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Reprinted with permission for
Abuse
personal or non-profit use. Visit
Addictions www.helpguide.org to see the
ADD /
article with links to related
ADHD
articles. Helpguide.org. All
Anxiety
rights reserved.
Bipolar
Disorder This material is for information
and support; not a substitute
Depressio
for professional advice.
n
Eating
Stress Symptoms, Signs and
Disorders Causes
Grief &
The Effects of Stress
Loss
Overload and What You Can
PTSD &
Do About It
Trauma
Schizophr
enia
Stress
Suicide
Prevention
Healthy
Lifestyles
Modern life is full of hassles,
Topics
deadlines, frustrations, and
Diet &
demands. For many people,
Weight
stress is so commonplace that
Loss
it has become a way of life.
Emotional Stress isnt always bad. In small
Health
doses, it can help you perform
Exercise & under pressure and motivate
Fitness
you to do your best. But when
Healthy
youre constantly running in
Eating
emergency mode, your mind
Memory and body pay the price. You can
Relationsh protect yourself by recognizing
the signs and symptoms of
ips
stress and taking steps to
Sleep
reduce its harmful effects
Work &
Career
In This Article:
Children &
What is stress?
Family
Topics
How do you respond to
Autism
stress?
Divorce &
Remarriag Signs and symptoms of
e
stress overload
Grandpare
How much stress is too
nting
much?
Learning
Disabilitie
Causes of stress
s
Parenting
Effects of chronic stress
&
Attachme Dealing with stress
nt
Teen
What is stress?
Issues
Seniors & The Bodys Stress Response
Aging
When you perceive a threat,
Topics
Aging Well your nervous system responds
Alzheimer by releasing a flood of stress
hormones, including adrenaline
s&
and cortisol. These hormones
Dementia
rouse the body for emergency
Caregiving
action.
Senior
Housing Your heart pounds faster,
muscles tighten, blood pressure
Moodiness
Irritability or
short
temper
Agitation,
inability to
relax
Feeling
overwhelme
d
Sense of
loneliness
and
isolation
Depression
or general
unhappines
s
Eating more
or less
Diarrhea or
constipation
Sleeping too
much or too
little
Nausea,
dizziness
Chest pain,
rapid
heartbeat
Loss of sex
drive
Frequent
colds
Isolating
yourself
from others
Procrastinati
ng or
neglecting
responsibilit
ies
Using
alcohol,
cigarettes,
or drugs to
relax
calming influence?
When my energy is low, do I
know how to boost it?
Causes of stress
The situations and pressures
that cause stress are known as
stressors. We usually think of
stressors as being negative,
such as an exhausting work
schedule or a rocky
relationship. However, anything
that puts high demands on you
or forces you to adjust can be
stressful. This includes positive
events such as getting married,
buying a house, going to
college, or receiving a
promotion.
What causes stress depends, at
least in part, on your perception
of it. Something that's stressful
to you may not faze someone
else; they may even enjoy it.
For example, your morning
Inability
to
accept
uncertai
nty
Pessimis
m
Unrealistic
expectations
Perfectionism
Lack of
assertiveness
Negative
self-talk
What's Stressful For You?
What's stressful for you may be
quite different from what's
stressful to someone else. For
example:
Karen is terrified of getting
up in front of people to
perform or speak, while her
best friend lives for the
spotlight.
Phil thrives under pressure
and performs best when he
has a tight deadline, while
Text Size
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Mental
Health
Topics
Reprinted with permission for
Abuse
Addictions personal or non-profit use. Visit
www.helpguide.org to see the
ADD /
article with links to related
ADHD
articles. Helpguide.org. All
Anxiety
rights reserved.
