Stress Management

What is Stress?

Stress is the "wear and tear" on our bodies that we experience, both physically and emotionally, when events happen that change our lives.  While we usually think of stress as a negative feeling, it can also be a positive one, depending on how we react to it.  

On the negative side, stress can leave us feeling angry, depressed or exhausted and may cause headaches, upset stomach, insomnia and in extreme cases, heart disease or stroke.

But stress can be a positive thing as well.  For example, when we manage stress properly, it can motivate us. Therefore, the key is managing our stress and using it to help, rather than hinder us.

Through stress management, we can cope with the effect stress has on our lives.  Keep in mind – our goal is not to eliminate stress because we all thrive under a certain amount of stress.   Our goal is to learn how to manage stress and how to use it to help us.

Below are some tips to help manage your stress:

• Take good care of your body.  Wellness is dependent on your mind, body and spirit and how you treat your body can directly affect your stress levels.  Eat healthy, exercise and get enough sleep.
• Breathe deeply.  In a stressful situation, close your eyes, take a deep breath and allow your mind to think clearly.
• Take a break.  If a deep breath isn’t helping, take a break.  Take a walk or do some stretches.  Do whatever it takes to relax until you are ready to tackle the problem.
• Recognize what you can change.  Think about what it is that is causing your stress.  Is your attitude making the situation worse? Recognize and accept what you cannot change.
• End your physical discomfort.  Make sure you’re as comfortable as you can possibly be.  If you’re in physical pain or discomfort, you are not going to be able to think as clearly or as calmly.
• Talk it out with others.  Find someone you trust who can offer an objective point of view and possible solutions you hadn’t thought about.  Just saying it out loud may help you figure out the real problem.
• Manage your time.  It sounds simple, but we all know in our busy worlds, sometimes it’s challenging.  Take one thing at a time and learn how to say “no.” The day-to-day activities and events that happen in our lives and how we deal with those events is what causes our stress. 

REMEMBER - Stress doesn’t have to be a negative factor in your life.  Stress increases the adrenaline flowing in your body.  Manage your stress and use this energy to work for you!

Managing Stress at the Workplace

Did you know that a survey conducted by Northwestern National Life showed that 25% of employees viewed their job as the #1 stressor in their life? (National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health) 

To get more information, you can access the US Department for Health and Human Services’ job stress pamphlet at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/stress.pdf  (PDF - 612 KB)