Stress Coping Skills in a Nutshell

With proper coping skills, stress can be managed. Stay stress-free and live healthy. Here's how…

o  Take a deep breath: Deep breathing helps calm the body.

o  Watch your thoughts: Negative or fearful thoughts create more anxiety and stress.  Thinking positive about a situation helps reduce stress.

o  Practice visualisation: Visualise what you want to happen in your life and affairs.

o  Exercise regularly: Physical activities often relieve the body of unnecessary tensions and allow the body to function more effectively.  Exercise also provides needed diversions from life's pressures.

o  Learn to relax: Just a few minutes of peace and quiet each day give one the ability to properly assess a challenging situation and to respond in an appropriate manner. Relaxation is a skill. Read something inspirational and listen to your favourite music.

o  Talk about stress: Opening up about your problems or tensions with close friends, a therapist, co-workers or a clergy member will allow sharing of feelings and an opportunity to keep potential stressors in proper perspective.

o  Structure planning of daily activities: By properly planning and using one's time, daily demands can be handled before they create unhealthy stress. Daily planning provides for a varied schedule, which can include work, leisure, social and family activities, as well as personal time.

o  Set realistic goals: People who expect too much from themselves are most frequently troubled by stress.  Goals must be realistic to be motivational.

o  Do some fun things: Treat yourself regularly by doing something that you enjoy.

o  Get regular physical checkups: Often physicians can discover physical manifestations of stress that enables one to deal effectively with stress.

o  Seek more information about holistic ways to handle stress: Contact the Wholistic Stress control institution to learn how to effectively manage stress in your life.