What kind of days are you living right now?
There may be many people who are busy at work, commuting back and forth between work and home on weekdays, or who are busy balancing work and child-rearing every day.

First, check your stress level

Speaking of which, if you've recently been feeling a bit under the weather, feeling a bit down, or if you find yourself trying too hard, thinking, "If only I could just get through this busy time, I'd be fine!", then be careful. You may be accumulating stress without even realizing it.

Take a moment to stop and take stock of your mind and body.
Below are some items that can help you gauge your stress level.

<Self-check your stress level>

□ My eyes get tired easily
□ I get stiff shoulders easily
□ I often get pain in my back or waist.
□ My head is not clear
□ I sometimes feel dizzy.
□ I feel dizzy when I stand up.
□ I often wake up feeling unwell.
□ I often have dreams
□ My hands and feet are often cold
□ I always feel like food is sitting in my stomach.

These are symptoms that tend to appear early in a stressful situation.

In today's world, where we spend so much time in front of smartphones and computers, it is not uncommon for people to suffer from tired eyes and stiff shoulders.

Because of this, we tend to overlook it, but it may actually be a sign from our bodies that stress is starting to build up.

If you let stress go unchecked, it can lead to chronic stress.

This can lead to a variety of symptoms, such as emotional instability, such as becoming irritated over small things, becoming easily depressed, and losing motivation, as well as physical fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, and an increased susceptibility to catching colds.

It is important to recognize stress before it gets to that stage and deal with it early.

If you've been feeling a bit down lately, try to reflect on your current situation, take a breather, and change your mood.

What are the causes of stress?

Now, although we generally use the term "stress," the causes and ways in which it is felt vary from person to person.

So let's take a look at some of the things that can cause stress (known technically as stressors).

<Contents of stressors (specific examples)>

Physical stressors (heat, cold, pain, pressure, light, noise, crowds, etc.)
・Chemical stressors (drugs, harmful chemicals, environmental hormones, synthetic chemicals, etc.)
-Biological stressors (pollen, bacteria, viruses, mold, etc.)
Physical stressors (illness, injury, overwork, etc.)
Psychosocial stressors (conflicts in relationships, responsibilities and pressures associated with social behavior, anxiety about the future, loss of a loved one, financial hardship, etc.)

In general, what is caused by "psychosocial stressors" is often called "stress."

These psychosocial stressors include "life events" and "daily hustles."

Even happy things can be stressful

A "life event" refers to a turning point in life that is not experienced very often.

For example, some things that come to mind are marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, starting school, getting a job, changing jobs, moving, and buying a house.

Other life events include divorce, the death of a loved one, disasters, and bankruptcy.

It may be easy to imagine that negative events such as divorce or death of a loved one can cause stress, but in fact, happy events such as marriage, pregnancy, and childbirth can also cause stress.

The reason for this is the major change in living environment.

Let's consider the case of starting a new married life in a new home. You may be happy to be with your beloved partner, but you may also be a little confused by small differences in lifestyle habits.

Moving can also mean a change in your commute time, a loss of familiar faces, etc. Even if it's a happy event, any change in your living environment can still be psychologically taxing.

Are the "small irritations" of everyday life more troublesome?

On the other hand, "daily hustle" refers to troublesome events that occur chronically every day, but do not have a big impact like a life event.

For example, relationships with colleagues, fellow moms, and neighbors, misunderstandings with your partner, and traffic jams, crowds, and delays on trains are all examples of daily hustles.

It is believed that the accumulation of these small daily irritations, anxieties, and feelings of uneasiness has a greater impact on the mind and body than stress caused by life events.

It's not all bad! Stress is an opportunity for growth

You might think that life is full of stress if relationships, work pressure, rush hour commutes, and even happy things like marriage and childbirth can cause stress.

Yes, we cannot live a completely stress-free life.
However, there's no need to be pessimistic. We tend to focus on the negative aspects of stress, but if you change your perspective, you can see it as an opportunity for growth.

For example, let's say you're asked to do a tedious job. Some people might think, "I'm already busy enough, there's no way I can do something this tedious," while others might take a positive approach and think, "I'll think about how I can complete this job smoothly."

In this way, even the same stress of "tedious work" can lead to personal growth depending on how you perceive and deal with it.

In other words, because stress is unavoidable, it is important to control how you perceive and deal with it and learn to deal with it effectively.

In each installment of this column, we will introduce specific approaches, such as tips for building better relationships and relaxation techniques you can use in between work, so that you can become someone who can deal with stress well.

I hope this will help you to live a richer and more enjoyable life without being overwhelmed by stress.