Tips for Stress Management

Stress can impact your overall health, from contributing to backaches, insomnia, cancer, and chronic fatigue syndrome, to influencing hormonal imbalances, heart disease, and emotional disorders. People who are frequently overstressed may also experience more colds or infections because of lowered immune systems. While eliminating stress is impossible, there are some tips you can implement to reduce your level of stress when it is overwhelming.

Observe
Is there anything you can change or control in the situation that is causing stress?

Take a break
If only for a few moments, removing yourself from the stressful situation may help you gain some perspective and calm.

Make sure to get adequate sleep
Inadequate rest time will likely aggravate your stress level.

Avoid escapism
Things like alcohol and/or drugs may seem like a convenient way to forget about stressful situations, but they cannot help the underlying problems causing your stress.

Relax
Learn some relaxation methods that work for you. Many people find that breathing exercises or mediation can help them control stress.

Avoid overwhelming yourself
It is best not to worry yourself about a large workload. Complete one task at a time and you will see progress.

Don't act or think in extremes
Extreme reactions can make a bad situation unbearable, which will only escalate your stress.

Stay positive!
If you are optimistic, it is less likely that a stressful event will make you over-react or panic.