Stress Management
Posted on May 27th, 2014
What is stress?
Stress is a word we often use, but often we don’t fully understand what it means or what to do about it once we become stressed. One helpful definition is when the demands being placed upon us are more than what we consider is our ability to cope, then we get stressed. However, not all stress is negative. Positive stress, or eustress, is the stress that motivates us and is quite beneficial. For example, without some level of stress we may not bother getting up in the morning or going to work. When our stress levels rise to a point that exceeds our ability to cope (stress threshold), then this is what we traditionally refer to as stress or negative stress.
Lots of factors can impact and alter our stress threshold. More importantly, our ability to cope with stress can vary on any given day or across several days. The factors that are known to impact on our ability to cope with stress include: sleep, alcohol and drugs, illness, diet, and exercise.
Stress can be as a result of one large event or situation, or lots of smaller stressors that build up.
Symptoms of Stress
We can experience psychological or physical symptoms of stress, or both.
Psychological signs of stress include:
- Feeling overwhelmed or helpless
- Impatient or irritable
- Difficulty concentrating
- Decreased productivity
- Decreased sense of humour
- Anxiety
- Mind racing
- Increased Anger
Physical signs of stress include:
- Heart pounding or racing
- Headaches
- Neck, back or shoulder pain or discomfort
- Muscle spasms
- Fatigue
- Rapid, shallow breathing, shortness of breath
- Jaw clenching
- Nail biting
- Sweating
- Overeating or loss of appetite
- Difficulty sleeping
- Nausea
- Diarrhoea
So what can we do about stress?
There are some things you can do yourself at home. For example, try to balance your work/home life responsibilities, taking time to include some pleasant activities in your schedule on a regular basis, get regular exercise, make sure you are getting sufficient sleep each night, and take time out to relax.
Quick Tips for Reducing Stress
- Take 20 calm deep breaths (Magic 20).
- Increase positive self-talk- “I can cope with this”.
- Tense up muscles in neck and shoulders , hold for 6 seconds, then release whilst saying ‘relax’.
- Take a walk for 10 minutes.
- Write down your thoughts and feelings.
- Listen to relaxing soothing music.
- Talk to a friend or support person.
- Learn how to relax and practise daily.
- Drink more water instead of caffeine drinks.
Don’t be afraid to get professional support if your stress is not reducing or you are getting to a point where you feel like you cannot cope.
Therapy will provide you with a range of stress management techniques including: relaxation, mental strategies for reducing stress, handling emotions, clarifying your values and knowing your purpose, time management and organisation skills, and communication skills. Learning how to reduce stress is a learned skill and a psychologist can help you achieve this goal.