The Importance of Stress Management

When you’re living with high stress levels, you’re putting your entire well being at risk. Stress damages your emotional equilibrium, also it ruins your physical health. It narrows your ability to think clearly, function effectively, and enjoy life. Stress management helps you clear the stress you hold in your life. By clearing out some of your stress makes you happier, healthier, and more productive. By having a balanced life you have time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun.

Stress management does not work the same for everyone. That makes it important to try out and find out what works best for you. The first tip that helps you manage your stress is being able to identifying the sources of stress in your life. Identifying major stressors such as changing jobs, moving, or a going through a divorce, pinpointing the sources of chronic stress can be more complicated. To be able to identify your true sources of stress, look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses that you might make. Do you explain away stress as temporary even though you can’t remember the last time you took a breather? Do you define stress as an integral part of your work or home life or as a part of your personality? Do you blame your stress on other people or outside events, or view it as entirely normal and unexceptional? These are the questions that you might ask yourself. You might also start with writing a stress journal. A stress journal can help you identify the regular stressors in your life and the way you deal with them.

Whenever you feel that you are stressed out you can keep track of it in your journal. As you keep a daily log, you will begin to see patterns and common themes. In the stress journal you will be answering these questions. What caused your stress (make a guess if you’re unsure)?How you felt, both physically and emotionally? How you acted in response? What you did to make yourself feel better?

The second tip that you might be trying is practice the 4 A’s of stress management. When stress is an automatic response from your nervous system, some stressors takes place at predictable times such as, a meeting with your boss, or family gatherings. While you are handling with those predictable stressors, you can either change the situation or change your reaction. When deciding which option to choose, think about the 4 A’s: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept. To avoid unnecessary stress learn how to say “no.” Avoid people who stress you out. Take control of your environment. Pare down your to do list. If you can’t avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. Be willing to compromise. Create a balanced schedule. If you can’t change the stressor, change yourself. You can learn to adapt with it on your own. Reframe problems. Look at the big picture. Adjust your standards. Practice gratitude. Some sources of stress are unavoidable. In some case the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are. Don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Look for the upside. Learn to forgive. Share your feelings.

The third tip that you might use to cope with stress is get moving. When you feel that you’re stressed out, the last thing you probably feel like doing is getting up and exercising. On the other hand physical activity is a huge stress reliever.

During an exercise it releases endorphins that make you feel good. Here are some easy ways to incorporate exercise into your daily schedule. Put on some music and dance around. Take your dog for a walk. Walk or cycle to the grocery store. Use the stairs at home or work rather than an elevator. Park your car in the farthest spot in the lot and walk the rest of the way. Pair up with an exercise partner and encourage each other as you work out. Play ping pong or an activity based video game with your kids. The fourth tip is connecting with poutwer people. Spending quality time with another human being who makes you feel safe and understood. The fifth tip to deal with stress is make time for fun and relaxation. You can also reduce stress in your life by having some “me” time. You might set aside leisure time. Do something you enjoy every day.

Keep your sense of humor. Tip six is manage your time better. Stress can mainly come from poor time management. The three things you can do to achieve a healthier work life balance are, don’t over commit yourself. Prioritize tasks. Break projects into small steps. Delegate responsibility. Tip seven is to maintain balance with a healthy lifestyle. The choices that you might do is eat a healthy diet. Reduce caffeine and sugar. Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. Get enough sleep.

Works Cited

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