The Marriage Counseling Blog

Stress takes a toll on your mood, your health and your relationships if you don’t learn how to manage your stress level. It is important to recognize when your stress level is increasing. Learning how to manage your stress is imperative to improving your quality of life and maintaining the health of your marriage.

Everyone has stress. A little stress can be a good thing. It can lead to positive action. For example, if you are concerned about a big project you have coming up, stress can help you prepare. Stress can also help offer a warning sign that something needs to change. For example, if you are stressed about bills lately, it might be a warning sign that you need to pay closer attention to your budget.

Too much stress can be harmful. Chronic stress takes a toll on the mind and body over time. It also damages to relationships. Although it is likely that a major change in life, such as a new job, moving to a new home, having a new baby, or any other major transition is likely to increase your stress, it is important that your stress level doesn’t remain high over time.

Impact of Stress on Your Health

When stress creeps up on people, it can lead to a variety of physical health symptoms. Some of these health problems can contribute to more feelings of stress, creating a cycle of stress and health problems. Some physical health problems that can stem from stress include: headache, muscle pain and tension, chest pain, fatigue, and upset stomach. Stress is also a major factor in sleep difficulties. If you struggle with insomnia, it makes managing stress even more difficult. High stress levels over long periods of time have been linked to serious problems such as heart disease and high blood pressure as well.

Impact of Stress on Your Mood

Stress can play a big role in how you feel. Increased amounts of stress can lead to anxiety and depression. It can also cause people to become irritable and angry and have a low tolerance for frustration. It can also interfere with concentration and focus, making it more difficult to complete tasks. Stress also tends to lead to a decrease in sex drive.

Impact of Stress on Your Behaviors

Stress impacts behaviors in a variety of ways. Some people turn to alcohol, drugs, nicotine or caffeine to try and manage their stress levels. Other people tend to overeat or under eat. Sometimes people withdraw socially while others exhibit angry outbursts.

Impact on Your Marriage

When your health, mood, and behaviors change, it is going to impact your marriage. Whether your stress has to do with marital issues, family finances, or your job, it is important to recognize that having a high level of stress can lead to decreased marital satisfaction for both you and your spouse. Learning how to manage your stress is important to the long-term health of your marriage.

Managing Your Stress

It is important to recognize the sources of stress in your life and determine if there are some changes you can make. You might find that there isn’t just a list of a few major stressors, but in fact you have a lot of little stressors that seem to be contributing to your overall stress level. Problem-solve to see if there are things you can give up or let go of if that would improve your stress.

Take an inventory of what activities you have for stress relief. Many people think that watching television is a stress reliever. However, it is much more beneficial to have more activities that target stress relief. For example, meditation, yoga, and physical exercise are all great sources of stress relief. Spending quality time with friends and family can be helpful as well. If you don’t have many methods of relieving stress, make an effort to add more stress relieving activities to your life.