Everyone encounters stress during their lives at one point—never-ending bills, demanding schedules, work, and family responsibilities—and that can make stress seem inescapable and uncontrollable. Stress management skills are designed to help a person take control of their lifestyle, thoughts, and emotions and teach them healthy ways to cope with their problems.
Find the Cause
The first step in stress management is identifying your stressors. While this sounds fairly easy—it’s not hard to point to major changes or a lot of work piling up—chronic stress can be complicated, and most people don’t realize how their habits contribute to their stress. Maybe work piling up isn’t from the actual demands of your job, but more so from your procrastination. You have to claim responsibility for the role you play in creating your stress or you won’t be able to control it.
Strategies for Stress Management
Once you’ve found what causes your stress, focus on what you can control. Eliminate the realistic stressors and develop consistent de-stressing habits. Instead of watching TV or responding to texts in bed after work - take a walk, or read a book. Maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough quality sleep, will ease feelings of stress and help you relax.
Also, make a conscious effort to set aside time for yourself and for relaxation. Alone time can be whatever you need it to be. Some people like doing activities such as tai chi, yoga, or meditation, but you can also treat yourself to something simple, like taking a bubble bath, listening to music, or watching a funny movie.
Finally, don’t feel like you have to solve your stress on your own. Reach out to your family and friends. Whether you need help with a problem or just need someone to listen, find a person who will be there to positively reinforce and support you. If stress becomes chronic, don’t hesitate to seek the help of a therapist.
When stress turns to Distress
We all feel stressed from time to time. Stress affects everyone to some degree, and some people are more resilient and better at handling their stress than others. Some people may cope with stress more effectively or recover from stressful events more quickly than others. A stressor may be a one-time or short-term occurrence or an occurrence that keeps happening over a long time. If you're overwhelmed by stress, talk with your doctor or make an appointment to see a mental health professional like a counselor or psychiatrist. The effects of anxiety tend to build up over time. It is necessary to know how to deal with stressful events so that you know when to get help.
There are different types of stress, each carrying physical and mental health risks. Anxiety can cause high blood pressure and even heart attacks. Different people may feel stress in different ways. For example, some people experience digestive symptoms like irritable bowel syndrome, while others may have headaches, insomnia, anger, or irritability. Over time, the continued strain on your body from stress may contribute to serious health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses, as well as mental disorders like depression or anxiety.
Pressures from work, school, family, or other daily responsibilities can cause stress. Daily stress may be the most challenging type of stress to notice because its source tends to be more constant than in cases of traumatic stress. So, your body doesn't get a clear signal to return to normal functioning. You must learn and recognize the signs of your body's response to stress. Some symptoms include difficulty sleeping, increased alcohol and other substance use, being easily angered, feeling depressed, and having low energy.
Besides routine Stress, Stress caused by a sudden negative traumatic change caused by an event like a major accident, war, death, assault, tornado, loss of a job, divorce, or illness can be physically and mentally devastating and debilitating.
Taking practical steps to manage stress can reduce or prevent these harmful effects. The following are some tips that may help to cope with stress:
Learn some stress management techniques. Get regular exercise. Walking 20-30 minutes each day can help boost your mood and reduce stress. Take a walk on a beach or in a park. Stay connected with friends and family for emotional support. Explore stress-coping programs. Learn to say no to new tasks if they overload you. To reduce stress, get help from religious organizations. Pray more.
Stress management techniques can help you with anxiety disorders, calm yourself, and even enhance the effects of therapy.
Strategies for Stress Management
The first step in stress management is to identify your stressors. While this sounds pretty easy, most people don't realize how their habits contribute to stress. Sometimes, work pressure isn't from your job demands but more from your procrastination. You have to claim responsibility for creating your anxiety, or you won't be able to fix it.
Once you've found what causes your stress, focus on what you can control. Eliminate the realistic stressors and develop consistent de-stressing habits. Instead of watching TV or responding to texts in bed after work - take a walk or read a book. Maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough quality sleep will ease feelings of stress and help you relax.
Also, make a conscious effort to set aside time for yourself and relaxation. Alone time can be whatever you need it to be. Some people like doing activities such as reading or journaling, but you can also treat yourself to something simple, like listening to music or watching a funny movie.
Finally, feel free to reach out to your family and friends. Whether you need help with a problem or just need someone to listen, find someone who will reinforce and support you positively. If stress becomes chronic, don't hesitate to seek the help of a counselor.