Stress Management

In the fast paced world in which we live many of us suffer from stress related disorders that are both physical and psychological. These symptoms can range from things as benign as goose bumps to heart disease and stroke. Stress is just a fact of life and in fact isn’t all bad. For instance, even though your body interprets stress the same whether it’s positive or negative, it remains stress. Positive stress might be a recent marriage or birth of your first, second or third child. Negative stress can be divorce, loss of a job or death. You may want the negative stress to disappear but positive stress is a good thing.

Stress management techniques will give you the coping mechanisms to care for yourself both mentally and physically which will potentially decrease the negative effects of stress on your body. Researchers have documented changes to the lives of people who experience any type of stress. So, even though you married your soul mate, six months after the marriage you are likely to suffer some degree of physical or psychological stress symptoms.

Our bodies will experience wear and tear as we go through our days no matter what the level of stress we are experiencing. The goal is to decrease the wear and tear as well as the level of stress. In response to stress our bodies release a stress hormone that works well in the short term but released persistently will cause heart disease, stroke, heart attack and immune deficient illnesses.

Actually, not only is some stress positive we also thrive on the stress such as competition, anticipation and excitement. Even our frustrations and sorrows will add enrichment to our lives. If we lived when everything was always roses it would be pretty darned boring. But excessive stress that leaves us feeling tied up in knots doesn’t motivate us – it is overwhelming.

Stress management techniques should help you to cope with the everyday issues that arise when you are faced with the responsibilities of family, friends, job, relationships and children. And, since we are all individuals, the things we find stressful are also unique. So a person who thrives on job change or mediation will suffocate in a job at the same company, in the same office, each and every day.

The first technique in stress management is to help you become aware of what is stressing you out in the first place as well as what your emotional and physical responses have become. Don’t ignore your reactions or gloss over your problems. Write down what your reactions are and how you usually cope with them. In this way you’ll be able to face your physical and psychological reactions head on and understand in what direction you might have to seek help.

Look at your stressors and decide what you can and can’t change. You may not be able to change the situation exactly (like a job you hate) but you may be able to take a break, leave the premises for a walk daily, transfer departments and leave your boss, etc. You can also recognize what can be changed and make an organized plan to work toward the change. Sometimes working toward a change in your situation will also reduce the intensity of the stressful response. Put the situation into perspective and don’t labor over the negatives but rather in the planned changed.

Some stress management techniques will include learning to change the way that you react to stress by learning breathing techniques or biofeedback to gain voluntary control over your muscle tension or your blood pressure. Although medications help in the short term they can also inject new stressors in the form of side effects.

One of the often overlooked but vastly important stress management techniques is to keep your physical reserves fully charged. Your body will manage stress better when it’s fed nutritious food, gets moderate amounts of exercise and plenty of rest. Avoid the use of alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. You may feel that coffee and cigarettes are helpful in the short term they will increase your reaction to stress and decrease your bodies immune system in the long term.

Resources:

HelpGuide: Stress Management

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm

MayoClinic: Stress Management

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/basics/stress-basics/hlv-20049495

American Heart Association: How Does Stress Affect You

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/StressManagement/Stress-Management_UCM_001082_SubHomePage.jsp

MedlinePlus: Stress Management

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001942.htm

Student Affairs Counseling Center University of IL: Stress Management

http://www.counselingcenter.illinois.edu/self-help-brochures/stress-and-anxiety/stress-management/

The American Institute of Stress: Stress Management Tips