Stress management techniques and applications

Psychology

Stress Management

Stress is a normal reaction to many things that happen in everyday life. It can be a good thing but it can also be bad. If stress occurs often and lasts for long periods of time it can lead to many other negative things. The key to stress management is to first figure out what things are triggering stress and then devise a plan to change theses things. There is never a way to completely eliminate stress altogether but managing it is very possible with the use of several different tools and techniques that are readily available and easy to use.

Stress is a regular psychological and physical reaction to the demands of a person's life. A person's brain comes hard-wired with an alarm system for their protection. When their brain perceives a threat, the body releases a burst of hormones in order to fuel the fight-or-flight response. When the threat is gone, the body returns to normal. The down side is that the nonstop stress of modern life means that normally a person's alarm system rarely shuts off. That's why stress management is so important. Stress management gives a person the tools to reset their alarm system. Without stress management, the body is always on red alert. Over a long period of time, this level of stress leads to serious health problems. It is important that a person does not wait until then to battle stress they need to start learning stress management techniques as soon as possible (Stress Basics, 2010).

Emotional stress usually occurs when people are confronted with situations that are difficult or that they are unable to manage. Different people often consider different situations as stressful. Physical stress is the physical reaction of the body to various triggers. Physical stress often causes emotional stress, and emotional stress often arises as physical discomfort. Stress management in the process of controlling and reducing the tension that occurs in stressful situations by making emotional and physical adjustment. The amount of stress and the desire to make the changes will determine how much change needs to takes place (Stress Management, 2010).

If one wants to lower their stress level in a matter of minutes, there are several techniques are all relatively fast-acting and can be done quite easily. These include: breathing exercises, meditation, reframing with a sense of humor, music, Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR), Yoga, exercise, guided imagery or visualizations, journaling and cognitive restructuring. When people are stressed, they don't always take care of our bodies, which can lead to even more stress. There are some important ways in which a person can take care of themselves and keep there stress levels lower. These include: healthy eating, better sleep, exercise, hobbies, good nutrition and maintaining a healthy sex life (Scott, 2010).

Managing stress starts with identifying the sources of stress. This isn't as easy as it sounds. The true causes of stress aren't always obvious, and it's all too easy to overlook one's own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Until a person accepts responsibility for the role that they play in creating or maintaining it, their stress level will remain outside their control (Stress Management, 2009).

A stress journal can help one figure out the regular stressors in their life and the way in which they deal with them. Each time one feels stressed, they should keep track of it in their journal. As they keep a daily log, they will begin to see patterns and common themes as they write things down. The point it to try and answer the following questions:

What caused the stress

How a person felt, both physically and emotionally

How they reacted in response

What the person did to make themselves feel better (Stress Management, 2009).

If a person's methods of coping with stress aren't contributing to their greater emotional and physical health, it's time to find healthier ones. There are numerous healthy ways to manage and cope with stress, but they all require change. One can either change the situation or change the way they react. When choosing which option to choose, it's helpful to think of the four as: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept. Since everyone has their own response to stress, there is no one size fits all solution to managing it. There is no single method that works for everyone or in every situation, so everyone must experiment with different techniques and strategies. The goal is to focus on what makes them feel calm and in control (Stress Management, 2009).

Once a person has identified a stressful situation, they can start thinking about strategies that will make it less problematic. Sometimes, the solution may be very easy but other times it is not. When one can't avoid a stressful situation, they need to try brainstorming ways in order to reduce the thing that is irritating them. A person should not feel like they have to figure it out all on their own. It is alright to seek help and support from ones family and friends if need be. Stress will not disappear from a person's life which is why stress management isn't an overnight cure. It often takes time and practice in order to learn how to reduce stress levels and increase one's ability to cope with life's challenges (Stress Basics, 2010).

Stress is what one feels when they have to handle more than what they are used to. When a person is stressed, your body responds as though you are in danger. It creates hormones that speed up the heart, make a person breathe faster, and give them a burst of energy. This is called the fight-or-flight stress response. Some stress is normal and even useful. Stress can help a person if they need to work hard or react quickly. But if stress occurs too often or lasts too long, it can have negative effects. It has been connected to headaches, an upset stomach, back pain, and trouble sleeping. It can weaken a person's immune system, making it harder to fight off disease. If one already has a health problem, stress may make it worse. It can also make a person moody, tense, or depressed. Relationships may suffer, and performance at work or school may fall (Stress Management - Topic Overview, 2010).

Stress is a fact of life for most people. One may not be able to get rid of stress, but they can look for ways to lower it. There are numerous things that a person can do to try and lower their stress. Some of these ideas include:

Learn better ways to manage their time. One may get more done with less stress if to make a schedule. People need to think about which things are most important, and do those first.