Bipolar
Disorder This material is for information
Depressio and support; not a substitute
for professional advice.
n
Eating
Stress Management
Disorders
How to Reduce, Prevent,
Grief &
and Cope with Stress
Loss
PTSD &
Trauma
Schizophr
enia
Stress
Suicide
Prevention
Healthy
It may seem that theres
Lifestyles nothing you can do about
stress. The bills wont stop
Topics
coming, there will never be
Diet &
more hours in the day, and your
Weight
career and family
Loss
Emotional responsibilities will always be
demanding. But you have more
Health
Exercise & control than you might think. In
fact, the simple realization that
Fitness
youre in control of your life is
Healthy
the foundation of stress
Eating
management. Managing stress
Memory
is all about taking charge: of
Relationsh your thoughts, emotions,
ips
schedule, and the way you deal
Sleep
with problems
Work &
In This Article:
Career
Children & Identify sources of stress
Family
Look at how you cope with
Topics
Autism
stress
Divorce &
Remarriag Avoid unnecessary stress
e
Grandpare Alter the situation
nting
Adapt to the stressor
Learning
Disabilitie Accept the things you cant
s
change
Parenting
Make time for fun and
&
relaxation
Attachme
nt
Adopt a healthy lifestyle
Teen
Issues
Seniors & Identify the sources of
Aging
stress in your life
Topics
Aging Well Learn about hidden sources
of stress
Alzheimer
s&
Dementia
CaregivingWatch 3-min. video: Roadblocks
Senior
to awareness
Housing
Stress management starts with
Using pills
or drugs to
relax
Sleeping too
much
Procrastinati
ng
Filling up
every
minute of
the day to
avoid facing
Withdrawing
problems
from
Taking out
friends,
family, and
your stress
activities
on others
(lashing out,
angry
outbursts,
physical
violence)
Learning healthier ways to
manage stress
If your methods of coping with
stress arent contributing to
your greater emotional and
physical health, its time to find
healthier ones. There are many
healthy ways to manage and
cope with stress, but they all
require change. You can either
change the situation or change
your reaction. When deciding
which option to choose, its
helpful to think of the four As:
avoid, alter, adapt, or accept.
Since everyone has a unique
response to stress, there is no
one size fits all solution to
managing it. No single method
works for everyone or in every
situation, so experiment with
different techniques and
Change your
reaction:
Avoid the
stressor.
Adapt to the
stressor.
Alter the
stressor.
Accept the
stressor.
Stress management
strategy #1: Avoid
unnecessary stress
Not all stress can be avoided,
and its not healthy to avoid a
situation that needs to be
addressed. You may be
surprised, however, by the
number of stressors in your life
that you can eliminate.
is an unpleasant chore, do
your grocery shopping
online.
Avoid hot-button topics
If you get upset over
religion or politics, cross
them off your conversation
list. If you repeatedly argue
about the same subject with
the same people, stop
bringing it up or excuse
yourself when its the topic
of discussion.
Pare down your to-do list
Analyze your schedule,
responsibilities, and daily
tasks. If youve got too
much on your plate,
distinguish between the
shoulds and the musts.
Drop tasks that arent truly
necessary to the bottom of
the list or eliminate them
entirely.
Stress management
Stress management
strategy #3: Adapt to the
stressor
If you cant change the
stressor, change yourself. You
can adapt to stressful situations
and regain your sense of
control by changing your
expectations and attitude.
Reframe problems. Try to
view stressful situations
from a more positive
perspective. Rather than
fuming about a traffic jam,
look at it as an opportunity
to pause and regroup, listen
to your favorite radio
station, or enjoy some alone
time.
Look at the big picture.
Take perspective of the
stressful situation. Ask
yourself how important it
will be in the long run. Will it
matter in a month? A year?
your mistakes.
Share your feelings. Talk
to a trusted friend or make
an appointment with a
therapist. Expressing what
youre going through can be
very cathartic, even if
theres nothing you can do
to alter the stressful
situation.
Learn to forgive. Accept
the fact that we live in an
imperfect world and that
people make mistakes. Let
go of anger and
resentments. Free yourself
from negative energy by
forgiving and moving on.
