Stress is a normal response that we may experience to some extent every day. Stress is the mind and body’s way of preparing us to face a challenge. A certain level of stress is necessary to not only function, but to motivate us to reach our full potential. Too much stress, however, can be a health hazard. The first important step in stress management involves noticing when our stress levels have become unhealthy. Once stress overload is recognised there is a range of stress management skills available to address the problem.
What causes stress
There are many explanations about why we experience excessive stress. Broadly, feelings of stress come from a combination of two sources: the environment around you and your way of dealing with that environment. People who feel high stress in a lot of situations tend to believe that the world is full of negatives, and that they don’t have much control over the negatives in their lives. Irrespective of the cause, stress is an increasing part of our lives and ignoring it will not make it go away. Once stress overload is recognised, there are skills you can acquire to address the problem such as the ones below:
What I eat matters
When we experience stress, our bodies use up enormous amounts of vitamins and minerals. The depletion of our body’s nutrients can leave us tired, run down, irritable and less able to deal with our responsibilities. If you feel that way improving your diet, maybe to a Mediterranean diet, would assist in improving your wellbeing.
Exercise is important
Physical exercise is invaluable in releasing tension and assists in the processing of vitamins and minerals. Any physical exercise is helpful – walking, swimming, jogging or gardening. Exercise need not be a chore – especially if it is done with friends. The most important point to remember is to do it regularly.
Learn to relax
Relaxation is a useful tool, either used alone or in conjunction with other strategies. The most common form of relaxation exercise involves progressive muscle relaxation. This involves consciously focusing on one area of the body at a time, clenching the muscles, and then relaxing them. When relaxing your muscles, imagine all the tension flowing from your body. Relaxation can also mean listening to music, stroking your pet, having a nap or reading a good book.
Try rational thinking
Beliefs and thoughts determine the intensity of our feelings when faced with a stressful situation. When we are experiencing extreme feelings of stress, it is often because we are having extreme thoughts. For example, extreme feelings of hopelessness and frustration can be a result of thinking, ‘I can’t stand it. I’m never going to get this done in time.’ As we overestimate the consequences of any event we become increasingly stressed.
To begin to think realistically try the following:
Think about what is making you feel this way
Question how likely it is that this will happen
Ask what is the worst possible outcome
Consider the likelihood of the outcome in the scheme of things-look at the ‘big picture.’
This simple exercise can be helpful in changing the way we think, and therefore feel, in stressful situations
Organize your time
We can reduce the amount of stress we experience by using our time and energy more effectively. A realistic list of things to do for the day is a good start. Allow ample time to get things on your list done. It is important to acknowledge that you can only do so much in a given period. Setting priorities and learning to slow down are essential ingredients in reducing your level of stress.
Solve real problems
Often, we can identify a clear trigger for our stress, such as financial issues or relationship problems. If this is the case, structured problem solving can help. Write the problem down and then brainstorm a list of possible solutions. Be creative – don’t worry if the solutions sound silly. Next, go through each solution in turn and write down the pros and cons of each one. This will help you to identify the best solution to your problem. Put the solution into action and then evaluate it. If it hasn’t worked, try the next-best solution on your list.
