial and autoimmune diseases.

What makes us nervous at work?

Scientists have conducted a number of studies aimed at identifying main reasons stress in the workplace:

According to data obtained by Dutch scientists, the main source of stress is, oddly enough, Colleagues. Moreover, it is not even the leader's habit of making public reprimands that is prevalent (this annoys only 37% of the respondents). The most hated was the condescending manner of communication and the tone of colleagues. This reason was indicated by 44% of respondents. Another 32% cited the presence of employees with very loud, loud voices who constantly distract from work by talking on the phone or with colleagues as the cause of constant stress in the workplace. And only 11% of respondents said that they do not like it when colleagues pester them with personal questions during work.
As it turned out, boredom and idleness The workplace can also cause stress! People who are bored during work hours have higher levels of aggression and hostility. In addition, such employees are more likely to experience emotional breakdowns and drops in blood pressure.
And, of course, the notorious rush job at work and lack of time are another cause of stressful situations at work. Of course, the constant delay in doing our work makes us nervous and panicky. And if the situation becomes constant, the emotional stress begins to accumulate and can lead to serious health problems and depression.
In addition, absolutely household reasons, from the lack of air conditioning in the room to the mess in the office or workplace.
And if we add to this fear of job loss, or a long-term stay of the wage level in one place, then stress is practically unavoidable.

What are the signs of developing "chronic office stress"?

Physical signs of stress include:

fatigue,
headache and toothache
frequent dizziness,
shiver,
stomach pain,
constipation or diarrhea
cardiopalmus,
pain or discomfort in the chest area,
feeling short of breath, suffocation,
a sharp increase in body temperature or chills,
increased sweating,
loss of sex drive
insomnia
numbness or tingling of the extremities.

Psychological signs of stress are:

anger,
fear,
anxiety,
fixation only on the negative,
memory problems,
feeling of powerlessness
obsessive state of anxiety,
irritability,
panic attacks.

In a state of stress, a person becomes very susceptible to external influences, sensitive. Mood swings, apathy, and a slow reaction may be observed. A person can go from one extreme to another: either eat nothing, then consume food in incredible quantities, smoke cigarettes one after another, start drinking.

Nervous habits (snapping fingers, biting nails) may appear. In addition, when under stress, some prefer to isolate themselves and distance themselves from others.

So how can you prevent all this and overcome constant stress?

Effective Stress Management Techniques

In order to effectively deal with stress at work, first of all, it is necessary to identify and eliminate its cause.

Often the cause of stress at work may not be congestion and emergency work at all, but an elementary inability to plan a working day. Help can come here time management Or the art of managing your time. It is important to learn how to take on important things first, plan your day, highlighting certain blocks in it. However, fans of excessive planning should be warned: only the most important things and meetings should be recorded in the diary. When people become addicted to planning, they may spend more time planning than doing tasks. In addition, the pleasurable feeling one gets when checking completed tasks off the to-do list can be gained by doing secondary, unimportant tasks. Meanwhile, important ones remain unfulfilled.

To familiarize yourself with the basic principles and rules of time management, you can take the time to read books such as:

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Powerful Personal Development Tools by Stephen Covey;
“Get out of your comfort zone. Change your life. 21 Methods for Improving Personal Efficiency by Brian Tracy
"Time drive. How to manage to live and work” by Gleb Arkhangelsky;
"Time management. Workshop on time management” by Sergey Kalinin.

The following publications are devoted to individual time management tools:

“How to put things in order. The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen;
"How to Stop Putting Your Life Off" by Leo Babaut;
“Hard time management. Take Control of Your Life by Dan S. Kennedy.

Since the main principle of time management is planning, you can start a paper diary in the old fashioned way, or you can use smartphone applications: Iso Timer for Android; Plan, Clear, Workflow for IOS.

Equally important is prevention. To counter stress learn to realistically evaluate your capabilities and don't try to jump over your head. Whether it takes two days, two hours, or two months to complete a task, it doesn't matter. The important thing is that you should not try to complete it in one hour or a day. And don't be afraid to tell your boss about it.

