5 Ways to Manage Stress

Posted: December 14th, 2014

Stress will wreak havoc on your body both mentally and physically. Managing stress is vital to your overall health. Stress is a normal part of life which occurs on a daily basis in one form or another. How we learn to deal with it is up to us and should not be overlooked. The majority of us are afflicted with some form of stress daily. Life has its stresses so we really need to find a way to cope in order to avoid dangerous health situations, such as, heart attack and stroke.   So stress management begins with identifying the various sources of stress in your life. This is not easy to do. Sometimes your sources of stress are not always obvious, and can easily be overlooked when evaluating your feelings, behavior and stress inducing thoughts. You may be a worrier or procrastinator. You may even make excuses for your stress and brush it off, yet it's still there and needs to be dealt with. But you are really in need of stress relief and must find a way to make time for relaxation.  Stress occurs when the demands placed on you exceed your ability to cope, such as, work, school or relationships. An extreme amount of stress can cause serious health conditions including anxiety, high blood pressure, muscle pain, insomnia and a weakened immune system. Studies have proved that stress can bring on major illnesses, such as heart disease, obesity and depression. The risk of these conditions can lessen if and when we find a way to manage stress.  

5 Healthy Techniques to Manage Stress

Exercise – Exercise benefits your mind as well as your body. A regular exercise routine has long term benefits. Even for just 20 minutes a day to walk, run, swim or dance, gives an immediate effect that lasts for hours.   Meditate – Meditation and prayer help the body and mind to focus and relax. This helps people gain a new perspective on what's bothering them. Research has shown that meditating briefly can reap immediate benefits.   Socialize – Call a friend or send an email. Sharing your thoughts and feelings with another person helps relieve stress. Of course you will want to talk to someone you know you can trust and will have your best interest at heart.   Take a break from your stress – This is hard to do but you must give it a try. When you give yourself permission to step away from your stress, you let yourself have time to do something else. The outcome can be a new perspective or a technique to get through it. Why not have a 20 minute massage to relax and clear your mind. Massage therapy does wonders for relieving a stressed body and mind.   Keep smiling – Laughter is the best medicine and your laughter and smiles will rub off on others. This can also relieve some of the tension and improve the situation. Find the humor in things.