Some Ideas on Coping with Stress
Sometimes when I find a good article, I print it and keep it in a file that I pull out every now and then. I recently ran across an article about managing stress that was written by OSU Family & Consumer Sciences.
Some stress is ok – it’s what keeps us motivated to do the ‘adulting’ that we need to do. But sometimes the stress piles on, or hangs around for a long time, and it starts to feel a little heavy. So here are some ideas from the article I found:
• Time-out your worries. When you are feeling overwhelmed and you cannot seem to focus, call a time-out for yourself. Set a time for 5, 10, or 15 minutes and write down everything that you are worried about. When the buzzer sounds, put away your worries and allow yourself to move on. By setting aside time, you are able to address your worries and they will not take over your day.
• Make a worry box. Find a box, decorate it however you like, and keep it in a handy place. As a worry occurs, write it down on a piece of paper and drop it into the box. Once your worry is deposited in the box, try to turn your attention to other matters. At the end of the week or month, you can throw out the notes without looking at them again, or review them to see if they are as much of an issue as they once were. Putting your worries in the worry box symbolizes mentally letting go of your worries.
• Recognize your accomplishments at the end of each day. Try a blogging or journaling exercise at the end of the day in which you list what you have accomplished that day. This will remind you that amidst the stress of your day, you still are making progress toward your goals.
• Manage priorities. Decide what must be done and what can wait. Learn to say no to new tasks until you feel you are no longer overloaded.
• Schedule regular time for relaxing activities. If your schedule only includes the things you have to do, make it a point to include things that you want to do. If you include things that you enjoy in your schedule, you can take a break from the activities that may produce stress.
• Mindfulness in meditation, or present-focus awareness, involves sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing, and then bringing your mind’s attention to the present without drifting into concerns about the past or future.
• Yoga and Tai Chi. These graceful forms of exercise use gentle, flowing movements and can help reduce stress levels. Sometimes called “meditation in motion,” these non-competitive forms of exercise promote serenity.
• Surround yourself with humor. Be open to humor and allow yourself to laugh in pleasant and tough times. Laughing can aid in our body’s natural defense system, the immune system, by allowing the release of our negative thoughts and feelings including stress.
• Immerse yourself in nature. Our environment can play a big role in our stress level. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate and muscle tension, and promotes the reduction of stress hormones.
• Massage. Massage therapy has been shown to reduce perceived level of stress among people. Even short five-minute hand or foot massages can help.
These ideas cannot take the place of getting help from a healthcare professional. Professional help should be sought if stress is causing a significant interference with your daily activities or if you have depression, high levels of anxiety, or if stress has caused other significant health concerns.
