Managing Stress
Stress can be a simple frustration or a huge problem. It may be
short-term, such as passing the next home economics quiz, or it may be
long-term, such as choosing a career.
The main causes of stress are psychological. The effects of stress are
both physical and psychological. As you react to stress your body
undergoes changes. Early signs of stress include lip biting, nail
nibbling, tooth grinding, and palm sweating. You may feel "butterflies"
in your stomach, and your throat may become dry, making it hard to
speak. Your heart rate and blood pressure may rise. Stress victims
often feel grouchy and restless, are unable to concentrate, and lose
sleep.
Under too much pressure, many people wheeze, ache, sneeze, or break out
in rashes. Repeated tensing of the head, face, and neck muscles can
narrow blood vessels and trigger headaches. Doctors report that well
over half of all patients seeking treatment have no physical problems.
The aches and pains are real, but they are caused by built-up emotions.
Long-term stress can damage your physical and mental health and produce
troubling behavior. People who deny their tension may also turn to
alcohol or drugs, or strike out with words or fists to release their
frustration..
Recognizing Stress
Change is one of the main causes of stress, particularly an unexpected
or unpleasant change. Death, divorce, accidents, unemployment and
moving to a new town are all stressful changes.
Sometimes you are not aware that you are reacting to stress. If you
remain tense for a long time you will become exhaustedboth physically
and mentally. Signs of stress are like warning lights telling you to
slow down. They may indicate that you need to make changes or get some
help. Pay attention to the signs of stress, they may signal serious
problems.
Emotional Signs of Stress
Emotional signs of stress are often harder to spot than physical
signs. They may include boredom, irritability, anger, depression,
restlessness and carelessness.
Do you cry a lot? Do you have a poor self-image? Do you lack
enthusiasm? Do you blame others for mistakes? If you answer "yes" to
several of these questions, you may be suffering from stress. This is
especially true if you would have answered "no" to these questions in
the past.
Managing Stress
If you lead an active, involved life you can't expect to be completely
free of stress. However, you can learn to keep stress from building up.
If you are angry or upset, try to blow off steam physically by running,
playing tennis, walking or mowing the yard.
Train yourself to relax. Stretching, deep breathing or regular exercise
can reduce tension. When you relax you loosen up and are more at ease.
When you feel tension building up, take a break.
Take charge of your life. When stress builds, postpone important
decisions and resist new demands. Practice saying "no" when someone
urges you to take on more than you can fit into your schedule. Refuse
to do anything that violates your personal values.
Get enough sleep and rest. Lack of sleep can lessen your ability to
deal with stress. Most people need at least seven to eight hours of
sleep a day. If stress repeatedly prevents you from sleeping, inform
your doctor.
Talk over problems with a friend, family member, teacher, or counselor.
Sometimes simply talking about a situation can help you see things in a
new way. If you can't seem to shake a feeling of anxiety or depression,
seek help before problems become difficult.
Don't use alcohol or other drugs to calm down. These will add to your
stress later on. Drugs may seem to offer a shortcut to communication
and friendship, but they do not. By trying to duck the struggles of life,
users postpone the development of coping skills needed to manage normal
stress and anxiety.
Try not to get upset about things you can't do anything about. If the
problem is beyond your control, try your best to accept it until it can
be changed.
Sometimes when you are distressed you focus too much on yourself and
your situation. When this happens, it is often wise to do something for
someone else and get your mind off yourself. There is an extra bonus in
this technique-it helps you make friends.
Make yourself available. Instead of withdrawing and feeling sorry for
yourself, get involved in social activities. Later, take time to be
alone. In one study, teens admitted spending more than a quarter of
their waking hours by themselves. After returning to friends and
family, they felt more cheerful, alert, and involved.
Schedule your time so you don^t have too much to do. Make daily and
weekly "To Do" lists. Crossing off items as you finish them gives you a
sense of accomplishment. Plan to spend time on things that are most
important.
Other ways to manage stress:
* Avoid too many changes at once.
* Set reasonable goals for yourself.
* Ask for help when you need a hand.
The way we deal with stress determines to a great extent the kind
of lives we lead. Stressful situations can shatter us, or make us
stronger. Although we cannot control everything that happens, we can
influence more than we often think. Feeling helpless in the face of
stress is the real enemy, not the stress itself.
|
|