There’s a moderate and high level of stress that we encounter in our relationship and addressing it is an important issue. The condition can make us feel weak and sometimes vulnerable to several symptoms of mental, physical, and emotional concerns.
Joseph Rock, PsyD talks about stress as the same as feeling burnt out. According to him, “When you talk about burnout, you’re talking about three basic things – one of them is, just generally, you’re more exhausted; you’re more lethargic,” he said. “The second thing, is you’re less efficient; you’re not working as well as you used to work. And the third thing is, you’re getting very negative and cynical in your thinking – about work particularly.”
So how can you genuinely change and relax your mind and body? Here are some of the tips that you can follow to able to reduce the stress related to your relationship.
Holding Hands – It a common practice that most people in a relationship sometimes often do to boost affection and bonding. Holding hands support the relieving of stress because it triggers a behavioral, chemical reaction in the brain that helps in making you feel better. It assists the nerves in your skin to communicate with the core nervous system to give us a warm and pleasant sensation. It also eases the strain of both mental and physical aspects.
Kissing – Making out with your partner is an excellent way to relieve stress. It lowers the high level of stress regulator called cortisol and increases the amount of neurotransmitter in the brain also known as oxytocin. Kissing also increases the number of endorphins used for emotional feelings of attachment, contentment, security, and bond. It is also proven to reduce blood cholesterol and help maintain a better mood by decreasing headaches.
Hugging – There’s nothing more valuable in hugging than making you feel secure. It is somehow in charge of fighting stress because of its gentleness. It reduces blood pressure and maintains a balance of emotional health. When a person is experiencing stress, a simple embrace becomes a primary tool in increasing serotonin or the chemicals responsible for mood regulation. It allows the orbital frontal cortex to feel rewarding stimuli.
Scott Bea, PsyD says ““If you received a hug on a day that you had experienced some interpersonal conflict, the hug was actually a modifier of the stress response – meaning you had less of an increase in negative emotion, and less of a decrease in positive sentiment, if you got a simple hug.”
Cuddling – It is a universal way of showing someone affection. In fact, it’s the most accessible form of stress reliever and requires no extended effort in doing so. It gives people soothing effectiveness that helps in regulating a physical balance that supports emotional health. Like kissing, it also releases oxytocin that is also known as the “cuddle hormone” that encourages an area of the brain to react positively to touch. It is somehow similar to hugging but a much more prolonged type. It also creates a massive change in the body’s immune structure by helping the nervous system to frequently function and makes it more active and alert.
Sexual Intercourse – Regularly having sex with your partner can do a lot more than making you feel closer to each other. It’s beneficial for immunity and for your physical, psychological, and emotional health. Sex can address your stress levels because it helps in lowering the endorphins or the morphine-like chemicals produced in the body that reduces pain. Alongside its advantage is the production of prolactin that is responsible for giving you a relaxing feeling. It helps you gain focus so you can manage stressful situations.
Your relationship stress is only a factor that makes you understand the importance of physical intimacy. With all that said, it is best that you spend more time with your partner than think about the unnecessary things that complicate your overall well-being. If stress is caused by your work, take note that David W. Ballard, PsyD said “People need time off from work to recover from stress and prevent burnout.”