Stress Management

How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress

It may seem that theres nothing you can do about stress. The bills wont stop coming, there will
never be more hours in the day, and your career and family responsibilities will always be
demanding. But you have more control than you might think. In fact, the simple realization that
youre in control of your life is the foundation of stress management. Managing stress is all
about taking charge: of your thoughts, emotions, schedule, and the way you deal with problems.

Identify the sources of stress in your life

Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. This isnt as easy as
it sounds. Your true sources of stress arent always obvious, and its all too easy to overlook your
own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Sure, you may know that youre
constantly worried about work deadlines. But maybe its your procrastination, rather than the
actual job demands, that leads to deadline stress.
To identify your true sources of stress, look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses:

Do you explain away stress as temporary (I just have a million things going on right
now) even though you cant remember the last time you took a breather?

Do you define stress as an integral part of your work or home life (Things are always
crazy around here) or as a part of your personality (I have a lot of nervous energy,
thats all).

Do you blame your stress on other people or outside events, or view it as entirely normal
and unexceptional?

Until you accept responsibility for the role you play in creating or maintaining it, your stress
level will remain outside your control.
Stress facts

Stress is any physical & emotional factor that causes bodily or mental unrest.

While elimination of stress is unrealistic, management of stress is an

attainable and realistic goal that can be achieved by a number of strategies.

People with strong social support networks report less stress and fewer
negative symptoms of stress than those who lack social support.

Stress-management techniques include relaxation techniques, timemanagement skills, counseling or group therapy, exercise, and maintaining
an overall healthy lifestyle.

There are hundreds of different relaxation techniques to help manage stress

What is stress?
Comment on this Share Your Story

Stress may be considered as any physical or emotional factor that causes ental unrest and that
may be a factor in causing disease. Physical and chemical factors that can cause stress include
infections, illnesses, and injuries of any sort. Emotional causes of stress and tension are
numerous and varied. While many people associate the term stress with psychological stress,
scientists and physicians use this term to denote any force that impairs the stability and balance
of bodily functions.
If stress disrupts body balance and function, then is all stress bad? Not necessarily. A mild degree
of stress and tension can sometimes be beneficial. For example, feeling mildly stressed when
carrying out a project or assignment often compels us to do a good job, focus better, and work
energetically.
Likewise, exercising can produce a temporary stress on some body functions, but its health
benefits are indisputable. It is only when stress is overwhelming, or poorly managed, that its
negative effects appear.
An important goal for those under stress is the management of life stresses. Elimination of stress
is unrealistic, since stress is a part of normal life. It's impossible to completely eliminate stress,
and it would not be advisable to do so. Instead, we can learn relaxation techniques and other

methods to manage stress so that we have control over our stress and its effects on our physical
and mental health.
A lot of research has been conducted into stress over the last hundred years. Some of the theories
behind it are now settled and accepted; others are still being researched and debated.
During this time, there seems to have been something approaching open warfare between
competing theories and definitions: Views have been passionately held and aggressively
defended.
What complicates this is that intuitively we all feel that we know what stress is, as it is
something we have all experienced. A definition should therefore be obvious... except that it is
not.
Definitions

Hans Selye was one of the founding fathers of stress research. His view in 1956 was that "stress
is not necessarily something bad it all depends on how you take it. The stress of exhilarating,
creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or infection is
detrimental." Selye believed that the biochemical effects of stress would be experienced
irrespective of whether the situation was positive or negative.
Since then, a great deal of further research has been conducted, and ideas have moved on. Stress
is now viewed as a "bad thing", with a range of harmful biochemical and long-term effects.
These effects have rarely been observed in positive situations.
The most commonly accepted definition of stress (mainly attributed to Richard S Lazarus) is that
stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that "demands exceed
the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize." In short, it's what we
feel when we think we've lost control of events.
This is the main definition used by this section of Mind Tools, although we also recognize that
there is an intertwined instinctive stress response to unexpected events. The stress response
inside us is therefore part instinct and part to do with the way we think.
Fight-or-Flight

Some of the early research on stress (conducted by Walter Cannon in 1932) established the
existence of the well-known "fight-or-flight" response. His work showed that when an organism
experiences a shock or perceives a threat, it quickly releases hormones that help it to survive.

