Stress Management: How To Deal With Them

Stress is something which we all experience at some point and has become a major problem of society in today’s modern fast-paced lives. From being stuck in traffic to meeting certain deadlines and projects while dealing with difficult bosses and/or coworkers plus the big life changes… the list just goes on and on and on…(sigh).

Though stress is a normal part of life, it is important that we know how to deal with it.

Some of the signs or symptoms of stress can include:

• Poor performance at work or school
• Trouble sleeping
• Relationship problems
• Worry

If you’re faced with a stressful situation in your life, it is important to step back and assess the situation by asking yourself 3 KEY QUESTIONS to help you recognize when you are stressed.

1. “Where is this coming from?” This is a good way to start. In our busy day to day lives, it is sometimes difficult to determine if it is caused by our own personal situations or projected onto us by someone else. It’s important to identify the source of stress.
2. “Am I taking care of myself?” Now that you have identified where your stress is coming from, take a moment to think about your physical, mental and emotional state. Does your neck or back hurt? Do you feel emotionally drained? Did you get enough sleep or rest?
3. “What can I do?” Is there something I can do to help the situation? When you are able to identify what’s causing the stress then you know what to do next.  If the stress is not yours, take a short break or go for a walk to remove yourself from the situation.

Stress Management: Self-Help Techniques

By learning to recognize when you are stressed, you can make an early intervention. At the end of the day, one can never live a completely stress-free life but at least, it is manageable. So how does one manage stress? Here are some self-help techniques for dealing with stress.

• Live a healthy lifestyle – eat balanced, nutritious meals to keep your energy levels up all throughout the day, exercise regularly and get adequate rest. Our body is better at coping with stress if we are healthy.
• Manage your time effectively – give a high priority to the important and difficult tasks on your to-do list. The unimportant ones can wait.
• Make time for friends and family – the time we spend and activities we engage with them help us relax. Plus, they help us see things differently.
• Laughter is the best medicine – It is. Laughter is the greatest stress reducer plus it helps boost the immune system and it’s free!

Seek Professional Help

However, sometimes, there are circumstances that really need professional guidance. If things become too overwhelming to manage on your own, it is advisable that you visit a psychological clinic like MindPro Psychological Services to seek help from a psychologist/psychotherapist.

MindPro Psychological Services offers counseling, psychotherapy, psychological testing and assessment. The clinic is headed by Dr. Michelle A. Cellona, RP, DM, PhD., who also conducts sessions on improving one’s life like Stress Management.

But not all stressors are “negative”. We also have “positive stress” that is usually good experiences or opportunities that lead to good outcome. It is also called “Eustress”. It is short-term and is perceived as within our coping abilities. It motivates and helps us focus our energy to improve performance.

Examples of positive stressors include:

• Receiving promotion at work
• Meeting a work deadline
• Having a child
• Taking a vacation
• Learning a new hobby

The bottom line here is, as we go on with our lives, it is crucial that we are mindful of where we are taking ourselves to. By doing small things that keep ourselves fit – physically and psychologically, we become in tune with what can make us and others happy. If we are happy, it will surely lead to doing our tasks well, improving our relationships, and making better plans in the future.

Need help? Let’s talk. Contact us today.