How to Manage Stress to Protect your Immune System

Updated: Sep 18, 2023

what is stress and can it affect your immune system?? — Stress is a ticking time bomb to your health and wellbeing

Should you be worried about being stressed?

Are you feeling stressed out and struggling to cope and then feeling worried because you are too stressed? Most of us can feel stressed at some time in our life but it seems to be at epidemic levels! In today's fast paced, changing world we can even start to think that feeling stressed is a normal state of being. After all there is so much to worry about from the struggles of day to day living to Climate Change and a Pandemic! Who wouldn't be stressed?

Stress is the body's normal reaction to harmful situations. When you perceive danger or threat a chemical reaction occurs in the body as stress hormones are released to allow you to take quick action to protect yourself from harm. This reaction is known as 'fight or flight' or the stress response. Our bodies are designed to handle short term stress but when we experience too much of it for prolonged periods of time without relief it can be very damaging to our overall health and well-being. If you are not sure what the signs of stress are then download the free stress symptom checker guide here

Stress can also cause you to lose the ability to think rationally.

How to mange Corona virus stress — Be careful how you handle your stress

What are the dangers of too much stress?

Too much stress can lower your immune system and be very damaging to your health and well-being in many ways. It can cause headache or migraine, high blood pressure, chest pain, sleep issues and affect your digestive system. Chronic stress has even been linked to asthma, heart attack and strokes. It can also lead to emotional problems such as anxiety, panic attacks, depression and relationship issues.

If all this wasn't bad enough, the way in which you respond to the stress can also be a problem. Many people turn to unhealthy habits to make then feel better in the short term such as comfort eating, drinking too much alcohol, smoking, using drugs, gambling, spending too much but things can quickly get out of hand if you don't take positive steps to manage your stress levels.

How to manage stress — Learn to how to manage your stress levels

What can you do to manage stress?

The good news is that there are many ways in which you can manage your stress to reduce its damaging effects and avoid having to resort to taking medication because you feel you can't cope. Often the medication only serves to mask the issue and can often have unwanted side effects which in the long run can make your stress levels worse.

By introducing some of the following into your life you can help yourself cope better.

EASY WAYS TO MANAGE STRESS

Plan your time and prioritise the things you need to do. Accept that you can't always achieve everything.
Try to do some form of exercise every day, even a quick walk is beneficial as it releases the 'feel good' hormones and reduces feelings of stress.
Mind, Body, Spirit practices such as Yoga, Tai Chi or Qi Gong help keep you grounded and give your thinking mind a break as you focus on your movement and breathing.
Spend some time outdoors surrounded by nature. Being disconnected from nature is not natural and so your wellbeing will suffer and feelings of stress can increase. Learn easy ways to re-connect with Nature to reduce stress here.
A healthy diet can help counter the impact of stress and maintain a healthy immune system.
Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake as this can increase feelings of stress.
Try meditation to slow your mind down and provide relaxation. Even 10 minutes will give you benefits. Learning how to meditate could be the best gift you could give yourself. Check out the Meditation for Complete Beginners Course here.
Practice mindfulness by focusing on the present moment with all of your 5 senses. This helps to disrupt your mind from focusing on worries about the future and can help bring stress levels down.
Just breathe! Too much stress causes you to take shallow breaths. Taking deeper slower breaths helps restore you to a calmer state as it takes you out of the stress response.
Have some 'me time' to wind down, you need to take time out for yourself. Try soaking in a warm aromatic bubble bath.
Stress can cause sleep to be a problem and lack of sleep can make you feel more stressed and affect your immune system so it is vital that you get enough sleep. If you are struggling then you can get your FREE better sleep guide here.
Try alternative therapies such as :

alternative therapies such as Reiki can reduce stress and anxiety — Try alternative therapies to promote calm

Aromatherapy - certain essential oils can help you relax and reduce feelings of stress and worry and bring back a sense of calm. Try lavender, rose, chamomile, bergamot, jasmine, Frankincense or ylang ylang in a diffuser.

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) - this can help you deal with stress better and reduces cortisol levels (stress hormone) within the body.

Reiki - is very good for stress as it can restore a disrupted energy flow within the body and has a calming effect on mind, body and spirit. Why not try a Distance Reiki Treatment - these can be just as effective as in-person treatments and can provide comfort and healing during these troubling times.