Stress is a biological response to stimuli within your environment. Hormones from glands in the brain and throughout the body are released when you are presented with a stressor and the physical response to that stimulus generally occurs within a relatively short period of time, sometimes in mere milliseconds.
When most people think of such and how it affects their lives, the first things that come to mind typically surround the tough situations. For example, rush hour traffic after a long day of work, can result in a substantial feeling of negativeness. A tight budget in the face of a mounting pile of bills is also common. Problems within relationships cause a deviate one's important tasks and really make us feel overwhelmed and unhappy. These situations weather, work, personal, or even recreational related should always be analyzed with deep thought not to only solve the problem as fast as possible, but seeing the situation for what it is and not making it appear worse. Your environment and the events that occur in your everyday life are constant sources of both positive and negative stressors, both of which affect the body and mind in various ways.
One of the reasons that it is so important that we learn how to handle it properly revolves around health. Stress has been shown to contribute to many chronic health complications, including heart disease, depression, anxiety, ulcers and migraines. Even simple practices such as monitoring the way your lungs fill with air when you breathe can have a considerable effect on your body's ability to face difficult and tough situations. Try to breathe using the muscles in your diaphragm rather than your chest and see the difference in how much calmer you feel immediately, it might even help lower your blood pressure as well as improve many other physiological processes. Add an evening walk to your daily schedule to relieve the tension of the day before you go to bed and see how much more comfortably you sleep.
Changing your lifestyle for the better and altering your reaction to this common presence in our lives, in your environment you can improve both your physical health and emotional well being. Practices such as regular meditation, diaphragmatic breathing and consistent exercise all contribute to a body and mind more capable of managing these situations when they arise. Pay attention to the way that you react to stressors on a daily basis and develop a plan that fits your personality. As you learn more about yourself, your behaviors and your thoughts, you will find ways to get a good handle on them more effectively every day.