Managing Stress And Anxiety

Everyone who has ever held a job has, at some point, felt the pressure of work-related stress. No matter how you love what you do, you still experience pressure to meet a deadline or to fulfill a challenging obligation. However, when work stress becomes chronic, it can have an adverse effect both on your physical and emotional health.

Follow these steps to reduce your stress and anxiety:

First, stop worrying because a negative effect can occur at any point and can cause anxiety and lower your immune systems. You become restless once you are worried. In order to avoid this, try to meditate. This can ease your anxiety and improve your concentration. You can also listen to a good music or dance. This can build your self-esteem and lift your mood since you can express your emotions without communicating verbally.

Second, you can take a nap. It can effectively reduce your stress, improve your mood and increase your alertness. If you cannot sleep, massage your temples to relax the other muscles in your body and soothing your headache.

Third, never let negative people affect you. There is nothing wrong with supporting a negative person but make sure you separate your identity and emotions from it. Never take it at a personal level. If their negativity is aimed at you, learn how to use reverse psychology.

Fourth, don't get stressed about what you should be doing, feel great about what you have accomplished so far. The reflection process can help boost your positive self-concept and ease your anxiety!

Fifth, enjoy simplicity. Simple things bring you happiness too so learn to acknowledge and notice life's little pleasures like laughing with your kids and spending quality time with your family and friends.

Sixth, learn to forgive. Although, this is easier said than done, remember, everyone makes mistakes. We learn from our mistakes and past experiences. Begrudging others because you do not get what you want will only hurt you so start forgiving yourself and other people.

Seventh, say no sometimes. Being a 'yes' person isn't easy especially when your sole purpose is to please other people. Trying to say 'no' sometimes doesn't mean you're selfish or rude. It will help simplify your life and give you the valuable time you need to relax with yourself.

Eight, spend less. Having lots of things just adds to stress and won't solve negative feelings so next time you're about to part with your hard-earned money, take a step back and ask, "am I a smart spender?", 'have I separated my needs from my wants?"

Finally, stay calm. The stress that you are experiencing right now is just temporary. It will just pass. So, relax and enjoy life to the fullest.

Although people have different preferences when it comes to how much they blend with their work and home life, creating a clear distinction between these areas can reduce the stress that goes with it.

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Managing Stress to Perform at Your Best

I recently read an article by Dr. Travis Bradberry called "How Successful People Stay Calm." In it he says that your "ability to manage your emotions and to remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance." The vast majority of successful people have developed the skill to keep calm and carry on, as the British wrote in a motivational poster during World War II.

He pointed out that moderate levels of stress keep the brain engaged and keep us performing at optimal levels whereas prolonged, high levels of stress can be detrimental, increasing the risk of heart disease, depression and obesity. We can't control some stressors in our lives, but we can control how we react to them.

When traffic is unusually bad on your morning commute or when a patient is being extremely difficult, you can choose to become upset or you can choose to empathize with the other commuters or the patient and release your stress.

He listed a number of ways to reduce stress. One is to focus for a few minutes on your breathing while blocking other thoughts. Another is getting sufficient sleep each night to allow your brain not only to process the previous day's thoughts but also to allow it to recharge for the day ahead. Yet another is to limit caffeine intake since it triggers the release of adrenaline, which is the source of the "fight or flight" response.

You can fight stress by noting on a regular basis those things for which you are grateful. You can fight it by cutting out your negative self talk. When negative self-talk creeps in, you have to check to see if it is valid. If it isn't valid, forget it. If it is valid and is something you can change, change it. Don't dwell on the "what ifs." Instead, look for the positives.

I think we focus on problems because those are things that need our attention. If you write down a list of the things that are going well, things you are grateful for as well as a list of your worries, you'll likely see that your list of good things will be longer than your worries. It's calming to remind yourself of all of the things that are going your way.

You can also reduce stress by gorging on junk food and chocolate. Oh, wait, that wasn't in the article; forget that.

For the complete article and to read more about Dr. Bradberry, look for the Early to Rise website and search for "How Successful People Stay Calm."

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Importance of Stress Management

Mental Health can be overlooked in our everyday lives but it plays a huge role in our health. Our mental state can affect us in many ways both positively and negatively. This article will discuss the importance of Mental Health with a concentration on stress management. Stress is a significant cause of mental illness today and although we can't eradicate it, we can manage it. It is important to understand that not all stress is negative. Stress may occur prior to weddings, graduations, or even social gatherings, but no matter the source of stress, your bodies respond the same. Also, some stress is good for you in order to manage skills needed for survival such as fight or flight. Experts suggest a combination of physical, social, environmental, and psychological approaches to managing stress. When we are stressed, we encounter General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). GAS is your complex physiological responses that happen as a result of the stress and has three phases. The first phase of GAS is the alarm phase. The alarm phase occurs when we sense there is a stressor present (Body doesn't sense whether it is a good or bad stressor), everything becomes heightened and hormones respond. The second phase of GAS is called the resistance phase. During the resistance phase your body resists stress to get your it back to homeostasis. If you can't rid the stress you move into exhaustion The last phase, exhaustion, occurs when your body is tired and can't fight anymore to get it back to homeostasis. Physical or emotional tension is often a good indicator of stress. Below is a short list of symptoms from stress.

• Tension and irritability
• Fear and anxiety about the future
• Difficulty making decisions
• Being numb to one's feelings
• Loss of interest in normal activities
• Loss of appetite
• And many more.

We all experience some level of stress on a regular basis but as I mentioned before, too much can be harmful to your body. Below I have listed ways in which you can deal with and reduce stress levels.

• Take Care of Yourself

Taking care of yourself seems self-explanatory for many but as we enter the exhaustion phase our attention to self-care begins to decline. Eat a healthy diet, get plenty of sleep, treat yourself, and maintain your normal routine.

• Stay Active

It is often said that exercise is the most underused stress reliever and this is 100% true. Working out forces you to take your mind off of the stressors and focus on what you are doing and nothing else. Get in a gym or go for a run to lower your stress levels.

• Social Support

Being able to talk to someone during stressful times is very important. Connect with a friend or family member that you will listen to what you want to get off your mind. This can be very helpful for stress reduction.

• Avoid Alcohol or Drugs

People often turn to drugs and alcohol in times of stress but fail to realize they only provide temporary relief. Once your "high" or "buzz" wears off, you will more than likely feel worse than before. Alcohol and drugs add to stress and do not help to reduce its impact.

I hope this information helps you to recognize when you are stressed and how to handle it. Stress is a serious issue that we tend to overlook. Stress is usually a catalyst for other illnesses such as anxiety to occur. For this reason, be mindful of your stressors and take relieve yourself from your daily burdens.

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