How To Cope When Plans Fall Through - Part 1

Coping with life’s challenges helps all of us to reduce our stress and therefore reduce the risk of developing physical and emotional problems related to stress. Feelings of stress are caused by the body’s instinct to defend itself. In other words, hormones such as adrenaline and norepinephrine, are secreted into the bloodstream when the body recognizes that you may be in danger. This helps us in times of emergency, such as getting out of the way of a speeding car.

Unfortunately, many of us have physical reactions to this stress we feel in our jobs, in our relationships and when our plans fall through. When our body consistently experiences the results of the use of stress hormones, it results in physical and emotional symptoms, conditions and illnesses which in the long term can be fatal.

These hormones cause the body to work over time with no place to send the extra energy. Often this results in anxiety, fears and people who express feelings of being worried and uptight. By not coping with stress, individuals may experience physical symptoms such as anxiety, back pain, depression, fatigue, headaches, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, insomnia, problems with relationships, weight gain or loss and upset stomach.

It is important to develop a routine or strategy in order to cope with stress in every day life. Physicians will recommend that individuals maintain a proper exercise program as well as receive seven to eight hours of sleep a night and eat a healthy diet. All of these factors taken together will help the body to manage the stress load from an individual day as well as decrease the risk of any long term problems. However, there are also some tips to help manage the stress during the individual circumstances.

The first step to reducing stress is to recognize when you are feeling stressed. Some individuals find that their muscles tense in the back of their necks where they find themselves clenching their hands into fists. Other times people find their anger flares more easily, they lose their appetite or they begin to “stress eat” comfort foods such as chocolate, potatoes and other high carbohydrate foods.