Here are suggested ways to manage your stress:
1.Identify your stressors, that is, what causes your stress, and work on reducing it. For instance, if you are recluse or lonely, step out and find fun loving group of friends as this will help you brighten up and reduce excessive thinking which exposes you to stress. You can join a club and take part in different games.
- Keep a stress journal. Keeping a stress journal may help you. You can get a note book to write down all the things that gave you stress in the past, how you reacted to them, and how you were able to deal with them. Keeping a stress journal can also help you discover what causes your stress and how you feel. This can help in strategies that will reduce the stress.
- Try assessing your stress levels by checking your attitude since individual attitude can influence a person’s stress level. An individual with a negative attitude will experience and report more stress than the one with a positive attitude. You may therefore, need to develop a positive attitude to every situation in your life.
- Always check your diet. A poor diet puts your body in a state of physical stress and weakens the immune system. A weak immunity would lead to diverse infections. A poor diet can mean not eating the right kind of food, not eating enough or not eating on schedule. Try to eat healthy by eating more fruits and vegetables. Also eat normal size portions on regular schedules.
- Engage in physical activities. Not engaging in physical activities can put the body in a stressed state. Physical activities such as taking a walk, riding a bike, swimming and even running aids in a feeling of well-being. All these activities help in the discharge of adrenaline the ultimate result of which is the discharge of stress from the body system.
- Make up time to relax. People with no outside interests, hobbies or other relaxation activities may be less able to handle stressful situations. For instance, one could go to a club after a tedious day at work.
- Always try to be in charge. Bills will never cease to come, children’s school fees must be paid. But the ability to control your thoughts, emotions, schedules and environment is a determing factor to your living a stress free life. Balance your life with time for work, relationship, relaxation and fun-including the resilience to hold under pressure and meet challenges as they come.
- Leave out unhealthy ways of coping with stress. Leave out unhealthy ways of coping with stress such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol, overeating, using pills or drugs to relax or reduce stress. Sleeping too much, sitting long hours glued to the televisions and computers are unhealthy ways of reducing stress. Some other unhealthy ways of coping with stress include taking out your stress on others, such as lashing out , angry burst, physical violence and the likes and withdrawal from friends, family and pleasurable activities.
- Avoid unnecessary stress by saying no. You should be able to say “no” to either your personal or professional life or added responsibilities. Do not take more than you can chew.
- Avoid people who add to your stress. If you cannot do without a particular person, limit the number of times you meet with him or her.
- Be in perfect control of your environment. For instance, if news on your state gives you grief, ensure you do not listen to your state radio and learn to do the things that give you comfort such as going on a holiday, or going for window shopping and the likes as these will help curb your stress.
- Pen down your to-do-list. Try as much as possible to priotize your list of things to do by distinguishing between the “should” and the “musts”. Drop those things that are not necessary to the bottom of your list or eliminate them completely.
- Talk about your problems – that is psychotherapy. Psychotherapy simply means “talk therapy”. Discuss your problems with your counsellor, family doctor, your pastor, minister, or priest or an understanding member of your family. This will help get the worries off your chest by confiding in the aforementioned personalities. Hence, the “adage” a problem shared is a problem solved.
