DEALING WITH STRESS

What are the signs of too much stress?

• Having problems sleeping or finding that sleep does not refresh you

• Feeling restless and finding it hard to wind down

• Irritable mood, becoming easily frustrated

• Memory problems

• Crying for no reason

• Becoming fearful without any good reason

• Having difficulty concentrating, feeling like you are in a fog

• Muscle aches

• Tiredness

• Feeling breathless

• Significant changes in appetite

• Having difficulty getting along with others and enjoying their company

• Losing interest in activities that you previously enjoyed

• Stomach pains

People usually feel stressed when they find that they do not have the resources to meet the demands being made on them, in their life. All forms of change involve a certain amount of stress, even positive changes create stress. Examples of life events that cause stress include: pregnancy, change of job, change in work demands, marriage, conflict, moving house, falling in love, beginning or leaving education, personal achievement, going on a diet, being in debt and moving overseas. When you start to look at how many of these changes you have experienced recently, you will start to see how much you have had to adapt to and how much stress you have had to cope with.

Tips for dealing with stress

(i) Learn to relax or meditate

There are many relaxation tapes and meditation courses available to help you learn to relax or meditate. Using relaxation or meditation has been shown to have positive effects and help people feel happier and more positive.  Relaxation can calm your body reducing muscle tension and aches, and relax your mind helping you respond to stressful events with a clearer mind.

(ii) Don’t take everything on at once

Break down tasks that you need to complete into manageable portions. If you feel overwhelmed by thinking about how much you have to do, break down what you need to do down into components and then focus on just one thing. Sometimes this means not only taking things one day at a time, but looking only at what needs to be done in the morning, the afternoon or the evening. Some people take an hour by hour approach and only think about what they need to do in each hour.

(iii) Get involved in activities that you enjoy

Make sure that you keep up hobbies and interests that you find relaxing and that give you some sense of pleasure or enjoyment. If you don’t have any interests, then think about trying something new. In some cases remembering to do simple things that bring a sense of pleasure or joy can make a big difference. Talking with a friend on the phone, taking a long bath, putting fresh flowers around the house or preparing your favourite meal are some examples.

(iv) Stay in touch with close friends and family

Having positive relationships with friends and family can be a great source of support and encouragement throughout stressful periods of time. If you have few supportive people around, you may need to think about ways of meeting new people and developing positive supportive relationships. Harmful relationships with others can cause a great deal of stress and talking to a psychologist about your how to develop positive relationships and avoid stressful relationship patterns may help to reduce your stress levels.

(v) Look after your physical health

That means getting regular exercise and making sure you eat well and give your body the nutrients and fuel it needs to operate efficiently. Avoid skipping meals or overeating. Looking after your physical health also means making sure that you get enough time for rest and relaxation. Everyone needs rest and pushing yourself too hard, physically, mentally and emotionally takes its toll eventually. Long term patterns of driving yourself too hard can lead to ill health and burnout.

(vi) Tackle your problems head on

Many people feel overwhelmed when they think about problems in their life and try to avoid thinking about what is troubling them. When people avoid thinking about a difficult situation, their problems don’t go away and they usually experience some of the physical signs of stress described above. Directly confronting your problems and trying to find possible solutions is a more effective way of coping with stress (see the steps below).  

PROBLEM-SOLVING STEPS

1.   List all of your problems and choose what to focus on first

2.   With the problem you have chosen think, about any possible solution. Be creative: don’t worry about whether or not your solutions are realistic, just list down anything that comes to mind.

3.   After you have written out all possible solutions, choose a few that are realistic.

4.   Out of those few, select the solution that you think has the greatest chance of succeeding …… give it a try and see how it goes ……, if it doesn’t work go back to your list and try something else, you may need to try a couple of solutions before finding the right one.

Top^