Stress Management

Why we need stress management? Everyday people deal with the responsibilities of work, home, family, group, surroundings, and situations.  Sometimes, that “responsibility” tends to exceed the normal and becomes something very stressful. 

Stress is the response of the body to change and not all cases of stress are bad.  It is a particularly “individual thing” that varies in every person.  One situation may be stressful to “this person” but may not even bother “that person”.  A case in point is driving; one may find driving a cause for being tense, while another may find it enjoyable and relaxing. 

There is no way of saying that one thing is “stressful” because every individual is different.  Life can’t be without stress, but the key is proper stress management as “unhealthy” stress responses may lead to health problems in a number of people.

What does stress do?  Stress can make a person feel afraid, angry, helpless, or excited.  It can also make sleeping really hard, or can give aches in the neck, head, back, and jaw. Additionally, it may lead to unhealthy habits like drinking, smoking, drug abuse, or overeating.  The alarming part of it is one may not feel it in any way, even when the body is already suffering from it.

How does one cope with stress?  The proper stress management starts with accepting things.  The “outside” force of everyday events may be upsetting, but how one reacts to it in the “inside” is what’s important.  How one handles the situation psychologically and emotionally is essential.  Here are several ways of managing stress:

Take a time out.  It doesn’t necessarily mean leaving everything behind, but simply taking fifteen to twenty minutes every day to find a quiet place to sit, breathe, and think peaceful thoughts and picture serenity.

Accept unchangeable things.  Trying to learn to accept things that can’t be changed is a good first step to a good stress management.  Keep in mind, that you can’t solve all of the problems of life; the best thing one can do is talk out problems and look for the good side of situations instead of the bad.

Take on regular physical activity.  Do the things that you enjoy –swimming, jogging, walking, dancing, or riding a bike.  This helps the body let go of the tension and make one feel better, plus it becomes a diversion.

Stop unhealthy habits.  Limiting or stopping the intake of alcohol, smoking or overeating, will diminish the possibilities of health problems.

Remember that no matter what type of stress one has, whether mental, emotional, or physical, the best way to battle it is through proper stress management.  There is always something one can do and there is never a “hopeless” situation with stress.  With stress it’s not a case of “survival of the fittest”, it’s who copes best.

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