Many people deal with stress on a daily basis. Issues at work, raising a family, thinking about the future, school issues, or trying to stay thin and in fashion may all be things that make you stressed. When you feel this unwanted pressure it’s important to learn proper ways to manage those feelings. In my search for ways to cope with stress, I turned to a very informational website called helpguide.org which lists six types of stress management strategies.
Before a person can even start to implement the strategies they need to accomplish two tasks: identify what is causing the stress in their lives and how they cope with the stress currently. When you are trying to find the things that are causing your stress, you need to not only look at what is the problem but also what may be causing it. For example, one of my housemates thought she was stressed because she didn’t have any money for food and school supplies, but on a closer inspection of the issue she found that she spent too much of her money on unnecessary items which caused her to be low in funds. In this case, in order to fix her stress and keep it from happening again, she had to learn to control her spending so that the next semester wouldn’t be as stressful. She was coping with the stress by not eating enough which lead her to get sick several times throughout the year. If she had tried to manage her stress differently, she could have avoided all those problems.
Now that we have a real life example to think about, we will start to look into ways to keep ourselves stress free (or as little stress as possible). The first management strategy is avoiding unnecessary stressors. This may sound obvious, but many people don’t notice that they are allowing themselves to fall into situations that cause them stress. How can we avoid the stress? Try saying no to things you can’t or don’t want to engage in, avoiding people who stress you out, reducing the load of work and activities you put upon yourself, and trying to take control of your environment are all ways to do this.
Another tip for reducing stress is to alter a situation if you are unable to avoid it. You can do this by managing your time better, being willing to make compromises, and making sure to express your emotions instead of letting them bubble up and cause you stress.
Thirdly you can try to change yourself so that you can adapt to the stressful situation while keep a sense of control. This may include focusing on the positive, loosing that perfectionist stance, and looking at the big picture and seeing how important the thing that is causing you stress really is.
If none of the above have worked you can then try to accept that you can’t change things. This doesn’t mean you are giving up and letting your life be filled with crippling stress. Oh no. This means you accept that things are difficult or unpleaseant, but remind yourself you wont always have to live with the stress you are currently feeling. Try to forgive the people who frustrate you and let go of any negative feelings you may be holding in.
A very easy way to manage stress is to find a way to get in some fun and relaxation every chance you can get. This may be as simple as a 15 minute walk at night or going to dinner with a close friend. If you allow yourself to unwind you won’t feel like the world is crashing down on you. Make it a goal to do something that makes you happy at least once a day.
And lastly, living a healthy lifestyle may help reduce some of the stress in your life. I don’t know about you, but sometimes a good work out makes me feel so much better. The endorphins you release will help you get happy! Make sure you get enough sleep so you aren’t grumpy, eat healthy, and avoid drugs and alcohol. All these things should help diminish your stress levels.
Well, there are your six tips for stress management. I hope they help you whenever you feel burdened by stress.
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