When our body is challenged, it feels stressed and it impacts our mental and physical well-being. We all feel stressed at times, but there are periods in our lives when we feel particularly overwhelmed.
Clinical symptoms and disorders associated with stress include cognitive disorders (memory problems, anxiety, pessimism, etc.), emotional disorders (anger, depression, moodiness, etc), physical disorders (pain, indigestion, nausea, etc.) and behavioral disorders (eating disorder, sleep disorder, addiction, etc.).
Here are some tips to handle stress, so you can minimize the negative side effects while improving your quality of life.
1. Find out where the stress is coming from.
Oftentimes, when we’re stressed, it seems like a big mess with stressors appearing from every angle. If you look deep into the issue, you may find that there is one thing in particular that is triggering all the others. That’s the source of the stress. Once you identify it, it is much easier to deal with it.
2. Consider what you can control—and work on that.
Although you can’t control external factors, such as the economy, your boss, or the rude teller at the market, you can control how you feel and react about it. Take control of your emotional estate so stress and anger don’t take control over you.
Stress can be paralyzing. Doing what’s within your power moves you forward and is empowering and invigorating. Search the term ‘Grounding Strategies’ and you can learn ways to manage your emotional health.
3. Do what you love.
While some tasks might be stressful, aim to fill the remaining of your day with activities and hobbies you enjoy. It is imperative that you find time to do things you enjoy and makes you happy. This should include some down time as well for rejuvenation.
4. Manage your time well.
One of the biggest stressors for many people is lack of time. There are several books and studies with tips to manage your time well so that you will have time to do your chorus as well as enjoy life. Be proactive about it and create strategies to help you managing your time.
5. Create a toolbox of techniques.
One stress-shrinking strategy won’t work for all your problems. For instance, while deep breathing is helpful when you’re stuck in traffic or hanging at home, it might not rescue you during a business meeting. The 2 best quick tips I teach my clients to calm yourself down quickly is to NAME OBJECTS in the room where you are as that brings you back into the present moment and transfers the activity in your brain to the left side. You can also do this by COUNT NUMBERS DOWN. Try starting from 50 and repeat as many times as necessary.
Read five more great strategies and techniques to handle stress at PsyCentral.
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You can also contact Janel directly for a free phone consultation or to set up a counselling appointment:
janel@healingsolutions.ca
604-809-0351
Centrally located downtown Vancouver.