| | | | | culprit! Now let's address it. Let's be fair here. There |
| Stress impacts us all in one form or another, so | | | | are both healthy and unhealthy ways to handle |
| coping with stress effectively is important for all of | | | | stress. Let's outline some of the unhealthy ways first, |
| us. The causes of stress in our lives, like bills, | | | | so that you might be better prepared to avoid them. |
| unemployment, death, etc., seem to be ever | | | | Coping With Stress - Dont's |
| present, so it may seem that dealing with stress is a | | | | There are a number of things people do in |
| futile effort. On the contrary, there are effective | | | | excess to deal with stress. Done in moderation, |
| ways to control the affect of stress on you. Without | | | | these things are not necessarily bad, but they are |
| understanding and using these control mechanisms, | | | | only short-term bandages and do nothing to |
| stress will not only be draining mentally, but stress | | | | address the real cause of the stress: |
| can also result in physical ailments and problems. The | | | | |
| first step to effectively dealing with stress is to | | | | Drinking excessively |
| determine what causes it. | | | | Drugs |
| Why Are You So Stressed? | | | | Overeating |
| Identifying the reasons for your stress is | | | | Withdrawing from friends and family |
| required for appropriately coping with stress. | | | | Sleeping too much |
| Mentally, stress is the result of the frustration or | | | | Watching TV or surfing to avoid "life" |
| concern caused by changes in your life. The biological | | | | |
| affects are the result of ineefectively dealing with | | | | Again, these are just temporary cover ups, not |
| the mental aspects of stress. Here are a few items | | | | solutions. They do nothing to eliminate the stress in |
| that can initiate the previously mentioned concern | | | | your life or to avoid the negative health effects that |
| and frustration: | | | | can show up as a result. Let's take a look at some |
| | | | | more appropriate ways to deal with stress. |
| Pain in your body | | | | Coping With Stress - Healthy Ways |
| Conflict | | | | Mental Aspects |
| Divorce | | | | |
| Marriage | | | | Realize you can't control the uncontrollable |
| Job Loss | | | | Look for the "silver lining" (there's something positive |
| Deadlines | | | | in every situation) |
| Money Issues | | | | Be more expressive (don't hold things in!) |
| | | | | Improve time management skills |
| What Are the Signs of Stress? | | | | |
| As stated before, stress can result in both negative | | | | Physical Aspects |
| mental and physical issues, if not dealt with | | | | |
| appropriately. Unfortunately, most of us don't realize | | | | Eat healthier food |
| that we are stressed until we see some of these | | | | Get a sufficient amount of sleep |
| negative conditions manifest in our lives. It's when | | | | Exercise regularly |
| these sign manifest, that coping with stress becomes | | | | Meditate |
| even more important: | | | | Find a stress-free hobby |
| | | | | |
| Physical pain (As opposed to causing stress, pain can | | | | In the past, I have had quite a few issues dealing |
| also be a sign of stress, like back or neck pain) | | | | with stress, mainly due to a highly demanding job. I |
| Constipation | | | | eventually began to go to the gym and work out |
| Difficulty Sleeping | | | | more often. However, this only addressed the |
| Weight Gain / Loss | | | | exercise part of the solution. I have personally found |
| Ulcers | | | | a way of coping with stress that simultaneously |
| High Blood Pressure | | | | satisfies the exercise, meditation and stress-free |
| Relationship Issues | | | | hobby aspects. My solution is yoga. I can do it in the |
| | | | | privacy of my own home and the benefits of yoga |
| If you are seeing any or all of these conditions | | | | go far beyond the ones I just listed! |
| manifest themselves in your life, stress could be the | | | | |