The Art of Stress Management

Hello everyone.

In this blog, "The Art of stress management", I will share with you a few simple techniques that you can incorporate in your daily life to handle stress more efficiently. The techniques that I am going to talk about are the ones that I have researched and incorporated in my daily life and have experienced the benefits of using them.

By the way, what is stress?

I think that the stress starts out with a concern about something, soon it becomes worry which consumes our mind and develops into stress. I categorize stress as level 1 when it is just a concern, level 2 when it becomes worry and level 3 when it develops into “stress”. So the best time to catch "stress" is when it is at the level 1 category.

What happens when people get stressed? They feel that they are losing the control, they are getting off the track. So basically we want to get back on track and be in control. We want to take charge of our thoughts, our emotions, our schedule and our ability to handle the problems.

In this blog, I will outline

  • Some common sources of stress
  • How not to handle the stress, and
  • How to best handle the stress

Now let’s see what the most common stress causing elements are.

  • Bills
  • Family responsibilities
  • Career demands
  • Health
  • Uncertainties around us

Many people follow one of the following tracks to handle the stress, which causes more damage in the long run. So, here is how not to handle the stress.

  • Getting addicted to Smoking / Drinking / Pills / Drugs
  • Over eating or under eating
  • Sleeping too much
  • Procrastinating
  • Excessive use of Computer / TV
  • Staying too busy to avoid facing problems
  • Withdrawing from friends, family and activities
  • Taking out your stress on others

Now that we know what some sources of stress are and how not to handle it, let’s look at different ways to handle the stress. The following bulleted list is taken from the reference, http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm.

"

  • Avoid unnecessary stress
  • Pare down your to-do list.
  • Avoid hot-button topics.
  • Take control of your environment.
  • Avoid people who stress you out.
  • Learn how to say “no”.
  • Alter the situation
  • Manage your time better.
  • Be more assertive.
  • Be willing to compromise.
  • Express your feelings instead of bottling them up.
  • If you can’t avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it.
  • Adapt to the stressor
  • Focus on the positive.
  • Adjust your standards.
  • Look at the big picture.
  • Reframe problems.
  • If you can’t change the stressor, change yourself.
  • Accept the things you can’t change
  • Learn to forgive.
  • Share your feelings.
  • Look for the upside.
  • Don’t try to control the uncontrollable.
  • Make time for fun and relaxation
  • Keep your sense of humor.
  • Do something you enjoy every day.
  • Connect with others.
  • Set aside relaxation time.
  • Adopt a healthy lifestyle
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Eat a healthy diet.
  • Reduce caffeine and sugar in your diet.
  • Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs.
  • Get enough sleep.

"

In Summary: To handle the stress more efficiently follow these guidelines

  • Distract yourself.
  • Clear your mind, Take a walk, Watch TV/movie, Read a book, Develop a hobby.
  • Drink plenty of water.
  • Find happiness in small things.
  • Take time to admire, relax and to be with yourself.
  • Follow your dreams.
  • Set aside some time for a hobby.
  • Develop a new hobby.
  • Get involved in some charity, give away old items to some charity.
  • Talk to your colleagues.
  • Take a mid-day walk, breath deep.
  • Read a joke. Write a story.
  • Take on some initiative.
  • Nurture, grow plants.
  • Clean your surroundings, office, home, closet. Organize.
  • Think happiness.
  • Create circle of positive energy.
  • Do one good deed every day, let a car yield, praise your spouse/child/colleague.
  • Dream stress free life.
  • Read, increase your knowledge.
  • Learn a new language/software/technique.

Add as many of these elements to your daily life and make it your new routine. You will definitely see the benefits.

Reference: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm