- Home
- Self Improvement
- Stress Management
- All about Stress and its Management
All about Stress and its Management
- By Aprajita Kohli
- Published 20th May, 2008
- Stress Management
- Unrated
Aprajita Kohli
I aprajita Kohli have great interest in writing and have a
passion for it. I am author of a website and have my own blog. I write on topics
which have complete discussion and which can be discuss either for or against .I
also feel that I have a power within to raise an article for an important issue
whatever it can be. My articles are published on various Article magazines
online.
It may seem that there’s nothing you can do about your stress level Stress is a part
of day-to-day living of every individual. The reasons for the stress
differ from person to person. Stress is simply a fact of
nature—forces from the outside world affecting the individual. The
individual responds to stress in ways that affect the individual as well as
their environment.
The stress people experience should not be necessarily treated as harmful. An optimum amount of stress can always act as an energizer or motivator and propel people to apply the efforts and complete the work. But a high level of Stress can be a serious threat to the personality traits of the Individual and can cause physiological and social problems. Stress is our reaction to external events and it can be positive or negative depending upon how we react. It is the general wear and tear of the body machine that takes place due to extra demands put on it. Mainly Stress is caused by or reaction to the external events and bring about changes in our response and our general behavior. Excess stress can manifest itself in a variety of emotional, behavioral, and even physical symptoms, and the symptoms of stress vary enormously among different individuals.
Common symptoms often reported by those experiencing excess stress include sleep disturbances, muscle tension, headache, gastrointestinal disturbances, and fatigue. Emotional and behavioral symptoms that can accompany excess stress include nervousness, anxiety, changes in eating habits including overeating, loss of enthusiasm or energy, and mood changes. Of course, none of these signs or symptoms means for certain that there is an elevated stress level since all of these symptoms can be caused by other medical and/or psychological conditions. The presence of Stress can be estimated by the analysis of certain symptoms an individual shows the individual becomes anxious about the outcomes and is scared. The person feels that he has got something to loose or something wrong will take place. During high level of Stress the individual develops a negative frame of mind and suffers from low self-esteem. The person loose faith in his capabilities and is afraid of the failures.
The individual does not have a focused approach and is not able to concentrate and is involved in his own plans and thoughts. The experience of stress is highly individualized. What constitutes overwhelming stress for one person may not be perceived as stress by another. Likewise, the symptoms and signs of poorly managed stress will be different for each person. If
we think about the causes of stress, the nature of the stress response, and
the negative effects of some types of stress (prolonged, unexpected, or
unmanageable stress), several healthy management strategies become clear. A
first step in stress management is exercise.
Notice your distress. Don't ignore it. Don't gloss over your problems. Determine what events distress you. What are you telling yourself about meaning of these events? Determine how your body responds to the stress. Do you become nervous or physically upset? Recognize what you can change. Can you change your stressors by avoiding or eliminating them completely? Can you reduce their intensity (manage them over a period of time instead of on a daily or weekly basis)? Can you shorten your exposure to stress (take a break, leave the physical premises)? Can you devote the time and energy necessary to making a change (goal setting, time management techniques, and delayed gratification strategies may be helpful here)? Learn to moderate your physical reactions to stress. Slow, deep breathing will bring your heart rate and respiration back to normal. Relaxation techniques can reduce muscle tension. Electronic biofeedback can help you gain voluntary control over such things as muscle tension, heartbeat and blood pressure .Medications, when prescribed by a physician, can help in the short term in moderating your physical reactions. However, they alone are not the answer.
Learning to moderate these reactions on your own is a preferable long-term solution. Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept added responsibilities when you’re close to reaching them. Taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress. Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently causes stress in your life and you can’t turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely. Avoid hot 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 it’s the topic of discussion. Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same.
If you both are willing to bend at least a little, you’ll have a good chance of finding a happy middle ground. Manage your time better. Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When you’re stretched too thin and running behind, it’s hard to stay calm and focused. But if you plan ahead and make sure you don’t overextend yourself, you can alter the amount of stress you’re under.
The stress people experience should not be necessarily treated as harmful. An optimum amount of stress can always act as an energizer or motivator and propel people to apply the efforts and complete the work. But a high level of Stress can be a serious threat to the personality traits of the Individual and can cause physiological and social problems. Stress is our reaction to external events and it can be positive or negative depending upon how we react. It is the general wear and tear of the body machine that takes place due to extra demands put on it. Mainly Stress is caused by or reaction to the external events and bring about changes in our response and our general behavior. Excess stress can manifest itself in a variety of emotional, behavioral, and even physical symptoms, and the symptoms of stress vary enormously among different individuals.
Common symptoms often reported by those experiencing excess stress include sleep disturbances, muscle tension, headache, gastrointestinal disturbances, and fatigue. Emotional and behavioral symptoms that can accompany excess stress include nervousness, anxiety, changes in eating habits including overeating, loss of enthusiasm or energy, and mood changes. Of course, none of these signs or symptoms means for certain that there is an elevated stress level since all of these symptoms can be caused by other medical and/or psychological conditions. The presence of Stress can be estimated by the analysis of certain symptoms an individual shows the individual becomes anxious about the outcomes and is scared. The person feels that he has got something to loose or something wrong will take place. During high level of Stress the individual develops a negative frame of mind and suffers from low self-esteem. The person loose faith in his capabilities and is afraid of the failures.
The individual does not have a focused approach and is not able to concentrate and is involved in his own plans and thoughts. The experience of stress is highly individualized. What constitutes overwhelming stress for one person may not be perceived as stress by another. Likewise, the symptoms and signs of poorly managed stress will be different for each person. If
Notice your distress. Don't ignore it. Don't gloss over your problems. Determine what events distress you. What are you telling yourself about meaning of these events? Determine how your body responds to the stress. Do you become nervous or physically upset? Recognize what you can change. Can you change your stressors by avoiding or eliminating them completely? Can you reduce their intensity (manage them over a period of time instead of on a daily or weekly basis)? Can you shorten your exposure to stress (take a break, leave the physical premises)? Can you devote the time and energy necessary to making a change (goal setting, time management techniques, and delayed gratification strategies may be helpful here)? Learn to moderate your physical reactions to stress. Slow, deep breathing will bring your heart rate and respiration back to normal. Relaxation techniques can reduce muscle tension. Electronic biofeedback can help you gain voluntary control over such things as muscle tension, heartbeat and blood pressure .Medications, when prescribed by a physician, can help in the short term in moderating your physical reactions. However, they alone are not the answer.
Learning to moderate these reactions on your own is a preferable long-term solution. Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept added responsibilities when you’re close to reaching them. Taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress. Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently causes stress in your life and you can’t turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely. Avoid hot 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 it’s the topic of discussion. Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same.
If you both are willing to bend at least a little, you’ll have a good chance of finding a happy middle ground. Manage your time better. Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When you’re stretched too thin and running behind, it’s hard to stay calm and focused. But if you plan ahead and make sure you don’t overextend yourself, you can alter the amount of stress you’re under.