SIMPLE STRESS MANAGEMENT TIPS THEY DON’T TEACH YOU IN SCHOOL

Easy to Do Simple Stress Management Tips for Reducing Stress and Relieving Anxiety

INTRODUCTION

Are you feeling mentally overwhelmed by all the office and personal work that have piled up?

Does your chest feel heavy with the pressure of the situations you have had to face in the last few months?

If so, you must be undergoing what is called by most people (including doctors) as Stress, and this article is devoted to giving you Stress Management Tips to relieve your anxiety and concern and take you on the path to total Stress Relief.

The Definition of Stress can be simply stated as an individual’s Psychological, Physiological and Behavioural response when they feel that they are not capable of fulfilling the demands placed on them.

This ultimately leads to a drop in physical and mental health over a period of time.

SIGNS OF STRESS

Although there are a few visible signs of stress which can be distinguished immediately, many other symptoms are not that observable as people have an innate tendency to push it undercover.

This they do, so as to be socially correct, and sometimes it is done not to worry the other family members in their immediate proximity.

However a sharp observation of people can easily reveal the Stressful Behaviour in their facial and body language, besides other overt indicators.

Some of the significant Signs of Stress is listed below:

Physiological

Heaviness or burning sensation in the chest area

Rapid or inconsistent breathing

Sensation of irritability, nausea or pain in the stomach

Tendency to lose or gain weight

Regular headaches, feeling of dizziness or nervous twitches

Frequent sweating in the palms and feet

Finding it difficult to sleep or indulging in excessive sleep

Feeling of exhaustion even after being well rested

Tension in the jaw, facial muscles and joints

Lowered Immunity and immune system failure

Digestive & Metabolism Problems

Loss of Sexual Desires or Sexual Promiscuity

Psychological

Desire to be intoxicated all the time

Feeling of loneliness and wanting to be isolated from others

An air of sadness and misery

Frustration and Depression

Inability to pay attention or focus on anything

Perpetual irritability and prone to angry outbursts

Disinterest in everyday activities and Moody

Emotionally overwhelmed

Belief of worthlessness

Panic attacks leading to hopelessness

Behavioural

Loss of appetite, overeating and exhibiting eating disorders

Bingeing on alcohol or showing signs of alcoholism

Taking to usage of drugs or other psychotropic substances

Heavy Smoking and extreme use of intoxicants

Obsessive Behaviour bordering on mental illness

Avoiding Social Interaction as far as possible

Fearful and anxious about everything throughout the day

Complaining, Criticising and Condemning family, friends and society

Now that we have seen most of the signs and symptoms which are generally seen in a stressed out person, let us go into the main causes of stress and then see how it can be managed. By having more clarity about all that can cause stress, makes it possible for you to tackle it in a proactive manner and not get besieged by it.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF STRESS?

Although Stress can be caused in a person without any tangible stressors, this is usually the case in a very small percentage, and generally happens due to medical reasons.

Otherwise there have been specific pre-conditions which have been seen to cause anxiety and tension in a person, which varies depending upon the Mental Strength of that individual.

If a human being has a certain degree of Mental Toughness, they are able to face any stressful situation and overcome it with the sheer Power of Their Mind.

However for most of the common people, this is a Herculean Task and so they fall prey to even a small dose of the so-called stressors in life.

Listed below is some of the Common Causes of Stress categorized according to the various relationships and activities a person is connected with, in the normal course of life.

SELF

Disease, Acute Injury or Chronic Illness

Parenthood for the first time

Pregnancy worries for women

Sexual Dysfunction in men and women

Long-term problems with natural health

Getting things organized like an event or holiday

Daily family commitments

Loss of a loved one

Unable to prepare for exams or an interview

RELATIONSHIPS

Problems with Spouse, Live-in Partner or Significant Other

Loss of Spouse, Divorce or Separation

Constant difference of opinion with spouse, children or relatives

Differences with friends or other acquaintances

Difficult experiences with neighbours or guests

WORKPLACE

Job Loss or Fear of Losing your position in the company

Being unemployed for a long time

Facing retirement or Feeling Lost after leaving the job

Commencement of a new job

Issues regarding complexity of the work

Excess Workload or lack of time to complete your tasks

FINANCIAL

Overburdened with Debt

Facing expenses or payments for which there are no resources

Excess of Expenditure over Income

Lack of money to pay medical bills

Not enough savings for the future

While there are many more causes which can induce stress in people the above are some of the main stressors which are common to everyone who are having a family and employed in a vocation.

