Traveling and Its Impact Towards Stress

Impact of travelling

Traveling in Malaysia has been boosted via the zero GST (Goods and Service Tax) implication by the new government. Locals may travel in Malaysia itself if travelling overseas is expensive and this would also amplify the Malaysian economy when foreigners invest their money to travel here.

Daily routines and the pressures that come with them are recognized as sources of stress and depression. Traveling is the perfect way to break that cycle and eliminate their negative effects completely .Traveling forces us to temporarily disconnect from our normal routine and it helps us appreciate the people and things we have around. As per a famous saying “we never know what we have until we lose it.”

It is believed that if someone gets out of their comfort zone, the mind gets more creative. To develop new neural connections that trigger original and creative thoughts, we must explore new places and break out of our daily lifestyles.

Sleeping late. Taking long walks in the morning. Being spontaneous and trying new things. These are simple things that can be easily done while traveling and they are refreshing. After months of working under pressure and sticking to routines, letting loose and exploring new activities are perfect ways to get out of the vicious cycle that’s been causing stress.

Traveling is a heart-healthy activity for two reasons. Even if we’re planning on lying around on the beach all day, traveling requires quite a bit of physical exertion. Whether it’s rushing through an airport, exploring the streets of a new city, or hiking through the wilderness, we’re bound to get our heart rate up during our trip. Also, since traveling is a great way to relieve stress, it can help to bring our blood pressure down .Another factor that is vital for our physical health.

Importance of family towards healthy mental health

Mothers’ are the roots to a happy family. Many have shared their experience and love towards their mothers’ during Mothers’ day. When there is a mother, there is a family. One may choose who to associate but family is something given by birth.

Love, passion, conflict, argument ,it’s how we relate to each other. It’s how we bond and learn about one another. It’s how we develop as people and as a family.

Problems may derive due to many reasons and that itself will deteriorate the peace and harmony in the family causing more stress to other family members who are healthy and normal. One problematic person in the family is enough to cause chaos to all others.

Problems are inevitable yet it can be tamed as a family. If one had just ended a particularly stressful workday, they should pause before walking through their door at night. Do some deep breathing or listen to some calming music. This helps get them in a better mood before they see their partner and children. The family will thank them for being warm.

No one enjoys household chores, but they are things that have to be done. Evenly dividing chores can prevent future conflict. If everyone shares the responsibility, no one person will feel put upon. It also allows for teaching moments with younger children so they learn not to become frustrated when they are not fully capable of completing a task. In the process they will learn skills they will need to live on their own.

Having meals together provides an opportunity for communication and relationship building. It allows one to find out about things that might be causing their children’s stress. One can help them prevent future problems and teach them how to respond to the pressures they are facing now.

Setting aside one weekend a month or one night a week to spend as a family keeps communication channels open and allows all to bond as a family. Play board games, do an art project, or go for a walk. It doesn’t have to be complicated, or even cost money.

Living together as a family offers many opportunities to reduce the stress that naturally arises in family life. Spending time together, sharing chores, keeping communication channels open, and sitting down to an evening meal together several times a week all help to make your family life together less stressful and more pleasurable.

Benefits of sleep

Sleep is a problem among the current generation and especially among students. Waking up in a sudden, irregular sleeping patterns may trigger the causes of stress. Electronic gadgets worsen the situation. Many sleep related diseases are prone to occur nowadays, affecting our physical and mental health.

Sleep is as important to our health as eating, drinking and breathing. It allows our bodies to repair themselves and our brains to consolidate our memories and process information.

Poor sleep is linked to physical problems such as a weakened immune system and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

Even just one night of insufficient sleep can highly impact on our alertness, attention span, concentration and problem solving abilities the following day. People who frequently do not get enough sleep, particularly when they are young, would have high chances of negative affects on their intelligence levels and overall mental development.

Our sleep needs may vary, but most adults need an average of seven to eight hours of sleep each night, whereas children and teenagers will need more sleep. Keeping a regular sleep routine will help to prepare your body for sleep at night time by synchronising your body clock.

Allocating a 20-minute time slot each day and get into a habit of writing down everything which is on our mind and likely to worry us in the night. This can be a remedial way of ‘drawing a line’ under these worries before we go to bed.

In a related benefit of sleep, a well rested body generally produces less of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.

