Stress Management
Stress affects us physically, mentally, and emotionally. Physically, stress can be damaging to your overall health. Mentally, it can interfere with concentration and decision-making. Emotionally, stress can affect the way you interact with co-workers, loved ones, and others around you.
STRESS CAN COME FROM:
- Your personality type
- Fatigue and/or overwork
- Your environment & job stress
- Your diet, like too much caffeine, sugar or salt.
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF STRESS:
- Rapid pulse/breathing
- Nausea
- Tense muscles
- Increased sweating
- Frequent illness
- Sexual disorders
- Aches and pains
- Extreme fatigue
FOUR SKILLS TO MANAGE STRESS:
- Awareness: Listen to what your body tries to tell you about stress...and recognize the symptoms.
- Acceptance: Learn to accept that stress is a part of life and try to let go of the things you can’t change.
- Coping: Find techniques that fit into your daily life that help you deal with or adapt to stress.
- Action: Recognize what you can change to reduce the stress in your life...and make a plan that will help you manage that stress.
SOME HELPFUL TIPS TO REMEMBER:
- Consider keeping a Stress Diary in which you write down the things that cause you stress—as they happen. Then rate your stress level from 1 to 10 and jot down how you handled the stressful situation.
- Getting counseling due to stress is not a sign of weakness. It takes strength to see that you can’t always manage things alone. If you are not comfortable with a counselor, talk to a friend or family member.
- Aerobic exercise that gets your heart pumping for at least 20 minutes (like walking, swimming or dancing) causes the brain to release chemicals that help decrease stress and depression.
- Laughter lowers stress hormone levels and increases the “feel-good” chemicals in the body. A good laugh also brings more oxygen into the body. So, make an effort to get in some belly laughs every day!
- Lack of communication on the job is often a cause of stress. So, practice your communication skills—and remember to listen as much (if not more) than you talk.