Mind4Youth

Author: Parvani Raghunandan

What is Mental Stress? 

Mental stress is defined as the type of stress triggered by how situations in a person’s internal or external surroundings are interpreted, leading to mental distress and anxiousness (Saloman, 2013). 

What are the Sources of Mental  Stressors? 

Mental Stressors may arise from a variety of sources in our lives, including daily hassles, major life changes, and living circumstances. 

Daily hassles such as housework, traffic, inadequate sleep, lack of free time,  schoolwork, arguments with loved ones, and work difficulties can have a substantial influence on one’s mental health due to the pressure and stress of these challenges. These daily hassles have a significant effect on one’s  emotional and physical health, which can lead to feelings of exhaustion and irritation as a result of the weight of these burdens. 

Major life changes such as the birth of a child, a new career, a separation or divorce, the loss of a loved one, and a serious illness or accident can all have a tremendous impact on one’s mental health. Major life changes can  sometimes be unexpected and have a detrimental effect on one’s decision-making  due to the high level of stress one experiences during these events. In addition, whether positive or negative, these events will often  necessitate significant adjustment, which will  be more challenging depending on the  individual’s mental state.  

Living circumstances such as poverty or financial challenges, disability, chronic medical conditions, discrimination, job dissatisfaction, unsafe living situations, conflictual relationships, and values that clash with culture are all long-term issues that makes life more difficult and cause mental  stress. Living circumstances can consistently produce psychological, emotional, and physical suffering. It leaves one perpetually overwhelmed, depressed, and fearful, which ultimately has an undesirable effect on one’s  mental well-being.  

Methods to Handle Mental  Stress 

It is critical to build an individualized approach to reducing mental stress to enhance one’s quality of life and mental well being. I have compiled many coping methods and approaches below to raise awareness of  several ways to build resilience in one’s life when dealing with life’s pressures. 

• Acknowledge your needs. Identify your personal triggers. What kinds of  circumstances annoy you both physically and mentally? When you  understand this, you can steer clear of them when possible and navigate  them when it is not possible (National  Alliance on Mental Illness, n.d.). 

• Manage your schedule. By setting priorities for your activities, this will enable you to make better use of the time you have. For instance,  preparing a daily calendar ensures  that you are not overwhelmed by daily responsibilities and obligations (National Alliance on Mental Illness,  n.d.).  

• Implement relaxation techniques.  Relaxation methods such as deep  breathing, meditative practices and gradual relaxation of muscles are all  effective techniques for relieving stress. Taking a pause to recharge could have long-term benefits (National Alliance on Mental Illness,  n.d.).  

• Establish social bonds. Creating solid social support can increase  stress resistance. Relatives and close friends might be particularly skilled at listening and providing practical help when needed (Thorn, 2019), making  it valuable to cultivate strong relationships with others.  

• Develop better sleep regime. Stress throughout the day has an impact on  sleep at night. A lack of sleep can have a detrimental influence on both mental and emotional health. One should try to maintain a consistent  sleep regimen that provides time to unwind before turning out the lights (Thorn, 2019) in order to decrease their mental stress.  

Finally, these approaches will assist one in combating the harmful effects of stress and ultimately achieving reduced levels of mental stress.