Stress Management Is A Learnable Skill: Manage Your Stress-Manage Your Life

Everyone experiences times of stress.  It is normal and sometimes necessary to have stress.  What isn’t healthy is the way we respond to stress.  Stress management is learnable and you can remove a large part of your stress.  Think of stress in this way; pressure is the event or situation that is happening to you, stress is the way you respond to that pressure.  Most people can learn to handle the pressure in their lives with just a few simple changes in their lifestyle.

Stress can be thought of as a “danger” alarm.  It may be real or it could be a false “danger” alarm.  We are all born with a built in alarm system that gives us the resources and strength to fight off or run from danger.  If you are in real danger it is good for you to be afraid.  Your body charges up with adrenaline and it may help you stay alive.  But if your body is getting charged up with adrenaline and there is no immediate danger it causes adverse reactions in your body.  It sends too much glucose into your blood, increases heartbeat and respiration and raises blood pressure.  These are things that can do your body harm if it happens often.

How do you learn to manage stress?  There are two basic ways of learning to handle stress.  First, learn to turn off your internal alarm system by different relaxation methods.  Second, learn how not to let the alarm system get turned on in the first place.

Relaxations methods are a great way to reduce stress.  You can’t be relaxed and uptight at the same time.  When we are breathing fast and taking shallow breaths we are pushing the alarm button.  By taking deep, relaxing breaths, we can turn off the alarm.

Muscle relaxation can be a great way to release tension and stress.  Start with your major muscles, tense them up and hold it for a few seconds.  Then relax.  Make your mind think only about the muscle you are concentrating on.  Work on the ones you know you can tense and relax like the shoulder and neck muscles, and then work up to tensing your forehead and eye muscles.  Minor muscles that you are not usually aware of.

Make muscle relaxation even more effective by combining it with your deep breathing exercises.  Tense as you are breathing in; relax as you are breathing out.

My favorite way to reduce stress is by visualization therapy.  Imagine you are in a place where you feel the most peace.  Maybe it is a cabin in the woods, or on the beach, or simply sitting quietly in your yard.  It can be a place in your mind that you have made up, or a place where you have visited.  Using all of your senses, feel your surroundings.  My quiet place is a beach.  I can close my eyes and feel the warm sun on my face, the feel of a gentle breeze blowing my hair.  I can smell the sea, and feel the grains of sand under my feet.  It is peaceful and no one else is allowed on my beach!

Whichever method you decide to learn, practice that method even if you don’t feel stressed at the moment.  If you practice the method, practice deep breathing and muscle relaxation, it will come naturally when you are faced with a stressful event.