Stress And Muscle Tension
Does your neck hurt, even when you work seated and maintain good posture? Notice that your jaw is sore after receiving a sudden workload? If the answer is yes, you are probably suffering from stress-related muscle tension. A physical manifestation of a health problem that affects more and more people.
The Academic Stress article defines very well all the psychological symptoms that create stress related to stress. He exposes them as demands that cause pressure, loss of control and exhaustion.
The demands are so high that they lead to stress that must be expressed, even physically. Due to this, the back, jaw and headache appear.
An important problem
The fact that many people suffer from stress-related muscle tension has led to a “normalization” of the problem. So affected, a good number of people assume that it is in their nature, and therefore they do not plan to carry out an intervention to correct the problem. It is none other than the pernicious face of acceptance: resignation.
On the other hand, some of the alerts that indicate we are supporting too much work or studying can be the strain on the shoulders. We notice that they are more rigid and we suffer from contractures which often extend up to the neck.
Have you ever seen someone move that part of their body from side to side while massaging it? At first it can be subtle, but if we don’t reduce our stress over time, it can be a nuisance that becomes habitual.
Also, if we feel very stressed at any time, we will notice how excessively we are contracting the muscles in the legs. Although it does not seem important, such a phenomenon can lead to cramps during the night. You may feel concerned about these very unpleasant episodes.
Stress, muscle tension and tears
It might sound like overkill, but it isn’t. Stress, for example, by increasing muscle tension, can be a risk factor for injury. This is something an athlete knows well, which is why he gently stretches his muscles – it’s about relaxing, not gaining flexibility – when a hard workout ends.
When we are suffering from muscle tension due to stress, we do not do any physical exercise, therefore, we do not stretch. However, our muscles are tense and therefore susceptible to any injury.
Prevent and reduce stress
If we don’t take steps to start reducing and preventing stress-related muscle tension, it will get worse. Likewise, going to a physiotherapist will only serve to put a bandage on the wound. It is useless if we do not act directly on the factor, which is stress.
How to reduce stress in our life? Take a series of seemingly simple steps that require our conscious involvement. Even if they take effort, it will be a big change that will make us feel better.
- Relaxation Techniques: From meditation to mindfulness and yoga, there are a wide variety of options for relaxing and releasing the stress that we can build up in our body. Active breaks at work are also a great opportunity to do this
- Practice Assertiveness: If you can say “no”, do it. This option may present itself at many times, but your search for recognition and approval from others does not make use of this resource. Don’t compromise your health for it
- Cognitive restructuring: it is an excellent tool that can be learned in psychological consultations. It consists of distancing oneself from a very stressful situation to identify what feeds the stress and thus be able to cope better with the situation.
Finally, you should remember something very important. When you step away from the environment that causes you stress, you focus on the present moment.
With the nature that surrounds us as we take a walk, in the way we feel when we exercise our muscles at the gym, in the joy of our friends with whom we share projects … Finally, and better yet, we can also seek professional help.