Businessmen have their own reasons for stress, like lack of cash flow, downturn in the economy, changes in government guidelines, stringent tax laws etc.

Moreover, every profession has its own peculiar stressors and this topic will be taken up later in a separate blog.

What is important to note is that all stressors do not equally impact every person and the degree of damage it does, physiologically and psychologically, depends to a very great extent on the mental make-up of the individual, which is known as their Mental Fitness.

The Importance of Stress Management is that if left unchecked, it is quite possible that the cardio-vascular functions of the body are severely compromised, leading to heart attacks and strokes.

It is also the precursor of mental Illness in many people. Besides many are subject to suicidal tendencies, or violence against the people they perceive are the cause of their misery.

STRESS MANAGEMENT TIPS

While the management of stress is an absolute essential, the truth is that many people get even more stressed by thinking about how to manage stress they already have.

The secret of managing stress is to do some simple things on a regular basis which not only helps to prevent the onset of stress but also drives away whatever stress there already is.

It all depends on how much time you have to relieve the stress, and based on that, here are some quick tips to relieve stress. Given below are some common sense activities which assists you to handle and manage stress wisely, without going through too much of trouble.

If You have Less Than a Minute

=> First of all, Accept that you are feeling stressed; This itself helps to stop it overwhelming you

=> Whether you are sitting or standing, Readjust Your Posture so that your spine is erect and make sure your shoulders are not slouching

=> Do Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing; Take in the breath slowly and exhale even slower, at a rate of twice the time of inhalation

=> Stretch whatever muscles you can; Start slowly, reach the limit, stay for a few seconds there and then slowly relax it

=> Play with your pet or a young child if they are present, and hug them; This can be also done with your lover or your partner

=> Put a roll of chewing gum (or mint) in your mouth (if you have the habit), or play with a stress relieving ball or toy

=> Have a quick inhalation of  a stress relieving aroma like lavender

If You have 5 Minutes

=> Go for a quick 2-3 minute Walk; The pent up energy is released resulting in bring down the feeling of stress

=> If you are practicing Yoga, you can do one Asana for about 2-3 minutes, which brings about a union of the body and mind and helps to calm the nerves

=> Doing Pranayama (Breath Control) to specific counts of Inhalation-Holding-Exhalation-Holding, brings about great balance to the cardio-vascular system and reduces the stressful feeling

=> Develop your own personal comfort article which you can hold closely for a few minutes till you feel better; This could be a cushion, pillow, blanket etc

=> Drink a warm tea known for its stress reducing effects, like Chamomile or Mint Tea

If You Have 10 minutes

=> If you have enough time, the best strategy for reducing stress is Mindful Breathing and Meditation for 10-20 minutes

=> Engaging in Yogasanas (Yoga Postures) is another sure shot method of reducing stress not only immediately, but in the long run also

=> Full body scanning and awareness of the sensations for about 5minutes, is also very soothing and comforting to the mind

=> Have a warm shower and make sure you are mindful of the water going over your head and body till it reaches the foot

=> Get into some mindful activity and be totally immersed in it; This diverts you attention and brings about a rapid decrease in unnecessary mental activity

The above approaches are simple tips which have been seen to produce amazing results in most people.

For interventions and strategies to tackle stress on a long-term basis, the tactics will have to be modified in keeping with the origin of the stressor and the personal mental characteristics of the individual.

THE FINAL SAY

Stress is something that everyone has to face in their lives, whatever job, business or profession they are in (including music, movies and sports).

All stress is not bad, as some of it is necessary to trigger us to do whatsoever is necessary for that specific situation.

The important thing is how we respond to the stressor and take action to resolve it.

The best way to manage stress is not to let it develop in the first place.

As is said in the medical profession, “Prevention is better than cure”, so too in the case of Stress, “Preventing the Onset of Stress is better than any Stress Management Strategy”.

“How to Prevent Stress” will be the subject matter of another blog!!!

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