Stress management is not only an urgent need in today’s fast-paced lifestyle, but an important factor in both physical and mental health.

It is a psychological approach which teaches people, skills to cope with anxiety and stress.

Also it is all about understanding where your stress is coming from, and finding ways to alleviate it, and also to manage your life so that it becomes easier and much more enjoyable.

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Stress management, when practised regularly is most effective. It is the application of methods to either reduce stress or increase tolerance to it. It is your ability to maintain control when situations, people, and events make excessive demands on you. Managing stress is a key to happiness. It is your ability to effectively manage the pressures you feel at work and at home. It is also about knowing your limits.

A complete nutritional approach, combined with proper fitness maintenance and stress management is most important. Here’s why managing your stress is important: stress wears your body out and can be harmful in the long run.

Workplace stress management is a great way of making sure that you can get through the workday in peace and then go home with little or no stress weighing on your mind. The key to stress management is to determine the right amount of stress that will give you energy, ambition, and enthusiasm versus the wrong amount which can harm your health and well-being.

One of the first rules of effective stress management is positive thinking and behavior. Exactly how exercise helps in relaxation and stress management is not clear. At work, stress management is a breeze when you let employees take on tasks that fit their skill and interest. Another strategy for stress management is to live in the moment. Fortunately, stress management is largely a learnable skill.

Stress

Stress is your response to any physical, emotional or intellectual demands. Stress management includes following a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and making time for uninterrupted relaxation.

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Nutrition is one area where stress can be reduced most effectively, because we eat every day at least 3 times a day, so even the smallest of changes could bring about significant benefits. Stress can and does also result from unbalanced and inappropriate nutrition; excessive use of socially acceptable intoxicants; suppressive drugs and vaccinations; environmental toxins; negative emotions; lack of physical exercise; genetic factors; and improper body alignment.

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Stress is a normal part of life. It is an unavoidable consequence of life and it is not something exclusive of the human beings, because the animals also have it. Stress is the answer of the body in response to external conditions that are perceived as dangerous, worrying or irritating.

Symptoms of stress can be either behavioral or physical. And some people who have a chronic illness may find that the symptoms of their illness flare up under an overload of stress.

All you need to do is relax, get control of that stress. More recently, however, it has been argued that external circumstances do not have any intrinsic capacity to produce stress, but instead their effect is mediated by the individual’s perceptions, capacities, and understanding. The model breaks the stressor-stress link by proposing that if stressors are perceived as positive or challenging rather than a threat, and if the stressed person is confident that he or she possesses adequate rather than deficient coping strategies, stress may not necessarily follow the presence of a potential stressor.

The model conceptualizes stress as a result of how a stressor is appraised and how a person appraises his/her resources to cope with the stressor. The model proposes that stress can be reduced by helping stressed people change their perceptions of stressors, providing them with strategies to help them cope and improving their confidence in their ability to do so.

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Anxiety

Anxiety is stress, tension and strain brought onto one’s body and mind. Anxiety can be broken down into two types: Somatic -sweaty palms, pain in neck or sick to the stomach & cognitive. Anxiety may be due to not feeling that you are not in control. These symptoms may manifest themselves psychologically as irritability, anxiety, impaired concentration, mental confusion, poor judgment, frustration and anger.

We are aware that people that suffer from Anxiety Disorders have problems mixing in social gatherings and I myself have found that online chat, forums and even voice chat can be an excellent way to deal with anxieties, because you avoid one of the big things many people with social anxiety are afraid of: Meeting people. Stress-related disorders include a broad array of conditions, including depression, anxiety, dissatisfaction, fatigue, tension, aggression, substance abuse, impairment in concentration and memory problems.

Note: Tranquilizers, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications account for one fourth of all prescriptions written in the USA.

Exercise can help to relieve stress, tension, and anxiety. By expelling your excess negative emotions and adrenaline through physical activity, you can enter a more relaxed, calm state of being from which to deal with the issues and conflicts that are causing your anxiety.

Exercise is one of the most important coping medium to combat anxiety and stress. Exercise may trigger a neurophysiologic surge of adrenaline or endorphins- that produces an antidepressant effect in some, an anti anxiety effect in others, and a general sense of “feeling better” in most. Frequent exercise is an effective treatment for anxiety and, according to some research, is as effective as psychotherapy in treating mild or moderate depression.

Other researchers have found that light exercise, such as walking or swimming, decreases anxiety just as effectively as vigorous jogging does. (I.e. if you suffer from physical symptoms of anxiety such as gastrointestinal problems, sweating, palpitations, pacing back and forth, etc).

On the other hand, if your anxiety is caused by psychological causes such as worrying, difficulty concentrating or intrusive thoughts, you may find more relief from mental exercises such as meditation, imagery, prayer or other form of mental relaxation.

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Exercising too much may lead to a state of fatigue characterized by anxiety or depression, insomnia, and a loss of interest in personal life.

