Stress Management
Managing Stress
Stress is something that is familiar to everyone. It is a normal response and a way for our body to prepare to tackle a challenging situation, demand that is being placed on it, or a threat in its environment. A little stress can help you by keeping you alert, increasing your motivation and performance. It is what gets you through a presentation, job interview, exam, or when attempting the last-minute goal in a game. Experiencing too much stress, and too often, can cause problems for your mental and physical health.
The main causes of stress are through two pathways: external stressors (the environment around you and activities you engage in) and your coping mechanisms (the ways you deal with life). Stress affects everyone differently and the ways to manage it are going to differ for each person too. A good way to start your path to managing stress is to be aware of the warning signs indicating that you may be experiencing high levels of stress.
Warning Signs of Stress Overload
Cognitive signs
Difficulty concentrating
Memory problems
Increasing worrying/negative thoughts
Difficulty with decision making
Physical signs
Tension headaches, migraines
Difficulty sleeping
Nausea
Fatigue
Changes in appetite
Diarrhoea/constipation
Loss of sex drive
Increased heart rate
Emotional signs
Anxiety
Irritability, anger
Moodiness
Tension
Feeling overwhelmed
Low mood, lack of enjoyment
Behavioural signs
Relationship problems
Increased alcohol, nicotine, or caffeine use
Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities
Withdrawal from others
Decrease in engagement with previously enjoyed activities
Getting to know your stress warning signs means that you can recognise and take action to reduce these. There are many ways that you can manage your stress and seeing a psychologist can help you with techniques to problem solve, manage your time effectively and cope with life’s many ups and downs. Some general management techniques that you can engage in will be explored below.
Tips for Stress management
Exercise. Increasing your activity level is a way that you can release tension and calm the mind. Regular exercise has a number of benefits for your body and it can help lift your mood. Engaging fully in the exercise using all your senses (being mindful) can move your mind away from the worries.
Connect with others. Being around friends and people who makes us feel understood and safe helps counteract our stress. Face-to-face interactions actually release hormones in your body that calm your nervous system, which is activated in a stressful situation. If your relationship is the source of your stress, or you feel that you don’t have any close relationships, make this an area to focus on and build connections with others. While it is great to connect with others, it is not their responsibility to solve or fix the stressors in your life.
Look after your body. When you start experiencing symptoms of stress overload, you need to listen to your body and take care of it. Nourishing it with healthy foods, drinking water, and getting regular sleep are important. Try not to reach for heavily processed foods or foods high in sugar, and instead aim to have fresh fruits, vegetables, and foods high in omega-3 fatty acids. If you’re having difficulty sleeping, aim to stay away from screens at least for an hour before bed, keep work out of the bedroom, and start a routine that you follow each night with things that help you unwind.
Do the things you enjoy. It becomes easy to stop doing the things you enjoy when you’re not enjoying them as much because of the stress in your life, but it is important that you keep at it. Make time in your schedule to do something you like each day and don’t allow work or other stressors encroach on this time. It may be that you enjoy sitting outside to have your coffee, working on a puzzle, listening to a podcast, having a bath, or playing a game.
Relax. It is not possible to eliminate all stress from your life so incorporating relaxation techniques and activities in to your life as a way to combat stress is a good way to help yourself. Try taking up yoga, mindfulness (there a many apps that you can get for mindfulness) and practicing deep breathing.
Time management. There are many demands on your time and so managing your time effectively can help relieve stress. Try to put in place boundaries so that you aren’t overcommitting yourself, write yourself to-do lists with all your tasks and do these in order of priority, break down bigger projects into smaller tasks, and share your load with others (you don’t have to do everything on your own).
If you are struggling with managing your stress effectively, you can get support with one of team members at Involve Psychology. Contact us on (07) 3482 3466 or reception@involvepsychology.com