Alcohol Abuse Advice

Coping With Stress – The Right Way!

 

Stress impacts us all in one form or another, so coping with stress effectively is important for all of us. The causes of stress in our lives, like bills, unemployment, death, etc., seem to be ever present, so it may seem that dealing with stress is a futile effort. On the contrary, there are effective ways to control the affect of stress on you. Without understanding and using these control mechanisms, stress will not only be draining mentally, but stress can also result in physical ailments and problems. The first step to effectively dealing with stress is to determine what causes it.

Why Are You So Stressed?

Identifying the reasons for your stress is required for appropriately coping with stress. Mentally, stress is the result of the frustration or concern caused by changes in your life. The biological affects are the result of ineefectively dealing with the mental aspects of stress. Here are a few items that can initiate the previously mentioned concern and frustration:

 

Pain in your body

Conflict

Divorce

Marriage

Job Loss

Deadlines

Money Issues

 

What Are the Signs of Stress?

As stated before, stress can result in both negative mental and physical issues, if not dealt with appropriately. Unfortunately, most of us don’t realize that we are stressed until we see some of these negative conditions manifest in our lives. It’s when these sign manifest, that coping with stress becomes even more important:

 

Physical pain (As opposed to causing stress, pain can also be a sign of stress, like back or neck pain)

Constipation

Difficulty Sleeping

Weight Gain / Loss

Ulcers

High Blood Pressure

Relationship Issues

 

If you are seeing any or all of these conditions manifest themselves in your life, stress could be the culprit! Now let’s address it. Let’s be fair here. There are both healthy and unhealthy ways to handle stress. Let’s outline some of the unhealthy ways first, so that you might be better prepared to avoid them.

Coping With Stress – Dont’s

There are a number of things people do in excess to deal with stress. Done in moderation, these things are not necessarily bad, but they are only short-term bandages and do nothing to address the real cause of the stress:

 

Drinking excessively

Drugs

Overeating

Withdrawing from friends and family

Sleeping too much

 Watching TV or surfing to avoid “life”

 

Again, these are just temporary cover ups, not solutions. They do nothing to eliminate the stress in your life or to avoid the negative health effects that can show up as a result. Let’s take a look at some more appropriate ways to deal with stress.

Coping With Stress – Healthy Ways

 Mental Aspects 

 

Realize you can’t control the uncontrollable

Look for the “silver lining” (there’s something positive in every situation)

Be more expressive (don’t hold things in!)

Improve time management skills

 

 Physical Aspects 

 

Eat healthier food

Get a sufficient amount of sleep

Exercise regularly

Meditate

Find a stress-free hobby

 

 In the past, I have had quite a few issues dealing with stress, mainly due to a highly demanding job. I eventually began to go to the gym and work out more often. However, this only addressed the exercise part of the solution. I have personally found a way of coping with stress that simultaneously satisfies the exercise, meditation and stress-free hobby aspects. My solution is yoga. I can do it in the privacy of my own home and the benefits of yoga go far beyond the ones I just listed!