Symptoms

Symptoms of stress can be either behavioral or physical. Symptoms of despair and hopelessness may be experienced in acute stress disorder and may be sufficiently severe and persistent to meet criteria for a major depressive episode. Symptoms of Acute Stress Disorder are experienced during or immediately after the trauma, last for at least 2 days, and either resolve within 4 weeks after the conclusion of the traumatic event or the diagnosis is changed.

These symptoms may manifest themselves psychologically as irritability, anxiety, impaired concentration, mental confusion, poor judgment, frustration and anger. Common physical symptoms of stress include: muscle tension, headaches, low back pain.

Most, however tend to ignore the problem as they are unaware of the symptoms. If the stress symptoms persist during many days, it is reasonable to go to see a doctor or to request psychological support.

Lifestyle

A commitment to live a healthier lifestyle should never take a back seat. In the alternative, if stress is more the result of one’s lifestyle, eliminating the stress causing factors and/or gaining healthful insight on how to alleviate stress the right way might just be the best thing for an individual to do for themselves.

For these reasons, stress management is vital to being successful at work and living a healthy lifestyle and it is steadily increasing in importance due to today’s busy and demanding lifestyles.

Author: Pradeep Mahajan is a free-lance writer. He is an engineer-MBA and management consultant by profession & practice. Also visit http://www.health-fitness-wellness.com for more information on health, fitness & wellness.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pradeep_Mahajan

More on stress management here …

How to Manage Stress

You’re doing the job of two, handling even crankier customers than usual, and worried you’ll never be able to retire. But now is not the time to blow a gasket. 

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A lot of the time stress comes about from the way you perceive a situation, but it goes further than that of course.

Our perceptions are colored by our upbringing.  All those comments and interactions and  the inherited ways of perceiving of our parents, siblings, teachers, friends the media and so on and so on gradually accumulate to make up our own special way of seeing the world.

Added to all of this are our beliefs, also learned and influenced by our culture and the people we admire, whether living teachers or in books or films and documentaries

Indeed there are levels and levels of influence, like, for example, our instinctual or survival responses which are wired into the body and work unconsciously to ‘keep us alive and safe’.

And then there is the internal ‘pull’ to find peace and happiness which often creates frustration and stress by contrast when we are not achieving what we believe will give us that peace. Or when we reach a goal that we thought would give us peace and satisfaction only to find it didn’t and off we go again, looking for something else, chasing another goal or dream.

Or maybe we followed the advice of well meaning others only to find that their promises didn’t come to fruition. Maybe we got a good education, expecting a well-paid, high status job, only to find the economy in recession and that work is only available, if at all, as short term contracts rather than a cushy permanent career with the promise of a secure pension at the end of it. We can feel highly stressed whenever we feel out of control and this often happens when the unexpected happens or when our own expectations are disappointed.

So what can be done about all of this?

You can find a list of some great stress management techniques I can highly recommend that have worked very well for me by clicking here.

One answer might be to start by accepting things as they are, since it is resistance to our situation that increases stress. We can accept things as they are and still plan for the future – just be less attached to the outcome and enjoy the moment for what it is. Too many of us are rushing about making ourselves very busy and often lose the pleasure of the ‘now’.

Take a ‘stress check’ and one or two deep breaths in, stop for a moment and look around you and find something to appreciate – the sun coming in through the window, the fact that someone smiled at you today, that you have two legs and ears to hear with, eyes to see. The list of things to be grateful for and to appreciate is endless but sometimes we forget all of this and focus instead on lack.

Find ways to slow down, find moments throughout the day when you can have a ‘slow down minute’ or  give yourself 20 minutes at bedtime to meditate or another great way to wind down is to  listen to some chillout music before you go to sleep . When you are faced with potentially stressful situations remind yourself that you have a choice about how you perceive it. How could you perceive it differently? Maybe the person shouting at you has just been told they have a serious illness, or maybe they come from a family of angry people and don’t know any other way to behave, so maybe you don’t need to take it personally.  I have found EFT to be a great tool in dealing with stress as it arises and it can help dissolve disempowered feelings almost instantly and get you back on track with empowered choices once again.

Another technique I have found that works very well is to  laugh! That may sound funny (doh!) but it works, even if you fake it at first (because you’re ‘not in the mood’) Try it as an experiment. you may be pleasantly surprised. And laughter has all sorts of benefits for health , instantly relaxing you and giving you a brighter perspective, and even giving your immune system a boost in the process.

Stress is very prevalent in the world today but that doesn’t mean you simply have to ‘frown and bear it’. You have the ability to choose how you respond and there are many techniques, processes, programs and supportive people out there that you can take advantage of to change your own internal and external world for the better.

Have a nice day!

Joy Idries

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Stress and relaxation are just two sides of the same coin, or like a see-saw they go up and down from time to time yet both are part of life. So when you feel that you are out of balance just try making an adjustment by doing some of the opposite.