Stress management
strategy #5: Make time for
fun and relaxation
Beyond a take-charge approach
and a positive attitude, you can
reduce stress in your life by
Savor a
warm cup of
coffee or
tea.
Play with a
pet.
Work in
your
garden.
Get a
massage.
Curl up with
a good
book.
bath.
Light
scented
candles.
Listen to
music.
Watch a
comedy.
Relaxation Techniques By
practicing techniques that
activate your bodys relaxation
response you can effectively
combat stress and ease
tension.
Understanding Stress
Learn to recognize the signs
and symptoms of stress and
take steps to relieve its harmful
effects.
(American Psychological
Association)
Authors: Melinda Smith, M.A.
and Robert Segal, M.A. Last
updated: January 2013.
Helpguide.org. All rights
reserved. This reprint is for
information only and NOT a
substitute for professional
diagnosis and treatment.
Helpguide.org is an ad-free nonprofit resource for supporting
better mental health and
lifestyle choices for adults and
children.
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What happens when you are stressed?
Stress is what you feel when you have to handle more than you are used to. When
you are stressed, your body responds as though you are in danger. It makes
hormones that speed up your heart, make you breathe faster, and give you a burst
of energy. This is called the fight-or-flight stress response.
Some stress is normal and even useful. Stress can help if you need to work hard or
react quickly. For example, it can help you win a race or finish an important job on
time.
But if stress happens too often or lasts too long, it can have bad effects. It can be
linked to headaches, an upset stomach, back pain, and trouble sleeping. It can
weaken your immune system, making it harder to fight off disease. If you already
have a health problem, stress may make it worse. It can make you moody, tense, or
depressed. Your relationships may suffer, and you may not do well at work or
school.
What can you do about stress?
The good news is that you can learn ways to manage stress. To get stress under
control:
Find out what is causing stress in your life.
Look for ways to reduce the amount of stress in your life.
Learn healthy ways to relieve stress or reduce its harmful effects.
How do you measure your stress level?
Sometimes it is clear where stress is coming from. You can count on stress during a
major life change such as the death of a loved one, getting married, or having a
baby. But other times it may not be so clear why you feel stressed.
It's important to figure out what causes stress for you. Everyone feels and responds
to stress differently. Keeping a stress journal may help. Get a notebook, and write
down when something makes you feel stressed. Then write how you reacted and
what you did to deal with the stress. Keeping a stress journal can help you find out
what is causing your stress and how much stress you feel. Then you can take steps
to reduce the stress or handle it better.
To find out how stressed you are right now, use this Interactive Tool: What Is Your
Stress Level?
How can you avoid stress?
Stress is a fact of life for most people. You may not be able to get rid of stress, but
you can look for ways to lower it.
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continued...
Sometimes stress is just too much to handle
alone. Talking to a friend or family member
may help, but you may also want to see a
counselor.
How can you relieve stress?
You will feel better if you can find ways to get
stress out of your system. The best ways to
relieve stress are different for each person.
Try some of these ideas to see which ones
work for you:
Exercise. Regular exercise is one of the best
ways to manage stress. Walking is a great
way to get started.
Write. It can help to write about the things
that are bothering you.
Let your feelings out. Talk, laugh, cry, and
express anger when you need to with
someone you trust.
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How To Stop Life Stress Before It
Becomes Severe
Preventive Stress Management
By Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com Guide
Setting Boundaries
Being overscheduled and rushed can be a
significant cause of stress. By prioritizing your
commitments and saying no to some tasks
can help you be more successful with what
you find to be really important, and youll
have extra time for additional stress
management activities.
Maintain Social Support
Having a supportive network of friends can
help you stay healthy and reduce stress in
many ways. Friends can provide resources
that you may need when youre in a bind, or a
supportive ear that helps you feel accepted
and understood. Studies show that having a
sense of belonging can reduce your risk of
depression. And having a friend who makes
you laugh can also make you healthier and
less stressed.
Find Fun Distractions
Playing games, reading, watching movies and
t.v. can all help you get your mind off of
whats stressing you and onto something