{"id":1522,"date":"2018-04-09T15:44:39","date_gmt":"2018-04-09T07:44:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pacificprime.hk\/blog\/?p=1522"},"modified":"2018-04-16T10:26:17","modified_gmt":"2018-04-16T02:26:17","slug":"mental-health-stress-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pacificprime.hk\/blog\/mental-health-stress-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing stress and anxiety for better mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most people know that stress and anxiety can be bad for your health. The unfortunate thing about both of these states is that they\u2019re like quicksand – once you fall in, it can be hard to pull yourself out of it. Managing your mental health is important for ensuring that you can enjoy the life you lead and, this week, Pacific Prime Hong Kong is talking about what you can do to keep the grey clouds at bay. <\/span><\/p>\n

What happens when you get stressed?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Stress is primarily a <\/span>physical response<\/span><\/a> where the body feels under attack, and switches to a \u201cfight or flight\u201d mode. The body itself releases a mix of hormones, and chemicals such as adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine to prepare the body for physical action. This results in a number of reactions, including getting a rush of energy or an increased focus but it can also have negative effects, such as shutting down functions like digestion. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\"General<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n

In terms of mental health, stress can affect your mood, emotions, and behaviour. Prolonged stress can leave people feeling tired and drained, and can lead to things like insomnia. As the mind and body are one, having negative impacts on one can eventually lead to deterioration of the other, so being aware of your stress levels is important to keeping yourself healthy. <\/span><\/p>\n

How does anxiety differ from stress?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Anxiety is a <\/span>general term<\/span><\/a> used for disorders that can cause nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worrying. An emotional response that\u2019s typically characterized by feelings of tension, worry, and identified physically by things such as increased blood pressure, anxiety can be a normal feeling attached to an unknown or uncertain outcome to occur. An anxiety disorder, however, is where such feelings require some form of medical attention. <\/span><\/p>\n

Anxiety disorders come in many forms, and, as a result of suffering from such conditions, can lead to feelings of stress, and discomfort. While stress and anxiety can be closely related, anxiety disorders include things such as panic attacks, psychological phobias, social anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). One way of <\/span>understanding the difference<\/span><\/a> is that a lot of anxiety can stem from fear, while most acute stress is caused by external situations. <\/span><\/p>\n

The two are very closely linked, and the lines between them are often blurred – however, it\u2019s important to remember that they are both separate feelings, and also, to a point, completely normal behavior. It\u2019s when the impact of either becomes far too much, and impacts your mental health, that they become a problem. <\/span><\/p>\n

How can I be proactive about managing my own mental health? <\/span><\/h2>\n

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, there are some simple ways to help yourself cope with stressful and anxious situations in your life. These include: <\/span><\/p>\n