Here is an article that you could find interesting:

Stress is a bit sneaky. At first you feel good. You have a busy life and you like it. You are happy in your job and with your relationship, your home and your children. But while you continue to work hard you feel that it is not as much fun as it used to be. So now you will have to watch out. At first, a bit of stress helped you to do your work the best way. But as soon you’re not enjoying it anymore, the negative stress slips into your life.

Why is negative stress slipping into your life, while at first everything was fine? You don’t really do much more work than before. You were always busy, but now it seems to be more difficult. The reason? You forgot to allow enough relaxation into your life and especially into your mind. Maybe you took enough time off. But your mind was still busy. It is important to give your mind some free time. If your mind is not relaxing anymore, stress will accumulate and it will become impossible to resolve your stress automatically. You will notice that you are not happy anymore.

What can you do to solve your accumulated stress?

Check out these suggested techniques. You’ll find a list of them by clicking here

Recognize that it is all in your mind. You should know that negative stress and a feeling of happiness don’t cooperate. There are many ways to solve your stress. One of them is: become happy again and your stresses will disappear like snow in the sunshine.

How to solve stress through becoming happy again? I guess that you are working hard. You have probably forgotten what you liked to do when you were young. Did you like to do sports or did you like to listen to music? Maybe you liked painting or maybe you were lying on the beach for hours on end. You just should find out what it is that used to make you happy.

Reserve some space and time in your life for those hobbies and feel happy again.

You’ll see that when you are feeling happy, your stress will be dissolved. Find out how.

Whenever you think this is not easy, just ask me for more advice to solve your stress. It can really be easy!

Relaxation is a choice. Choose to be happy. See how.

By: Liefya Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Annelies Hilgers is an online coach. She advises hundreds of people. through the internet. She takes you by the hand with her step to step advice in How To Solve Stress Want some help with your problem? Ask Annelies about: frustration and stress and get your free ebook about emotional health at the same time.

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What is stress?

Stress is a state of imbalance in both the body and mind. It’s a kind of energy or force which has the effect of accelerating or amplifying emotions and often motivating anxiety disorder panic attacks. So it’s important  to know ways of coping with stress. Stress may be caused by internal or external factors which if left unidentified can somtimes lead to serious illness and can often make you look much older than you actually are.

Chronic stress symptoms:

Unlike adverse and unpleasant stress, some stress can actually be positive and motivate you to better performance in your endeavors. You see this all the time in athletics or other sports training for example, where athletes are pushed to the limits of their stamina or endurance.

However, unwanted sudden stress, which may arise through many of life’s dramas big and small, can cause instant problems like dry tongue, hypertension, irritability, hot sweats and social anxiety disorders. There are some situations which lead to problems that you cannot feel immediately such as experiencing gradual weight loss or eating for comfort leading to stress related weight gain, feelings of hatred and anger that gradually rise to the surface over time or sinking into a state of hopelessness or emotional tiredness and depression. If the stress is deep, prolonged and repeated, it can result in ill health both physically and mentally. So it is important to discover what causes your stress and to start looking at ways to cope, manage, change your internal emotional response or remove those things from your environment which are adding to your feelings of being stressed.

Best guidelines for coping with stress:

There are some stress management techniques suggesting ways to reduce stress. Coping, either directly or defensively, is a potential way to deal with stressful situations. Direct coping happens by facing the problem head on while defensive coping implies denial, sublimation and repression. Here are a few stress related tips on ways of coping with stress.

1. Know yourself well. start to develop an awareness of how you automatically react to situations and then expriment with adapting yourself by choosing to respond to the situation in a different way than you might do usually. When you are stressed, it’s wise to be flexible enough to adjust to the situation by responding in a new way -  you may be an unwilling in your conscious thoughts and it takes courage and practice – but it can take off the pressure and often has the effect of making you feel more rejuvenated and optimistic.
2. Let out emotions freely by sharing with your friends or neighbours.  It’s wise to eliminate emotional stress simply by inviting caring people around you to share thoughts good or badin a safe environment.
3. Relax yourself with some time off and feel free to engage in a few stress reduction activities, even if for a few minutes at a time in the workplace if it is a tedious job. The human mind is not a mechanical workshop to produce around the clock. It needs biological time off from mental fatigue – maybe even due to physical strain – so the need to relax even for a little while is vital. It is not good to be continually overwhelmed and alone with painful stress. You need a balance in the sweet and the bitter. Taking up meditation has been proven to be a good technique for coping with stress.
4. Calm your mind and body when you notice signs and symptoms of stress in order to ward off the reaction and cope with it positively. Take in some deep breaths. You can change stress and emotional sadness to Joy. Try to look for good things and engage in interesting activity to make you free from stress. When your mind is nurtured with calm and pleasant times, it is an outlet for acute stress to dissolve.
5. Laughter is a great way to dissolve and relieve stress. It is well known that laughter has an uplifting effect on the body and mood and this can lead to a clearer view on how to cope more effectively with the stressful situation.

Author: Varadharajan R

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Varadharajan_R

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