Renew You!

Ways to combat stress

These days it seems like everyone has something to be stressed about: money, the economy, job security, our families, our health and safety. Stress comes to us in two different forms: good and bad. Good stress keeps us focused and alert. It's what allows people to think clearly in dangerous or difficult situations. This type of stress is eliminated when the situation is over. Bad stress causes poor judgment and can lead to exhaustion and injury. Unfortunately, bad stress takes longer to relieve and most often requires direct attention.

Physical and emotional signs of stress are fairly easy to detect. A few signs of stress include: headache, clenched jaw, upset stomach, chest pains, mood swings, inability to concentrate and depression, as well as changes in your behavior, such as over or under eating, decreased productivity and angry outbursts.

Multi-tasking is a way of life for most of us. While it can help you get a number of things done at once, thereby freeing up some of your time, multi-tasking can also work against you. Doing too much at once can cause more stress on you. If you're noticing signs of stress, you should scale back on some of your tasks and focus only on the one that's causing you the most stress. If necessary, take a moment to step away from everything and let your head clear.

The phrase "stop and smell the roses" isn't just a cliché; it’s also a great way to combat stress. If you notice that your body is tensing up, your heart is pounding and your mind is racing, take a moment to enjoy the little things in life. You should also focus on breathing calmly and concentrate on relaxing any part of your body that is feeling tension.

Stress has a tendency to build up and get worse the longer you ignore it. Find a good time and place to vent frustrations and express what's making you feel stressed. Talking to a friend or family member or exercising is a great way to relieve stress!

What in your life causes you stress? How do you relieve it?