What Can You Do About Stress?

Stress Reducing Methods

• Death of a loved one
• Divorce
• The birth of a child 
• A change in job or promotion
• Relocation
• Organizational changes
• A new relationship
• Deadlines
• Competitions
• Confrontations

• motivate yourself into action.  
• help add excitement to your life in anticipation of an outcome.

When you are able to handle stress, then the idea is not to eliminate it but learn how to manage it so that it does not affect you negatively. 

Negative Reaction

Stress can overwhelm you and create negative feelings of: 

• Frustration
• Anger
• Depression 

Unrelieved stress can affect you physically and create health problems: 

• Muscles tense up
• A stiff neck
• Sore shoulders 
• Knotted back
• Chronic fatigue
• Headaches
• Decreased immunity
• Eating disorders
• Upset stomach
• Rashes
• Insomnia
• Ulcers
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Cancer

• What is your stress level?
  Are your ambitions realistic? Should you continue to hold on to your challenging job or do you have a need to switch to a more routine work?   
• Is this worth the stress?  
  Make a list of incidents that stress you.  Cross out those that are not worth getting stressed over.   Take time to think about the rest and see if you can work on avoiding or eliminating them.
• Can I shorten my exposure to stress? 
  Consider taking a break from the stressful source or by leaving the stressful  premises (noisy, crowded, etc).   
• Can I control my reaction to these stressing events? 
  Make a record of your feelings to see if you are overreacting to the situation.  Work on reducing the intensity of your response. Express your feelings to people who are causing you stress.  Write them down if you are not able to talk about them.  If you are in a situation you cannot control, then accept it and stop wasting your energy getting stress over trying to change it.  
• Can I change my perception?
  Do you view every task you take up as critical and urgent?  Do you feel that you must succeed in everything you do?  Are you pursuing goals that others (parents, friends) have set that you do not share or find meaningful?  Learn to set realistic goals that you can meet with the help of time management techniques.

When you are stressed out:

• Stop what you are doing and take slow, deep breaths to calm your heart rate and respiration.  Repeat the inhale/exhale cycle till you notice a decrease in anxiety level. 
• Get away from everyone and take a few minutes for yourself doing things that will relax you like listening to soothing music.
• Exercise, such as, stretching, walking, swimming, cycling, or jogging) can reduce muscle tension.
• Put yourself in a relaxed position.  Breathe deeply and slowly, then close your eyes and recall a peaceful place you have visited that are pleasant and claming to you.
• Go to a health spa for a good massage or have a relaxing soak in the Jacuzzi.
• Learn how to meditate to relax your mind
• Take up yoga to relax your body.