STRESS MANAGEMENT
As we’ve said before, stress is a part of life. There’s no getting away from it. In fact, some stress is good stress. You may not believe that, but sometimes stress can motivate us to do things we may not normally do in a relaxed state. Stress can make us brave enough to go forward when normally we might hesitate.
We have to be resilient in order to effectively cope with stress and help
it enhance our life instead of control it.
How do you get strong and resilient?
By learning how to take control of your stress and make it work FOR you
instead of AGAINST you.
Recognizing stress symptoms can be a positive influence in that
we're compelled to take action – and the sooner the better. It's not always
easy to discern why you have the stress in each situation but some of the more
common events that trigger those emotions are the death of a loved one, the
birth of a child, a job promotion, or a new relationship. We experience stress as we readjust our
lives. Your body is asking for your help when you feel these stress symptoms.
We’re going to give you many suggestions in this chapter. Not all of them will work for you, but we’re willing to bet
that some of them will.
There are three major approaches to manage stress. The first is the
action-oriented approach. In this method, the problems that cause stress are
identified and necessary changes are made for a stress free life.
The next approach is emotionally oriented and in it, the person
overcomes stress by giving a different color to the experience that caused
stress. The situation, which causes stress, is seen humorously or from a
different angle.
I especially advocate this approach to stress management. Sometimes if you don’t laugh at a
situation, you’ll cry – uncontrollably.
That’s no solution. So
learn to see the humor instead of the doom.
The third way is acceptance-oriented approach. This approach
focuses on surviving the stress caused due to some problem in the past.
The first stress management tip is to understand the root cause
of your stress. No one understands your problem better than you do. A few
minutes spend to recognize your true feelings can completely change the
situation.
During this process, identify what triggered the stress. If
someone close to your heart is nearby share it with the person. If you are
overstressed and feel you are going to collapse, take a deep breath and count
till ten. This pumps extra oxygen into your system and rejuvenates the entire
body.
When under severe stress meditate for a moment and pull out of
the current situation for a little while. Stand up from your current position
and walk. Stretch yourself. Soon you will find that the stress has lessened.
This is because you have relaxed now and relaxation is the best
medicine for stress. Smiling is yet another way of stress management. If you are
at the work place, just stand up and smile at your colleague in the far corner.
You will see a change in your mood. Learn some simple yoga or mediation
techniques.
You can also invent your own stress management tips. The basic
idea is to identify the cause of stress and to pull out from it for a moment and
then deal with it. Taking a short walk and looking at objects in nature is
another stress reliever. Drinking a glass of water or playing small games are
simple stress management techniques. The whole idea is change the focus of
attention and when you return to the problem, it does not look as monstrous as
you felt before.
Here are five quick steps you can take toward relieving stress:
1. Don’t
just sit there. Move! According to many psychologists, motion creates emotion.
You might notice that when you are idle, it’s easier to become depressed. Your
heart rate slows down, less oxygen travels to your brain, and you are slumped
somewhere in a chair blocking air from reaching your lungs.
I challenge you right now, regardless of how you are feeling, to
get up and walk around at a fast tempo. Maybe you might want to go to an empty
room and jump up and down a little bit. It may sound silly but the results speak
for themselves. Try it now for a few minutes. It works like magic.
Exercise can be a great stress buster. People with anxiety disorders might
worry that aerobic exercise could bring on a panic attack. After all, when you exercise, your heart
rate goes up, you begin to sweat, and your breathing becomes heavier.
Don’t
panic – it’s not an attack! Tell
yourself this over and over while you’re exercising. Realize that there’s a big difference
between the physical side of
exercise and what happens when you exercise.
2. Smell
the roses. How do you smell the roses? How about investing some money to go on
that one trip you’ve been dreaming about? Visit a country with lots of exotic
places to jolt your imagination and spur your creativity. You need to detach
from your daily activities and venture a little bit.
3. Help
others cope with their problems. It is very therapeutic when you engross
yourself in helping others. You will be surprised how many people’s problems
are worse than those you may be facing. You can offer others assistance in
countless ways. Don’t curl up in your bed and let depression and stress take
hold of you.
Get out and help somebody. But be careful. Don’t get caught up in other people’s
problems in an attempt to forget about your own.
I am constantly being called by friends and family when they
want to vent or get advice. I joke
and tell them “Don’t call the ‘crazy’ person for advice!” But there are times that I find myself
worrying about the ones who call me and I get caught up in what they’re going
through. This just gives me more
stress than I already have and I find that I have to step away and re-assess
myself and my priorities.
I’m now to the point where I can tell them that I just can’t
deal with it right now and to call back later.
Sometimes, they get upset, but more often than not, they understand. But I’ve learned not to get too upset
about their reactions. If it won’t
matter in a week, it should matter right now.
4. Laugh
a little. By now you’ve heard that laughter is a good internal medicine. It
relieves tension and loosens the muscles. It causes blood to flow to the heart
and brain. More importantly, laughter releases a chemical that rids the body of
pains.
Every day, researchers discover new benefits of laughter. Let me
ask you this question: “Can you use a good dose of belly-shaking laughter
every now and then?” Of course you can. What you are waiting for? Go a comedy
club or rent some funny movies.
5. Wear
your knees out. If there were one sustainable remedy I could offer you when the
going gets tough, it would be prayer. Many people, depending on their faith,
might call it meditation. It doesn’t matter to me what you call it, as long as
you have a place to run to.
There you
have a few quick fixes when you’re feeling stressed. Want more? No problem!
Next is MORE STRESS MANAGEMENT
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