Bye-Bye Stress!

Stress is a part of day-to-day living and an important concern as it is the cause of many medical and social problems. Nowadays, it is the number one killer and the leading cause of stress is financial problems. Sometimes stress is completely noticeable, such as when you are stuck in traffic, late for an appointment and lost a job.  But sometimes we get so accustomed to the everyday pressures, such as work conditions, money worries and family concerns,  that we don’t realize how stressed we really are. The main steps in managing stress in a healthy way are recognition of stressors, understanding the current way of dealing with stress and applying effective strategies, such as avoiding or changing stressors, compromising, and creating a healthy lifestyle.

• Recognition  of the particular events that cause stress.   Before you think about how to take proactive steps to manage stress, you      need to check on your habits, attitudes and acknowledge that you are the      one responsible for creating or maintaining stress in your life. You can      identify the causes of the stress by writing a journal, but I find      interesting quizzes. I found this short quiz on http://www.arc.sbc.edu/stressquiz.html     that may help. My score is 42 points, but the reason is that I really try  to manage stress.If you decide to keep a journal, write down what caused the stress and how you felt. Next, write down how you reacted to the particular stressor. Finally, keep a track of what you did to make yourself to feel better. Journals or stress tests can lead you to a greater understanding of yourself and your personal stress level.

• Look at the way  you currently deal with stress. Are your ways of  coping with stress healthy and useful or unhealthy and useless? Some of  the strategies you might use reduce stress temporary, but they have  negative effects on your health like smoking, drinking, using sleeping pills or drugs to relax, overeating, or under eating. After you recognized  your reactions to stress, it’s time to find healthy strategies to manage  stress.
• Find effective strategies.  Some of the stressors can be eliminated  by saying “no” to new projects and avoiding conversations on hot topics or  with people who irritate you. If you cannot avoid a stressful situation,   then you should try to change it. For instance, if you know that you are  running late is a stressor, then it’s time to start managing your time  wisely.
• Compromising is  another way to alter the stressful situations. Sometimes changing the stressor is impossible, and then you need to change yourself by changing your expectations and attitudes. I always pose this question to myself: “Is this event worth to stress?” Take a moment to think about all the things you appreciate in your life, including your own positive qualities. If you see good things about yourself, you will feel better. Do  not lose your sense of humor.
• Create a healthy lifestyle.  This involves eating a nutritious diet, exercising regularly, including rest and relaxation in your daily routine, making time for fun and getting enough sleep at night.

Finally, the key to a good stress management lies in our hands. We allow ourselves to be stressed, but we can control or stop stressor by learning effective tools.