Managing Stress

Thursday, October 10th was Mental Health Day! In awareness of the importance of mental health, here are some tools to manage your stress.

What is stress?

·????????Stress: an event or series of events that lead to strain, which often results in physical and psychological health problems.

???????????????-relationships, loss of a job, personal failures, injuries.

?????Positive stress: good stress, challenges us to find creative solutions to the problems???of everyday living. (Accomplishment and meaning when we meet these challenges)

??????Distress: bad stress, refers to negative effects of stress that can deplete, fragment, and harm us, leading to a sense of helplessness and exhaustion.?

Physical Affects

·????????Psychosomatic illnesses: caused in part by emotional factors and the prolonged effects of stress. (ex. hypertension, emotional disorders, cancer, and asthma)

·????????Intimate connection between body and mind: emotional reaction can lead to sickness.

·????????Headaches and migraines

·????????Change in sleep and/or eating patterns.

Emotional Affects

·????????Frustration: failures, losses, job discrimination, loneliness

·????????Conflict: when you experience two or more desirable choices and forced to choose one

·????????Change: career changes, financial changes, marriage

·????????Pressure: not feeling satisfied, high expectations, unrealistic beliefs

Strategies

?Find ways to simplify life – Declutter your emotional stuff – Emotional Detox!

·????????Are your basic needs met? Sleep, Diet, Water, Exercise

·????????Do something you enjoy that creates flow (ex. A hobby for at least 10-20 minutes).

·????????Baby steps, one thing at a time.

·????????Practice a relaxation technique (ex. Yoga, breathing exercises, and working out, reading, drawing).

·????????Connecting with others helps manage stress – talking in person can trigger hormones that reduce stress.

·????????Recognize your stressors, do not ignore and accept the difficulties that came out of our stressors. Learn to know what triggers your stress/anger

·????????Be as present as possible- mindfulness- slow down, don’t multi-task, unplug

·????????Time management- use it wisely for the important things and for “me” time.

????????-key to stress: we take on too many things all at once and feel overwhelmed, reduce multi-tasking, prioritize tasks, to-do lists, break big projects into bite sized assignments, delegate to others, add in fun and play.