Both anxiety and stress are things that many people suffer from at some stage in their lives. Plus, some people will suffer with it more than others. This can be triggered through a relationship, work, or even a breakdown in a friendship. There are so many ways that both stress and anxiety can be triggered.
There are many ways to deal with this, including a lot of unhealthy habits such as smoking, consuming alcohol or even drugs. That being said, there are also many healthy methods to deal with this. However, it is far more common to use substances to help with this.
Why Stress and Anxiety Drive Young People To Substance Use
One of the reasons why people will turn to substances is due to the very short-term relief for calming nerves, boosting moods, and even helping people to focus. However, despite this short-term relief, the long-term effects are far more damaging. In some cases, it can actually make the anxiety/stress far worse than it should be due to taking these substances.
There are many types of stress that you may be dealing with, and each requires a different approach to manage it. Let’s look at the different categories of stress.
Acute Stress
Acute stress is a minor type of stress compared to the others. This is very short-term and usually involves your fight or flight response, which then leads to temporary physiological changes. The body’s response typically involves increased heart rate and a quick release of adrenaline.
Chronic Stress
Chronic stress is another particular type of stress that people experience. This particular type of stress can be far more damaging to the human body. This would typically involve cardiovascular disease, anxiety, and depression, depending on how bad the chronic stress is.
Episodic Acute Stress
This particular category of stress is usually caused by those who work in a stressful job where they face difficult deadlines. It can also be for those who live chaotic lifestyles and are very disorganised. These scenarios would usually cause acute stress, but quite frequently.
Traumatic Stress
Traumatic stress is very common and can be caused by many things such as a road traffic accident, extreme natural disasters, violent acts, or even grieving a loss. To some degree, this can lead to symptoms of PTSD, which could be intrusive memories, avoidance behaviours and hyperarousal.
There are many other types of stress that an individual may experience; it all depends on the scenario and the person themselves. We also have many ways of dealing with stress that are different from one another, with some coping mechanisms being healthier than others.
Common Substances People Turn To
Nicotine
There are many things that people turn to when they are dealing with their stress/anxiety. The most common forms tend to be either alcohol or nicotine. Nicotine now comes in many forms and is legal to buy in the UK. This can be in the form of cigarettes, vaping, and nicotine pouches, also known as nicopods.
Alcohol
Although alcohol can be consumed for recreational use when people are going out with their friends and family, some people rely on this to deal with their stress and anxiety. This can spiral out of control and be far more damaging than people think, especially when they are drinking alone.
Caffeine
Caffeine is one that goes under the radar for many people because they don’t understand its effects. This is seen as harmless, but there are many studies out there which indicate that caffeine can actually worsen anxiety.
Other Substances
There are other types of substances that many people use to deal with their anxiety and stress. Prescription medication is something that can be considered to help people, although it can easily be misused. Furthermore, there are illegal substances that people will turn to as they help distract their minds. Again, with these recreational substances, this can only be seen as a temporary fix and, in fact, can be far more damaging over the long term.
The Negative Impacts of Relying on Substances
One of the main issues for people relying on these substances is that they can become very dependent on them. This can then lead to addiction, which can cause all sorts of problems such as impacting heart health, lungs and even affect the circadian rhythm. These issues alone can actually worsen anxiety and stress levels.
Healthy Alternative Solutions
The best method to deal with stress and anxiety is to choose a healthy solution. Here, there are many ways to deal with this, such as exercising, practising mindfulness, therapy, and even good sleep hygiene.
Exercise
Exercising is one of the best ways to deal with stress, and it can be literally completed anywhere. Something as simple as press-ups, soups or bodyweight squats at home can be enough to temporarily forget your worries, reduce stress levels and feel good about yourself. There is actual science behind it as well.
Firstly, it helps reduce levels of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Furthermore, it helps to release endorphins that automatically make you feel good and improve your mood. Not to mention the added benefit of improving your bodily functions.
Professional Support
Professional support is something else that people seek when their anxiety or stress is really high. This can be the best form of help for some people because they can talk about their feelings and release whatever is on their mind. Both over-the-counter and prescribed medications can be extremely beneficial for someone who suffers from anxiety or even stress.
Community Group
Another coping mechanism for this would be reaching out to a community. For example, there are run clubs where people express their feelings and get their exercise in. Then you have mutual-help organisations, which gather a group of people together to discuss their issues as well. Group therapy can be a great coping mechanism and it can help meet new people.
To Conclude
Dealing with anxiety and stress can be extremely and people cope with it in different ways. The best method would be to avoid substances and methods that will only help for the short term. Consider longevity and just think the sooner you start exercising or therapy sessions, the more stable you will be in the long term. Some of the short-term habits that you develop, especially using some substances which can actually harm your health. For example, excessive use of some substances can lead to the need for dental implants. This can then lead to even more stress due to financial worry and overall health concerns.