Stress and Hair Loss (cont)

Some tips to reducing your everyday stress levels:

Identify the areas in your life that may be causing you stress such as money issues, work (or lack of it) issues, relationships, family, exams etc. The first step in fixing any problem is identifying the problem.

When there is a specific problem that is the root cause of your stress, make out a plan to try to deal with it. As long as you feel that you have some action that you can take and that you are in control then your stress levels about that subject will reduce. It’s often the feeling of helplessness and being overwhelmed that can send the stress levels skyrocketing.

Try to remove yourself mentally from the problem area. ‘Compartmentalize’ the problem in your mind, and only go into that ‘compartment’ when you have to. This technique takes practice but can be used so often in daily life that it’s a skill worth achieving. We often go to the gym to train our bodies, but rarely do anything to train our minds after we leave school.

Take time out to relax. It seems like an obvious thing to do, but how many of us actually take time out each day to do just that? Relaxing is not the same as doing nothing, as doing nothing can sometimes entail the mind working overtime on stressful issues while the body is motionless. Relaxing is all about taking time out for both body and mind. Defocus your mind and concentrate on positive feelings and thoughts. Try to do this for half an hour a day if you find that life and all its pressures is taking its toll on you. Once again, this is a skill that might need to be learned. Take the time to learn it, and you’ll be rewarded in the long run.

Physical activity and exercise is a great way to unwind the mind and relieve stress. Don’t undertake activities that you are physically unable to do, and don’t continue to punish yourself with strenuous activities if the goal is anything other than to feel good and de-stress. For example, if the cause of your stress happens to be a weight problem, then physical activity, whilst beneficial for weight loss, is too closely tied to the problem. In that instance try to do additional, non-weight-loss-related activities, that are purely for your enjoyment.