Manage Stress

Stress is a normal part of life. Stress happens whenever your mind and body react to some real or imagined situation. Most every event in your daily life causes some degree of stress, it is unrealistic for you to eliminate stress from your life. Situations which cause stress reactions are called stressors. Some types of stress is beneficial and other types of stress are harmful.

The stress response is vital to survival. The acute stress reaction enables our bodies to respond and move quickly away from something harmful. Chronic stress negatively impacts multiple body systems. Chronic stress worsens health issues by targeting systems which are weakened by chronic health issues. There are similarities and big differences in how acute and chronic stress effect the body. To learn more about the effects of acute and chronic stress, download the STRESS EFFECT handout below.

Beneficial Stress

A quick reaction, that protects you from potential harm, is the result of a beneficial stress reaction. You actually need moderate levels of stress to help you stay alert and perform well. Beneficial stress can give a sense of achievement, satisfaction, fulfillment, meaning, and balance. This type of stress is termed eustress.

Harmful Stress

Harmful stress can cause you to feel helpless, frustrated, or overwhelmed. Prolonged stress can fatigue or damage your body to the point of malfunction or disease. This type of stress can leave you physically drained or wired beyond your ability to relax. It can take a toll on you mentally and emotionally and leave you edgy, irritable, and short tempered. It can make small tasks seem overwhelming, which heaps on more stress. Prolonged stress is also called chronic stress.

Are you living with harmful chronic stress? If you would like help taking a closer look at the chronic stress in your life, download and complete the ASSESS STRESS handout below.

Perception Defines Reality in the Brain

The body's stress response begins in the brain. Managing stress has more to do with your mind (thoughts, believing, and perceiving) than your body's physical reaction. It is not the events of our lives that shape us, but our perception of those events.

Life is full of events that are beyond our control. The thing we do have control over is our perception of those events, which will determine how we react and are affected by that event. The brain automatically begins interpreting an event seconds into the experience. Emotions and the body react according to the brain’s interpretation. You learn to retrain your brain's perception of common stressors on your life, which will help to diminish harmful stress reactions in your body. Check out the handout below titled RESHAPE YOUR PERCEPTION.

Adopt Lifelong Habits that Minimize Effects of Chronic Stress

Lifestyle habits help protect the body from negative effects of chronic stress (see handout below titled PROTECTIVE LIFESTYLE HABITS)
Schedule regular quiet time for yourself weekly
Enjoy a hobby
Play a musical instrument
Express yourself writing (i.e. poetry, journaling, stories) or with movement (i.e. dance, martial arts, yoga)
Learn something new
Join a group (i.e. crafts, bible study, golf league, coffee group, etc.)
Take time for recreation and leisure activities
Start a collection of something you appreciate
Pamper yourself (i.e. get your hair fixed, get a facial or manicure, etc.)
Get involved with things that have meaning to you
Socialize at gatherings
Record memorable experiences
Set aside regular periods of time for self-reflection
Enjoy cultural enrichment (i.e. go to a concerts and plays)
Have a pet
Believe in and develop a personal relationship with God and His son Jesus Christ

Calming Actions During Periods of Heightened Stress

Practice relaxation exercises (see handouts below titled RELAXATION TECHNIQUES and RELAXING VISUALIZATIONS)
Take a walk
Use a hand exerciser
Eat complex carbohydrates
Find a reason to laugh (i.e. watch a funny movie, share jokes with someone)
Get a massage
Take a break
Enjoy a mini escapes ( i.e. take a bubble bath, enjoy some quiet time, soak in a hot tub)
Enjoy music (i.e. listen to music, play music, dance to music, sing, hum, yodel)
Write in your journal
Talk to someone you trust
Take a catnap
Read something uplifting (i.e. scripture, poetry, inspirational, happy story)
Pray to God
Get some sunshine – stimulate serotonin which sooths stressed nerves
Practice kindness to others
Be creative (i.e. paint, cook, decorate, rearrange furniture, etc.)
Aroma therapy – enjoy great smells
Set aside quiet time for self