Vitamins and a balanced diet will help cope with spring stress
A person must learn to manage stress. This opinion was expressed today in Vitebsk at the III International Scientific and Practical Conference "Fundamental and Applied Problems of Stress" by the Head of the Department of Psychology of the St. Petersburg Academy of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education, Professor, Candidate of Sciences Sergey Shingaev, reports a BELTA correspondent.
Psychologists distinguish two types of stress - eustress (beneficial) and distress (harmful). Eustress is the zest of life: a state of excitement helps a person to pull themselves together, concentrate, and activate their mental and physical strengths. Distress is a state of tension that prevents a person from realizing their full potential. Distress often develops into depression.
"It is necessary to use eustress to activate internal resources and combat distress," said the scientist. "Distress must be caught at the very first stages, one should try to avoid situations that provoke such states. And if this is impossible, then change one's attitude towards them."
According to him, the best way to get rid of stress is the so-called "talking it out," which helps all people regardless of their social status, gender, and age. "In order to overcome stress with the least consequences for health, it is necessary to have at least six people in your circle with whom you can share your problems. And it is better to write letters to friends by hand and personally go to the post office to send them," believes the professor.
Spring stress should be combated with vitamins, added Andrey Moiseenok, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Chief Researcher at the Institute of Pharmacology and Biochemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. "We emerge from winter with a vitamin deficiency, and spring demands increased activity. This imbalance between the body's condition and the activation of processes occurring within it is termed spring stress," said the professor.
Andrey Moiseenok noted that children, adolescents, and pregnant women are most susceptible to spring stress. "Nutrition is of paramount importance for them. The diet must include foods rich in vitamins C and D, as well as calcium," the professor said. "To minimize spring stress, one should eat 600g of fruits and vegetables daily, and also be sure to consume cottage cheese."
The international scientific and practical conference "Fundamental and Applied Problems of Stress" is being held at the Vitebsk State University named after P.M. Masherov. The conference features 120 reports from scientists from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Japan.