A great incentive that will make you look at your work differently can be own reward system. For example, after completing some tedious task, you can treat yourself to a piece of chocolate. And when solving a complex problem - a purchase that has long been dreamed of. Don't forget about ultimate incentives like pay raises and promotions.

Small breaks during the working day are extremely important, as well as sports during non-working hours.

Besides do not forget about relatives, friends, relatives. After all, they are the source of energy, the best advisers and will always come to the rescue. And a fair amount of optimism has never hurt anyone. Yes, and stress is afraid of him, like fire.

Here's what to do exactly no need, so this to confront. Of course, you may not like your colleagues, but think about what you will achieve by entering into an argument with them? Especially if you cannot answer the question of what is the purpose of the conflict? And even if you know the answer for sure, you should not conflict. It is much more effective to achieve your goal through negotiations.

And in no case should you leave everything as it is. If you are completely unbearable, and even a short vacation cannot return your former fuse, and the team causes only negative emotions, you can always change your job.

The main thing is to remember about yourself, your health. Never let stress get the best of you and your success in the workplace.

Many of us experience stress at work periodically or frequently. It's no secret that the effects of stress on health can be very serious. How to calm your nerves and help yourself survive difficult situations at work?

Agree that work is a serious source of stress for a modern person. Even if initially the vacancy did not talk about working in stressful conditions, then from time to time such situations still arise. The stress experienced at work makes a person too nervous, anxious, irritable, depressed, his blood pressure rises. sleep problems, premature aging, indigestion, cardiovascular diseases, exacerbation of chronic diseases can become. Stress, as you know, "beats" the nervous system, which is directly related to immunity. And if something prevents our immune system from working properly, we become vulnerable to infections. If you don't know how to calm your nerves, try our tips.

1st way to relieve stress: relax and refresh

To mitigate the effects of stress, take a short break to refresh yourself to replenish energy. Just do not look for consolation in food to eat up "on nervous grounds." It is enough to eat a small amount of a product that will help the body produce substances for the speedy victory over stress. It can be almonds, orange, avocado, salmon or spinach dishes. You can also drink a cup of black tea.

2nd way to relieve stress: massage

Massage of the earlobes is good for relieving stress and tension. There are many acupuncture points in our ears. You need to massage both lobes at the same time, with well-warmed hands. Continue the massage for at least a minute, pressing on different points for about 5 seconds.

3rd way to relieve stress: look for inspiration in the workplace

How to relieve stress if the end of the working day is still far away, and you don’t have the opportunity to leave for a while? In this case, the elementary organization of your workplace will help. True, you will have to take care of this in advance, in case of a possible.

Put on your desktop a photo of your favorite people, a postcard, a picture or an object that pleases the eye. You can fill the workspace with pleasant aromas, but follow the measure. Create a soothing music playlist on your computer in advance. In difficult moments, look at pleasant photos and listen to music through headphones to come to your senses.

Also, start cleaning up your desk to calm your nerves. Throw away unnecessary papers and objects, neatly put things that you use in their places.

4th way to relieve stress: movement

Exercise is a well-known way to prevent the effects of stress. If possible, find a secluded place in the office where you can do a little exercise - swinging arms and legs, squats.

You can get rid of stress at work with a 10-20-minute walk.

5th way to relieve stress: dreams and meditation

Your fantasies will help. Just close your eyes for a while and remember your favorite vacation spot. Imagine the sounds, colors, smells that create a special atmosphere in this place.

Build perspectives for the future. After all, work is only part of your life. Be aware of the existence of other people and things that give you happiness and peace.

For meditation, look for a comfortable seat in a comfortable place. Put your hands on your knees, straighten up and focus on relaxing some part of your body. Now close your eyes and listen to the sounds and sensations as you inhale and exhale. Meditate for 20 minutes. This will help you get your emotions under control and relieve stress.

It is possible to restore the functions of the central nervous system after severe stress with the help of drug therapy, in particular, taking nootropic drugs (

Everyone once experiences stress, a considerable number of adult residents of megacities are chronically in this state. Despite the many external factors that contribute to getting stuck in negativity, it is necessary to learn effective ways to relieve nervous tension, otherwise psychological discomfort will soon be supplemented by serious problems with the health of the body.