In humans, as in other animals, these hormones help us to run faster and fight harder. They
increase heart rate and blood pressure, delivering more oxygen and blood sugar to power
important muscles. They increase sweating in an effort to cool these muscles, and help them stay
efficient. They divert blood away from the skin to the core of our bodies, reducing blood loss if
we are damaged. As well as this, these hormones focus our attention on the threat, to the
exclusion of everything else. All of this significantly improves our ability to survive lifethreatening events.
Not only life-threatening events trigger this reaction: We experience it almost any time we come
across something unexpected or something that frustrates our goals. When the threat is small, our
response is small and we often do not notice it among the many other distractions of a stressful
situation.
Unfortunately, this mobilization of the body for survival also has negative consequences. In this
state, we are excitable, anxious, jumpy and irritable. This actually reduces our ability to work
effectively with other people. With trembling and a pounding heart, we can find it difficult to
execute precise, controlled skills. The intensity of our focus on survival interferes with our
ability to make fine judgments by drawing information from many sources. We find ourselves
more accident-prone and less able to make good decisions.
There are very few situations in modern working life where this response is useful. Most
situations benefit from a calm, rational, controlled and socially sensitive approach.
In the short term, we need to keep this fight-or-flight response under control to be effective in
our jobs. In the long term we need to keep it under control to avoid problems of poor health and
burnout.
Warning: Stress can cause severe health problems and, in extreme cases, can cause death. While
these stress management techniques have been shown to have a positive effect on reducing
stress, they are for guidance only, and readers should take the advice of suitably qualified health
professionals if they have any concerns over stress-related illnesses or if stress is causing
significant or persistent unhappiness. Health professionals should also be consulted before any
major change in diet or levels of exercise.
This site teaches you the skills you need for a happy and successful career; and this is just one of
many tools and resources that you'll find here at Mind Tools. Click here for more, subscribe to
our free newsletter, or become a member for just $1.

Stress management
Share on facebook Share on twitter Bookmark & Share Printer-friendly version

Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension.

Information

Emotional stress usually occurs when a person feels the situation is difficult or challenging.
Physical stress is a physical reaction of the body to various triggers. The pain experienced after
surgery is an example of physical stress. Physical stress often leads to emotional stress, which
often occurs in the form of physical stress, such as stomach cramps, for example.
Stress management means trying to control and reduce the tension that occurs in stressful
situations. This is done by making emotional and physical changes. The degree of stress and the
desire to make the changes will determine how much improvement takes place.
ASSESSING STRESS
Attitude: A person's attitude can influence whether or not a situation or emotion is stressful. A
person with a negative attitude will often report more stress than would someone with a positive
attitude.
Diet: A poor diet puts the body in a state of physical stress and weakens the immune system. As a
result, a person can be more likely to get infections. A poor diet can mean making unhealthy food
choices, not eating enough, or not eating on a normal schedule. This form of physical stress also
decreases the ability to deal with emotional stress because not getting the right nutrition may
affect the way the brain processes information.
Physical activity: Not getting enough physical activity can put the body in a stressed state.
Physical activity has many benefits, including promoting a feeling of well-being.
Support systems: Almost everyone needs someone in their life they can rely on when they are
having a hard time. Having little or no support makes stressful situations even more difficult to
deal with.
Relaxation: A person with no outside interests, hobbies, or other ways to relax may be less able
to handle stressful situations. Getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night also helps a person cope with
stress.
AN INDIVIDUAL STRESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Find the positive in situations, and do not dwell on the negative.

Plan fun activities.

Take regular breaks.

Physical activity:

Start a physical activity program. Experts recommend 150 minutes of aerobic

activity per week.

Decide on a specific type, amount, and level of physical activity. Fit this into
your schedule so it can be part of your routine.

Find a buddy to exercise with. It is more fun and helps you to stick with your
routine.

You do not have to join a gym, 20 minutes of brisk walking outdoors is

enough.

Nutrition:

Eat foods that improve your health and well-being. For example, eat more
fruits and vegetables.

Use the food plate guide to help you make healthy food choices.

Eat normal-size portions on a regular schedule.

Social support:

Try to socialize. Even though you may feel like avoiding people when you are
stressed, meeting friends often helps you feel less stressed.

Be good to yourself and others.

Relaxation:

Try relaxation techniques, such as guided imagery, listening to music, or

practicing yoga or meditation.

Listen to your body when it tells you to slow down or take a break.

Get enough sleep. Good sleep habits are one of the best ways to manage
stress.

Do something that interests you. Take up a hobby.

RESOURCES
If these stress management techniques do not work for you, professionals, such as licensed social
workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists can help. Schedule time with one of these mental health

professionals to help you learn stress management strategies, including relaxation techniques.
Support groups are also available in most communities.