Sleep is also needed to reduce cortisol levels with other hormones like serotonin. This makes getting to bed doubly important for minimizing stress in our life.

Our immune system that deals with invading pathogens and problems within our body needs proper sleep to work efficiently. Insomnia can heavily depress the immune system and leave a person vulnerable to various diseases and longer-term health problems. Conversely, extra sleep can help us recover from illness more quickly.

Sleeping allows our brain time to get back into balance all of the necessary chemicals and hormones that affect our mental clarity, mood and emotions and are so important for being calm, relaxed and happy.

Food factors affecting stress

Healthy food within a budget is highly possible subject to our effort to cook and prepare our own meals. Freshly home cooked meals are healthier and cheaper than eating out. Substituting nuts and other soy food would help to reduce the intake of red meats which are costly and highly perishable. Planning and listing down grocery list would save time and reduce our impulsiveness to purchase other unnecessary items.

If our blood sugar reduces we might feel tired, irritable and depressed. Eating regularly and selecting foods that release energy slowly will aid to keep our sugar levels steady.

Our brains depend on proper hydration to function optimally. Brain cells require a delicate balance between water and various elements to fuction, and when you lose too much water, that balance is disrupted. Your brain cells lose efficiency. Water is often overlooked as a stress reliever. Every cell and every system in the body is dependent on water for healthy functioning. If we don’t drink enough fluid, we may find it difficult to focus or think clearly. We might also start to feel constipated which makes one grumpy.

Sometimes our gut can express how we are feeling emotionally. If we're stressed or anxious this can make our gut slow down or speed up. For healthy digestion we need to have plenty of fibre, fluid and physical exercise regularly.

We need to increase our water intake by 2 cups for every 1 cup of caffeinated beverage. Decaffeinated coffee is still about 35% caffeine and in some cases has additional chemicals added to it in the process. Green tea contains caffeine even though it contains anti-oxidants. Caffeine is a stimulant, which will give us a quick burst of energy, but then may make us feel anxious and depressed, disturb our sleep especially if we have it before bed, or give us withdrawal symptoms if we stop consuming it suddenly.

Vegetables and fruit contain a lot of the minerals, vitamins and fibre we need to keep us physically and mentally healthy. It is highly advisable for one to have various types of vegetable to obtain sufficient nutrients for their health.

Our brain needs fatty acids such as omega to keep it working well. So rather than avoiding all fats, it’s important to eat the right ones. such as oily fish, poultry ,olive, milk and yoghurt.

How positivity functions

Many stress related issues has always been overlooked as supernatural or superstitious incidents. Bullying and verbal abuses are casual practices now. Without thinking of the negative consequences it brings towards an individual.

Many of us have been used to cursing and verbally abusing people in our daily lives especially during driving, among friends, classmates, colleagues and many more. We have thought of not doing so but never put an effort to control ourselves.

Spreading positivity is essential in today’s world . Starting from a smile. It is hard to see humans smiling to each and other , they are either hooked to their electronic gadgets or pretending as though to avoid human interaction. Even worse when one gets a sharp stare as a return for a humble smile. It is alright to have sharp stares but sometime, that humble smile might give someone a hope to live, strive hard, move on or even a second chance. Smiling is the most easiest yet fastest method to spread happiness and positivity.

We should also practice reverse statement by using positive statements while talking. For example, ‘don’t be late’, late here is considered negative but one can also say ‘be early’ early a positive word. When we practice such methods with those around us it will also influence them to use positive words and terms.

Essentialness of exercising

Exercising is considered as a form of healing and prevention from diseases. It helps to keep strengthen the heart functionality. It is necessary for everyone to workout every day to keep themselves toned. The exercise done must have a rhythm and practiced with skills, within ones capabilities.

Exercising has many benefits towards physical and mental health. Though its physical aspect is visible yet do not see its impact towards ones mental health.

When one is physically healthy , eventually it boosts their confidence which in the long run gives a satisfaction to the individuals that reduces stress.

Exercising would also reduce the level of fatigue ,increase ones focus and alertness. As they have a healthy body they would also have healthily functioning nerves that keeps them active.

Stress, affects the brain that has many nerve connection which impacts the rest of the body. The mind feels better when the body feels better. Exercise and other physical activity produce endorphins which improves the ability to sleep and sleep is another form of relaxation that reduces stress. (ADAA, n.d.)