The first signals of an overvoltage that has begun are rapid fatigue, a drop in performance. Nervous strain determines behavior: men become quick-tempered, give out excessively aggressive reactions, women are more whiny, irritable. Phrases are heard: "I'm tired, I need emotional relief." In hopeless situations with unrelenting pressure from negative factors, eating disorders are possible:,. Even immunity with a nervous overstrain begins to fail: the risk of catching a viral infection increases.

Common symptoms that signal a problem are heart palpitations, increased sweating, tremors in the limbs, and anxiety. In addition, if you don’t know how to relax and fall asleep, it’s probably time to relieve nervous tension.

The danger of nervous tension

Modern people are affected by many aggressive factors that cannot be controlled. For example, many people have to endure unnaturally close contact with strangers in transport, do not get enough sleep, get tired of an overabundance of unnecessary information, but do not take timely measures to protect their psyche. It is almost impossible for working people to eliminate negative factors, they do not know how to relieve nervous tension. For some time, a strong body adapts to difficult conditions, but it is important to take advantage of the tips on how to quickly relieve stress or nervous tension. If the conditions become chronic, they will cause serious consequences in the form of physical health problems. According to doctors, somatic diseases are exacerbated: stomach ulcers, psoriasis, and some types of tumors.

IMPORTANT: It is dangerous to underestimate the harm of a negative mental state. It is important to know how to relieve strong nervous tension, to prevent possible consequences.

Identification of the presence of a problem, necessary measures

Symptoms like headaches, fever can both indicate nervous strain and indicate the onset of colds, so it is better to entrust differential diagnosis to a specialist. In addition, psychological reactions are individual: a situation that makes one person exhausted and broken, will excite another, overcome with obsessive thoughts. Today there are effective directions on how to relieve stress and nervous tension. It's better to fight together.

How to relieve nervous tension: drugs

Anxious, how to relieve stress and nervous tension? Medicine is the fastest, surest way to help. under the influence of classical antidepressants, antipsychotics, it slows down, anxiety symptoms are removed.

IMPORTANT: Minus serious drugs - they can only be prescribed by a doctor.

The second group of medicines - pharmacy - is available for purchase independently. Drugs that relieve nervous tension in the adult type of "Afobazol" eliminate negative aspects by activating the work of the nervous system. In an unopened state, it is wiser to choose a similar drug without side effects in order to relieve nervous tension and anxiety.

To relieve nervous tension and anxiety, it is important to choose drugs rationally. Many sufferers buy "Corvalol", sold without a prescription, quickly giving a sedative effect. People do not take into account an important nuance: long-term use of Corvalol causes serious addiction.

It is important to understand how to relieve nervous tension without drugs? Help folk medicine. Tincture of the avoiding peony, valerian will help to calm down, improve sleep. These are the simplest, most effective means of relieving internal nervous tension.

Other methods of traditional medicine, alas, work only due to the placebo effect.

How to relieve nervous tension at home

Having chosen drugs that relieve nervous tension, it is worth additionally working on the problem at home. Learn special breathing programs. A physical break will be useful if you are interested in how to quickly relieve nervous tension. And the most pleasant way to calm down and relieve nervous tension is to give each other touches, to hug each other tightly.

Interested in how to relieve nervous tension in a child? Take the child's hands with an anti-stress pillow. Stimulation of the nerve endings of the fingertips is the best way to relieve the strongest nervous tension on your own.

IMPORTANT: If you note that independent methods have a temporary effect, contact a specialist.

Seriously worried about the question of how to relieve nervous tension, fear, anxiety? A dozen recommendations will definitely help.

