Stress Management Tips: Reducing, Preventing and Coping!!!

Sometimes, you may feel like there is nothing you can do about stress. The bills will never stop coming, the hours of the day will always be the same, and your family and work obligations will be continuously demanding. However, you do have more control over stress than you though possible. Stress management means taking charge of your emotions, thoughts, lifestyle and the way you react to issues. No matter how stressful your life seems, there are a few things you can do to relieve some of the pressure and regain the control you need.

Stress Management Tips: Reducing, Preventing and Coping!!!

Understanding Stress Management

Everybody responds to stress differently and no one-size fits all solution is available. But, when the stress in your life seems out of control, you should take action. Stress management teaches you healthy ways of coping with stress, helping reduce its harmful effects and preventing it from spiralling out of control in the future.

Stress management is all about changing the stressful situations when you can, your reaction when you cannot, taking care of yourself and making time for relaxation and rest. The first step is to identify major stressors in your life.

Identifying Sources of Stress

Stress source identification is easy following a major life-changing event like losing a loved one, moving houses or changing jobs, but pinpointing sources of everyday stress can be complicated. It is easy to overlook your own behaviours, feelings and thoughts likely to contribute to stress levels. For example, if you are constantly worried about hitting work deadlines, maybe it is your procrastination rather the demands of your job that is causing stress.

True stress identification requires having a close look at your excuses, attitude and habits, and until you accept the role you have played in creating or maintaining it, your stress levels will always be beyond your control:

·        Are you blaming your stress on other people or viewing it as normal and unexceptional?

·        Are you defining stress as an unavoidable part of your home or work life or as a part of your personality?

·        Do you find yourself explaining away stress as temporary even though you have no recollection of the last time you took some time off?

How People Deal with Stress

Look at how you deal with stress currently. Create a personal journal to find out if your coping strategies are healthy or unhealthy, unproductive or helpful. Unfortunately many people choose coping mechanisms that only compound the issue, these include:

·        Drinking too much

·        Zoning out for hours on end in front of the computer or TV

·        Sleeping too much

·        Procrastinating

·        Using physical violence, angry outbursts or lashing out to take out stress on others

If your stress coping methods are not doing anything to improve your physical and emotional health, it is time you find healthier ones. No single method works for every one and every situation, so you have to experiment with a few strategies and techniques. However, always focus on you makes you feel in control and calm.

Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle Strategy

Cater to your health needs. Go for regular health checkups and even consider signing up for a health plan scheme. People often ask, what is health insurance and why do they need it.  Health insurance should be a part of your lifestyle & health strategy, which can be of extreme use in face of any kind of medical emergency. 

At the same time as part of dealing with stress, carry out regular exercise and adopt a healthy lifestyle that will increase your resistance to stress. This includes:

·        Eating a healthy diet – A nourished body is better prepared when it comes to coping with stress, so be careful what you consume. Start your day with the right breakfast and keep your energy up throughout the day by adding health supplements.  

·        Avoid self-medication with drugs or alcohol – Avoid drugs, cigarettes and alcohol even when they seem to provide you with some sort of easy, temporary escape from stress. The best thing to do is not to mask or avoid the issue at hand; instead, deal with it head on and with a clear mind.

·        Reduce sugar and caffeine uptake – The sugar and caffeine temporary “highs” often end crashing your mood and energy. Reducing their uptake will help you feel more relaxed and allow you sleep better.

·        Get enough sleep – Sleep is the fuel for your mind and body. Feeling tired increases stress levels because it causes you to think irrationally.

Avoid Unnecessary Stress Strategy

Stress is an automatic response from your nervous system, but some stressors are due to situations such as family gatherings, meeting with your boss or your daily commute to work. When handling such stressors, you have the option of changing the situation or changing your reaction. To help you choose the best option in any situation, it is helpful to remember the four A’s:

·        Avoid

·        Alter

·        Adapt

·        Accept

Although only two stress management strategies are discussed above, there are many others that you can practice as listed by WebMD’s ways to relieve stress. The main goal is to implement these strategies until you find a few that really work in your situation and stick to them.