More Effective Ways Of Coping With Stress

By: Darvin J. Hooey Click author's name for more of his/her articles

We're all impacted by stress in one form or another, so coping with stress correctly is crucial for all of us. The causes of stress in our lives, like bills, job loss, death, etc., seem to be constant, so it may seem that dealing with stress is a futile effort. However, there are effective ways to control the impact of stress on you. Without understanding and using these control mechanisms, stress will not only be damaging mentally, but stress can also result in physical ailments and problems. The first step to effectively managing your stress is to determine what causes it.
Why Are You So Stressed?
Identifying the causes of stress is required for effectively coping with stress. Mentally, stress is the result of the frustration or concern caused by turbulence in your life. The biological affects are the result of ineefectively handling the mental aspects of stress. Here are a few isuues that can initiate the previously mentioned concern and frustration:

Pain in your body

Conflict

Divorce

Marriage

Job Loss

Deadlines

Money Problems

How Do You Know You're Stressed?
As stated before, stress can cause both negative mental and physical conditions, if not dealt with properly. Unfortunately, most of us don't recognize that we are stressed until we see some of these negative issues show up in our lives. It's when these sign manifest, that coping with stress becomes critical:

Physical pain (As opposed to causing stress, pain can also be a sign of stress, like back or neck pain)

Constipation

Difficulty Sleeping

Weight Gain / Loss

Ulcers

High Blood Pressure

Relationship Issues

If you are seeing any or all of these issues showing themselves in your life, stress could be the reason! Now let's address it. Let's be fair here. There are both healthy and unhealthy ways to handle stress. Let's outline some of the unhealthy ways first, so that you might be better prepared to avoid them.
Coping With Stress - Unhealthy Ways
There are many things people do in excess to deal with stress. Done in every now and then, these things are not necessarily detrimental, but they are only short-term crutches and do nothing to deal with the real cause of the stress:

Drinking excessively

Drugs

Overeating

Withdrawing from friends and family

Sleeping too much

Watching TV or surfing to avoid "life"

Again, these are just temporary escapes, not solutions. They do nothing to deal with the stress in your life or to avoid the detrimental health effects that can show up as a result. Let's take a look at some more appropriate ways to deal with stress.
Coping With Stress - Healthy Ways
Mental Aspects

Realize you can't control the uncontrollable

Look for the "silver lining" (there's something positive in every situation)

Be more expressive (don't hold things in!)

Improve time management skills

Physical Aspects

Eat healthier food

Get the sleep you need

Exercise regularly

Meditate

Find a stress-free hobby

In the past, I have had a lot of problems dealing with stress, mainly due to a highly demanding job. I eventually began to go to the gym and work out more often. However, this only addressed the exercise part of the solution. I have personally found a way of coping with stress that simultaneously satisfies the exercise, meditation and stress-free hobby aspects. My solution has been yoga. I can do it in the privacy of my own home and the benefits of yoga go far beyond the ones I just listed!

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

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