Stress Management Techniques

Managing stress effectively is something that many people have to teach themselves at some point in their lives. The underlying principle of stress management is that stress is not something external but something within our control, something that we create for ourselves through the way we react to situations.

All of us are tempted to zone out and shut out things that stress us with unhealthy activities. These may include watching hours of television or spending hours on the computer, sleeping too much, smoking, overeating or undereating and so on. Other people procrastinate, take drugs or pills, withdraw from family and loved ones, or take to drinking. These are all unhealthy ways of dealing with stress and should be avoided.

Often, stress is not recognized for what it is, and there is a minority of people who believes that filling up all their free time with work will help to alleviate stress. This is also unhealthy, although many people would say that it isn’t as unhealthy as other activities. This is not so. Having no time to yourself or your family can take tolls on your well-being in the long term, even if there are recognizable short term benefits.

There is no one way or easy solution to managing stress. It depends entirely on the kind of thing that is bothering you. Sometimes, it is possible to avoid the stressful activity without any perceivable losses. When this is possible, it should be done. At other times, it is possible to change the activity to one that is not nearly so stressful and that can be done light heartedly.

When neither of these alternatives is possible, all we can do is change our attitude towards the activity that is making us feel pressurized. We have to accept it and adapt to the situation rather than aggravating it and ourselves by lashing out or feeling cornered.

It helps immensely to be able to say ‘no’ to things that you feel you cannot do. Knowing your limits will help you feel happier and more in control of your environment. You may even find that people respect you more for having the courage to refuse certain tasks.

Taking charge of the situations that you find yourself in is another effective strategy. While it is not possible to control your environment completely, it is possible to be proactive instead of inactive with regard to it. This is easier said than done, but keep in mind that there are always things that can be done to alleviate stressful problems. Taking steps to improve a situation can often make you feel better, even if there is no difference achieved.

Do something you enjoy every day. This will help you keep in good spirits when there are things around you that you can’t control. Have a group of friends that you can unwind with. Keep a sense of humour and learn to take things with a pinch of salt. You will feel a lot better as a result.

There are many other stress management techniques and you have to choose the ones that will help you to reduce the stress easily.