STRESS MANAGEMENT

Stress is a necessary part of life, but too much stress can make you sick and unhappy.

Fortunately, there’s a wide variety of stress management techniques that can bring quick relief  if practiced regularly.

Almost all of them can be started right now, be done anytime, require little or no investment and all can be done on your own.

 

Smile and Laughs. Our brains are interconnected with our emotions and facial expressions. When people are stressed, they often hold a lot of the stress in their face. So laughs or smiles can help relieve some of that tension and improve the situation.

Get social support.  Call or chat with friends or loved ones. When you share your concerns or feelings with another person, it does help relieve stress. But it’s important that the person whom you talk to is someone whom you trust and whom you feel can understand and validate you. If your family is a "stressor", for example, it may not alleviate your stress if you share your feelings with one of them.

Take a break from the stressor. It may seem difficult to get away from a big stress, but when you give yourself permission to step away from it, you let yourself have time to do something else, which can help you have a new perspective or practice techniques to feel less overwhelmed. 

Exercise. Exercise benefits your mind just as well as your body. A 20-minute walk, run, swim or dance session in the midst of a stressful time can give an immediate effect that can last for several hours.

Meditate. Meditation and "mindful prayer" help the mind and body to relax and focus. Mindfulness can help people see new perspectives, develop self-compassion and forgiveness. When practicing a form of mindfulness, people can release emotions that may have been causing the body physical stress. Much like exercise, research has shown that even meditating briefly can reap immediate benefits.