Medical professionals have deemed millennials the most stressed generation and it’s easy to see why. Whether it’s work, friends or family that’s stressing you out, the end result is the same i.e, the feeling of exhaustion, headaches and confusion.
The cost of housing, student loan debt, medical bills and in general the cost of living are all contributing factors. We are taught stress is mental, but what about when it begins to manifest physically? It may start as headaches, acne, nausea, and even dizziness, but can progress. Along with stress, millennials are increasingly at risk for hypertension disorder. One leads to the other.
This can be news to most, because our logical train of thought is that blood pressure is related to dieting and exercise, but that is not always the case. For that reason, it’s easy to miss recognizing the symptoms of hypertension because we do not always connect our stress to the physical symptoms that we are experiencing. Here are some tips to help keep your stress down, which will in turn help keep your heart healthy.
Work/life balance:
Stress caused by work is nothing new. However, outside of your 9-5, are you allowing yourself time to mentally reset? If not, that can easily lead to stress that’ll be carried throughout your day, not just time spent at work. Granted, this can be tricky for health care workers, first responders, and other vital positions, but the logic still applies.
Steps like deleting your work email off of your phone, deciding what can be addressed at a future time and even using the phrase “I’ll take care of that first thing tomorrow morning.” Can go a long way in improving your work/life balance. It can be intimidating to draw that line, but when it affects your health, intimidation should be treated as an afterthought.
Prioritizing your diet:
It’s hard. Choosing to eat healthy can be difficult at times because of costs, habits, and social situations. Developing a taste for healthy food if you’ve never consistently eaten healthy can generally be the hardest part. Starting small will help. Rather than snacking on chips, go with trail mix. Rather than eating a burger, opt for a wrap.
These are some of the ways to get you started. Of course, you know your body best, so give your body the best.There are other methods that can be just as beneficial. Picking up a new habit, going for walks, yoga, and practicing breathing techniques are also some great and effective ways at keeping your stress levels down and to avoid hypertension.
