Many advantages have come as a result of progress. However, development and urbanization have brought considerable downsides to humanity, such as higher stress levels and benefits. Yes, life used to be more difficult, but people were less prone to become depressed since their lives were more measured and steady than in today’s society when routines break in seconds, and we must constantly adjust.
Many things can cause stress and eventually depression, and many of them are unseen to us, making it difficult to figure out what triggered the negative feelings. These are just a few examples of unseen factors contributing to increased stress levels.
7 things that unnoticeably increase stress levels
1. A sedentary way of life
People are waking up to the fact that sitting at an office for eight hours a day is clearly unhealthy. Our bodies are evolved to be in continual motion, and the way we live now hurts them, causing congestion, disrupting circulation, and increasing stress levels.
When you’re plainly inactive, your body sends you signs that you need to get moving. When you don’t get what you want, your brain assumes something is wrong and releases stress hormones to make you feel better and improve your concentration. If you don’t respond, your body will manufacture even more stress hormones, eventually leading to sadness.
2. Procrastination
On the other hand, procrastination appears to help us put stress on the back burner. Are you fed up with your job? It is possible to sit for an hour on social media and watch memes, which can help to relax the mind. Procrastination, on the other hand, creates an unnoticed increase in worry. The closer a task’s “deadline” approaches, the larger the concern and, as a result, the higher the stress level. A paradox occurs when you appear to be relaxing and even boosting your mood, but you feel worse and worse due to the rush of stress hormones.
3. Use of social media
Once upon a time, social media was thought to unite humanity and eradicate borders. We may gain almost instant access to any information and speak with anyone using them. But, at least in terms of stress, social media has only made things worse.
The influx of information from all directions quickly overwhelms our brains, which cannot handle such a large amount of data and begin to malfunction, resulting in the release of stress hormones. Then there’s the matter of comparing and contrasting. When you look at other people’s accounts and see how successful they have been, it’s easy to believe that you’re the only one who hasn’t found success. Of course, social media has increased trolling and bullying, which does not help with mental health. When these circumstances are combined, they can be quite stressful.
4. Smartphones
It’s not the devices themselves that are the problem; it’s our expectations. Our mind is in a state of alert, waiting for the “important” alert to arrive, thanks to a large number of social networks and various news and entertainment services. These occurrences have become significant on the spur of the moment; we’ve simply grown accustomed to reacting quickly to them, and the brain has adapted to see receiving a new message as severe a cause for alarm as a speeding car.
You may not realize it, but a portion of your attention is entirely focused on the sound or vibration of your smartphone as if you don’t want to miss any notifications. Your body produces more stress hormones in this situation, attempting to brighten you up and improve your concentration.
5. Altruism
Altruism is a noble trait, without a doubt, because not everyone can overcome his inner selfishness and serve another person, often at the expense of his own comfort. It is beneficial in many ways, but not when it comes to stress. In this case, benevolence is seen in a negative light. And we’re not just talking about situations where a person can’t exhibit his willingness to help another person for whatever reason and feels sorrow for it, but also situations where he lends a shoulder and either considers it insufficient or encounters deception.
Unknown to you, your reluctance to say no to others, particularly those who require assistance, leads to increased stress and steady descent into depression. This isn’t to say that altruism should be abandoned; rather, it should be used for its intended goal rather than being sprayed in all directions.
6. Excessive physical exercise is harmful to your health
You may believe that simply working out too hard is enough and that you can forget about stress. However, after sweating it out in the gym, you may feel broken on the way home, and it’s not because of physical exhaustion but because of mental exhaustion.
The fact is that long periods of rigorous exercise cause the production of stress hormones since the body believes you are fighting for your life. While short bursts of stress hormones can be good during workouts, large surges can turn you into a bloated mass. That’s why it’s ideal for exercising for no more than an hour per day, or perhaps 30 minutes.
7. Inadequate nutrition
The diet appears to meet the body’s calorie requirements completely, yet you feel stressed for some reason. In fact, consuming a particular number of calories is insufficient. Furthermore, stress hormones can be produced in the body not only as a result of starvation but also as a result of overeating and consuming huge amounts of processed foods, which, while caloric, have little nutritious value.
Improper nutrition traps a person in a vicious cycle: an unsuitable food creates a small amount of stress, which raises energy consumption, resulting in a deficit, which causes additional stress, and so on.
