Coping with Stress

How to reduce stress is an important subject in today’s busy, schedule oriented world. There are many aspects of our lives that can cause or add to our anxiety levels just as there are a variety of ways to decrease it. There are also different types of stress good (eustress) or bad (distress), as well as acute or chronic stress.

As human beings, we are challenged on a daily basis. There are times when it may affect us in a positive way, we accept it and move happily toward a goal. Certain types of stressors are subjective, it is possible that what one person views as a challenge, another may find to be a difficult tribulation and become overwhelmed and stressed out; or that what we can handle one day becomes unbearable the next.

There are also factors that are difficult to deal with no matter how prepared we believe we are; such as moving, changing or losing a job, and the loss of a loved one.

In order to cope with long term stress, we can do many positive things. Exercise is a great way to manage stress levels. It strengthens our body and gives us more energy, which in turn, makes it much easier to handle the physical manifestations that appear when dealing with stressful situations, it also helps to keep the mind clear and strong as well, this makes problem solving much easier. When we are more energetic, we tend to deal with things as they come up instead of procrastinating and putting them off until they become issues.

Meditation is another way to clear the mind; it relaxes the body and serves to decrease our anxiety, which helps with our ability to create solutions to whatever it is that is causing our problems. Done on a regular basis, meditating will assist us in all daily activities and will prevent stress in the first place.

Some quick fixes to deal with short term stress include; taking a hot bath, this relaxes the muscles, for added relief, light some candles and turn on your favorite music, the softer lighting is quite soothing and the music will be a temporary distraction from the concerns of the day.

There are times when we tend to take on too much responsibility, either at work or at home, thus causing unnecessary stress. When this happens, we end up falling behind and compounding the problem. It may require that we prioritize, delegate, ask for help or learn to say no. Doing the easiest tasks first will give us a sense of accomplishment as well as the self confidence to tackle the bigger jobs. Sharing responsibility can be a difficult task for some but at times is essential in order to maintain sanity and good health. Saying “no” (especially to the boss), is not easy at first, but can save a lot of grief in the long term. It may not win any popularity contests however, it will ensure that whatever we do will be better quality and much more enjoyable.

Although we cannot deny that stress is a way of life for most of us, we also must realize that we don’t have to let it harm us. These are just a few of the ways we can cope with the daily problems that cause us unease. If the time is taken to incorporate any of them into the daily routine, there is a very good chance that stress will become less of a problem and more of a challenge that is only meant to be triumphed over.