Chamber University > Articles of the Month > October
SURVIVING STRESS
By Beth Nelson, Ed.D., SPHR
Innovative Dynamics
Stress is a factor in everyone’s life. But what, exactly, is stress? Essentially, stress is a response to events that upset our psychological and physiological balance in some way. This means that stress can be from positive or negative sources. Major life stressors include death of a relative or friend, divorce, jail, illness, marriage, job loss, marriage reconciliation and retirement, births, starting school, and starting a new job. Obviously, these are not all negative sources of stress, but they can all cause an imbalance in our lives.

Most of us have a great deal of responsibilities and have to cope with every day stressors, some worse than others.  Unfortunately, extended periods of intense stress results in an increased risk of heart disease, infection, illness, depression, anxiety, and many other health problems. Since having health problems causes even more stress, finding a way to deal with stress in a positive manner is essential to a long, healthy life.

In order to deal with stress effectively, you must learn how to recognize the symptoms in yourself. While there are general signs of stress, each person can be affected specifically in many different ways. Some people experience symptoms like back pain, stomach or digestive problems, skin problems, or muscle cramps. Other people experience symptoms such as depression, anger, excessive crying and anxiety or memory problems. Still others may develop eating disorders or substance abuse issues.

Once you have identified how you react to stress, take steps to cope with it. Learn how to set appropriate limits and say no to things you really don’t need to do. If possible, avoid people and situations that cause more stress. Avoid “hot topic” situations. If talking about religion, politics or sports stresses you out, don’t talk about them.

If you can alter the situation, do so. Express your feelings appropriately, be assertive and try to find win-win solutions. If you can’t change the situation, try to adapt. Look for the positive things. Accept that you can’t change everything and don’t try to control what you can’t change.

In addition to coping with the stressful situation, we need ways to relax methods in order to reduce the effect of stress. Here are a few suggestions of simple stress relievers.

•  Have personal time
•  Spend quality time with good friends
•  Do something you enjoy
•  Keep a sense of humor
•  Exercise
•  Eat a healthy diet
•  Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs
•  Get plenty of sleep
•  Go for a walk
•  Take a long bath
•  Play with a pet
•  Listen to music
•  Watch a comedy
•  Read a good book

Take the time to take care of yourself. Learn to manage your stress effectively. Don’t let it manage you.