A person’s lowering stress levels before will affect their overall health. High levels of chronic stress can cause headaches, gastrointestinal problems and high blood pressure. It can also contribute to mental health issues such as irritability, depression or anxiety. Having healthy and effective coping mechanisms can help people avoid high stress levels and manage their responses to new situations. Practicing stress reduction techniques, such as mindfulness meditation, progressive muscle relaxation and exercise, can lower your heart rate and blood pressure and calm your mind. Getting enough sleep, eating a well-balanced diet and staying socially connected can also support a healthy immune system.

Prepping for Peace: Effective Strategies for Lowering Stress Levels Before [Insert Event/Activity]

When a stressful situation arises, the body responds by prepping for a fight or flight scenario. This is normal and is a necessary part of the fight or flight response for most people to be able to react appropriately in dangerous situations such as encountering a lion (or running late for an appointment). However, the problem happens when that fight or flight reaction sticks around after the trigger is gone (you catch the train on time and your presentation goes great), which is when you can see that stress starts to negatively impact your health.

The key is to recognize when you start feeling that fight or flight response — if you begin to feel irritable, indecisive or tearful, this could be a sign that you are stressed. This can then help you address your situation and prevent the stress from becoming chronic, which will have a greater impact on your overall health.