MANAGING EVERYDAY STRESS
Stress affects us all! Negative stress can be a huge contributor to some of the more troubling psychological and physical symptoms we experience. Positive stress can add anticipation and excitement to life. We thrive with certain amounts of stress, which can vary depending on the individual. It is important to know your personal stress level by paying attention to the impact stress has on your thoughts and your body.
When stress turns to “distress” and stays there for longer than our bodies like, we can feel the impact from it. Knowing when this happens to you is important, rather than trying to align it with others. Be your own advocate for your emotional and physical health needs. The following lists ways you can notice and reduce symptoms of stress (disclaimer: these tips are for everyday stressors and not long-term traumatic events):
Become aware of your stressors and your emotional and physical responses to them
Notice your distress. Don’t ignore it or gloss over your problem.
Determine what exactly distresses 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? If so, in what specific ways?
Some people use the HALT method for stopping and assessing what is going on:
H = Are you Hungry? Would eating something bring down the level of stress you are feeling?
A = Are you Angry? Irritability can lead to increased feelings of stress and anxiety. Try to identify what is going on inside your thoughts causing feelings of anger. Are needs unmet? Is there any immediate action you can take to bring down the feelings of anger without hurting yourself or someone else?
L = Are you Lonely? If you are feeling distant, isolated, withdrawn, or disconnected from others, it may be helpful to reach out to a trusted person to process your feelings and receive support.
T = Are you Tired? This is big one for causing heavy emotional and physical responses. Sometimes mental exhaustion can be as challenging as physical.
Recognize what you can change – can you avoid it, reduce the intensity, or shorten your exposure to the stress?
Reduce the intensity of your emotional reactions to stress – this can be heightened by your perception of danger. Do your thoughts and perceptions become exaggerated and extended, causing unnecessary stress on you? Examples of this might include:
Are you expecting to please everyone?
Are you overreacting and viewing everything as critical and urgent? Do you feel you must always prevail in every situation?
Do you dwell on the “what ifs?” Are you spending more time worrying than living out your day in relative calm?
Take a Worry Break – allow yourself a short time each day to think about what is stressing you and any other time your mind wanders to these thoughts tell yourself “I’ll think about this during my worry break!” Worry Breaks should not be right before bed.
Use slow, deep breathing to bring your heart and respiration back to “normal range”
Move around if you need to. Worry is often undirected energy. Put that energy to use on something positive or productive.
Keep your sleep/wake cycles as consistent as you can
Eat well and drink plenty of water
Spend time each day focused on what brings you joy or comforts you. Think about these things (meditate) as you have control over your thoughts!
Learn relaxation techniques and activities like prayer, meditation, yoga, listening to music, creating art, coloring, using scented candles or oils, listening to sounds that soothe, etc.
Give yourself a massage. A simple temple rub, hand or foot massage can reduce tension in the body. Stretching and yawning are also more instant body relaxers.
Be kind to yourself – including your self-talk and nature of your thoughts
Laugh more
Develop healthy relationships where you can show up as “you”
Mix leisure with work. Even if it is only for ½ hour – 45 minutes a day, be sure to engage in pleasure seeking activities and hobbies that nurture your soul.
Know that stress is a natural and healthy response within us, and we don’t have to become alarmed when we begin to feel it. In fact, we need it to be alert and productive! Learning not to fight it, but to acknowledge it, understand it and manage it will go a long way in bringing the feelings of stress back to an even state more quickly.
If you find yourself in a place of distress without being able to regulate emotions and physical symptoms over an extended period, please contact New Hope for some assistance from one of our professional, master level counselors.
by Elaine Potts, MSW, LCSW
New Hope Counseling Supervisor