A sure way to relieve nervous tension from the head is to massage the jaw daily: the lower part of the face is pinched when you have to endure negativity for a long time. Put eight fingers on the bottom of the jaw, make confident circular motions. From the center, gradually move towards the ears.
A delicious way to relieve nervous tension on the face is to use chewing gum. According to scientists, in the process, the level of cortisol, the stress hormone, decreases.
The Dale Carnegie method of emotional unloading works like this: analyze what is happening in detail, imagine the worst possible outcome, mentally live it, accept it. Such a technique of self-hypnosis, which allows you to relieve nervous tension, relieves panic, and enough energy is released to solve an urgent problem.
Need an emotional release? Exercises that program for success, happiness will help. When you wake up, tell yourself in the morning: “I am safe, positive, successful, everything will work out.” A lot of coaches share useful trainings for free - take a look at them carefully.
Make a corner of emotional unloading in the house, filled with your favorite, memorable things. Set up a rocking chair with a blanket and a reading book, or organize a cozy, warm window sill.
Ways of emotional unloading, which came from Japan, are advised not to suppress emotions. Annoying boss? Hang a hated portrait on the wall, throw darts! Draw a dictator in funny situations. Got angry at your spouse? Having bought the cheapest dishes, beat them.
Everyone has their favorite music that relieves nervous tension and reminds them of special moments. Set aside 10 minutes a day to listen.
Choose movies for emotional release and once a week arrange a date with yourself in the home theater.
Change the scenery, walk along the quiet streets, admire the views. Switching to the contemplation of the beautiful, you will forget that you were worried about how to relieve nervous tension.
Get enough sleep! Healthy sleep works wonders.

Video - How to relieve nervous tension.

Conclusion

It is better to approach the question of how to relieve nervous tension in a complex way. The combination of drugs with independent methods of adjusting the condition will give the desired effect faster.

Coping with stress is easier when you know what provokes it, organize your time well, and do not overexert yourself. Naturally, work is the place where the stress is the most. For most people, work is just the main source of stressful situations that already go beyond professional activity, as such, and spread to other areas of life, including human health. However, stress can be dealt with, and dealt with quite successfully.

The effects of stress

In principle, we all know and understand that stress is bad. However, this is a completely natural state of the body, which is even good in itself when present in small quantities. Stress fills the body with energy and motivates to overcome difficulties and problems. Problems begin when we get "stuck" in a stressful state or are constantly exposed to it. Severe and prolonged stress leads to depression, anxiety, heart problems, musculoskeletal disorders, immune system disorders and cancer.

How we respond to a stressful situation is determined by our genes, character traits and life experiences. Therefore, the same situations affect different people differently. What offends someone may not “hook” you. One way or another, the first step in overcoming stress is to identify its causes.

Some of these reasons are quite obvious: the threat of being fired, for example. There are also less noticeable ones: daily annoyances, small inconveniences, such as a long trip to work in public transport, misunderstandings with employees, etc. These things contribute to the overall "bank" of stress that you accumulate. After a while, these little things that are constantly present in life can cause more serious damage than a single, strong shake.

Work on the "provocateurs" of stress

To deal with the factors that cause stressful tension, keep a "stress diary": in the first week, write down situations, events and people that made you react negatively to them (physically, mentally or emotionally). Give each situation a brief description: Where were you? Who took part? How did you react? What was your reaction (disappointment, anger, annoyance, etc.)?

Review your stress diary after a week. Choose one situation to work with, try to understand it, find ways to solve it, choose the best one and try to put it into practice the next time a similar situation arises.

Time Management Skills

Gaining or improving skills time management can also play a significant role in reducing stress in your life. Inefficient management of time (not just workers) leads to physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. A person feels that he is overloaded with work, that he does not have time for anything, that he does not have enough rest, that there is no time for personal life. All this, of course, leads to severe and prolonged stress.

Here are some tips to help you manage your time more effectively:

Set realistic goals, cultivate realistic expectations and acceptable deadlines. It's also important to monitor your progress so you know if you're on time and how well you're progressing.
Create a priority list. Organize all your tasks in terms of their importance, and always do the things that matter most first.
Save time. This primarily means not wasting it when you are working. Develop the ability to focus, and always allocate the necessary time for especially important projects.

Perspective vision

When you are able to see where your work is going in the future, it also allows you to overcome stress, because you understand that you are not just "stupidly plowing", but there is a certain goal that you will achieve. At the same time, of course, it is important not to forget about such things as proper rest, care for nutrition and health, cooperation for the achievement of a common goal, which implies the establishment of connections and relationships.