Better Health Centre |+| Stress Management Strategies that Work

Strategies for Managing Stress that DO Work

Whether you are old or young, short or tall, you will (or have) been stressed.

But not many people actually know how to manage stress in a healthy way.

So the first thing we have to do is acknowledge it. 

Stress IS going to happen.  Whether you like it or not!

It may not be there for very long or often, but then again it might.

What causes stress? 

Usually it is changes to our daily lives which get us stressing.

Now let’s go through some strategies to help reduce or eliminate the stress in your life.

The first thing to do is make you life simpler.  Or at least so it appears to be simpler.

One of the best ways to do this is by well being organized.  For example, if your bedroom is not tidy, you probably can’t relax today.  If your papers aren’t filed, you will probably have trouble concentrating on work.

Take the time to fix these things up and you will immediately start feeling better.

Get into a routine whereby these annoying things get done by a certain time each day……have a plan or a roster……put it on the fridge…..tick off the jobs as they get done…..this will also give you a sense of achievement and you will immediately feel better about facing the day ahead.

Exercise keeps everyone feeling well so it is also a great way to relieve stress. 

Eat healthy! 

If you feel well, it is much harder to get wound up about anything.

It may be difficult to relax at the dinner table if you have young kids or teenagers to look after.  Think about what makes you stressed during the evening meals.  How can you diminish them?  Maybe it is not as bad as you think?

We all need a break whether it is time away from work or family.  Take some time off and go relax.  You could have a half hour massage or a couple of days down the coast.  Both can be vastly beneficial.

Keep a positive attitude!  There WILL BE events you just cannot take control of so don’t try…..just let them be. 

There will be situations which are JUST NOT your problem.  Don’t try to deal with things you can’t handle.  Don’t be aggressive around people when you start to get wound up.

Just take a long slow deep breath and try to think clearly. Three deep breaths may even be better for you.

Stress can be shown in different ways during situations.  Someone stressed might become angry or their faces show no emotion and they appear calm or they can be defensive.

The best ways to deal with stress is to eat good nutritious and healthy food, take some exercise each day and use the techniques when you feel it coming on.

If you have not slept enough, you can become stressed very easily.  This is because things always seem worse when you are tired.  A lack of sleep not only makes your physical body tired but your mind cannot function properly either. Even if you can’t sleep enough each night, it is still good for your body to have a rest.

Instead of reaching for the whisky bottle or a cigarette when you are stressed, reach for the phone and call someone you can talk to. 

Try to use these stress management strategies and look on the bright side of things! You will be feeling better in no time at all.