MANAGING STRESS

Stress is the buzzword of the day. It has many different meanings and uses. To some people, stress describes the frantic pace of everyday life. To others, stress is what you feel during times of conflict, loss or illness. People react differently to stress. Some take it in their stride or even thrive on it, while others buckle under relatively mild pressure.

Stress is your body’s physical reaction to change. It’s not always bad. The so-called “fight-or-flight” response has been with us since the earliest human times. The body responds changes perceived as potential threats. Today’s stress, especially when caused by psychological or emotional factors, can be prolonged and can have damaging effects on your health.

People sometimes create unnecessary stress for themselves by worrying and fretting more than they should about things that are out of their control. While in some cases stress is caused by factors that are real, in other cases it is caused by factors that are only perceived as real.

Health Effects of Stress:

Stress can have the following negative impacts on your health:

• Cause sleep problems, leaving you feeling tired and vulnerable to accidents and illness
• Cause anxiety, nervousness and irritability, making it difficult to get along with people
• Affect your concentration, making your perform poorly at school or work
• Cause weight gain or weight loss
• Weaken the immune system, making you more vulnerable to colds and other diseases
• Spur you to give up healthy habits, such as exercising and eating well
• Be a contributing factor to many health related problems such as digestive problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, headaches, arthritis and even menstrual disorders

A Few Simple Techniques:

• Exercise: Regular exercise is one of the best ways to manage stress.
• Relax: Practice meditation, quiet reflection time, yoga, aromatherapy, guided imagery, or massage. Listen to your favorite soothing music, read a novel or take a warm bath.
  
• Keep a Stress Diary: Write down events that were stressful to you. This can help you to adopt beneficial coping strategies in managing these stressors.
• Organize and Prioritize: Be Realistic! Prioritize what you need to accomplish during your day and check off each item as you go. Time management is a key step to lowering stress levels.
• Delegate! Learn to delegate chores and responsibilities at home and work; learn to say “NO”.
• Stop Smoking and Limit Alcohol Consumption: Smoking might affect the ability of the coronary arteries to respond to stress. Alcohol disturbs regular sleep patterns and masks the cause of stress without eliminating it.
• Sleep: It is hard to work efficiently when you are tired; that can be stressful.
• Talk about it: Friends and family can provide you with support and guidance to help reduce stress and enhance well-being.

You can learn to successfully manage stress. Start by taking an honest look at yourself. Every day there are responsibilities, obligations, and pressures that change and challenge you. Learn how to identify stress in your life, and find helpful ways for reducing or controlling stress. Find the techniques that work best for you.