Effective Stress Management techniques. Review on Handling Stress

Alas! While the body stands so broad and brawny, must the soul lie blinded, dwarfed, stupefied, almost annihilated? Alas! This was, too, a breath of God, bestowed in heaven, but on earth never to be unfolded! - Thomas Carlyle

There are men steady and wise whose body, words and mind are self-controlled. They are the men of supreme self-control. - The Dhammapada

INTRODUCTION

Every one of us go through stress. Stress is a universal concept. There are no exceptions to it. Even the happiest people one may be envy of go through stress. They are happier because they found a way to master it. Stress Management is very vital to lead a balanced life. Just like one need to be agile and metabolically sound to have a healthy body. Stress is a phenomenon happening to anybody whenever the demand for certain thing exceeds the capacity. Stress is a physical phenomenon and it is a mental phenomenon too.

All of us have a definite lifestyle or a routine. Some lifestyles are adventurous and fun loving while others can be conservative and more laid back. While there is no definite rule on patterns of lifestyle or how a person is, it can be the contrary to the type so stress and how they are induced. Many times it is a small change that induces stress. Many times the stress results simply because people live in an imaginary world of fears or worries. Stress is a direct result of not coping up with the immediate needs, either physically or mentally. It is all the more gruesome when it interferes with one?s daily life(work, physical or social pattern).

Some of the main reasons for stress are

• Personal issues or the inner demons

  
  




• Work related issues and overload(if working)

  
  




• Economics of relationships(Major contributor)

  
  




• Studies related pressure

  
  




• Chronic Health Issues

  
  




• Daily hassles one deals with

  
  




• Unexpected Disturbing news or incident(involving something one is attached to)? Such as Bangladesh bowling out Australia for 3 runs(!)

  
  




• Money Matters

  
  




• Unexpected loss of some one/something close to heart(Death, Malfunctioning, Job Loss, Bank becoming bankrupt, Chit fund company closing doors)

  
  




• Poor health and stamina due to laziness

  
  




• Change in lifestyle(Suddenly you are made a supervisor/damager err. Manager)

  
  

Stress can be felt via some body aches & pains, fatigues, dizziness or stomach upset(most common stress for overeaters). You may be tensed, anxious, worried, irritated, bossy and jumpy, depressed, moody, restless or overwhelmed. You feel forgetful, lack concentration and have a disorganized lifestyle with mental blockades. Stress can also happen due to your routines. If you overwork yourself to meet official deadlines, you may develop stress. Burning midnight oil to get a centum can get you a fail mark. Overdoing certain things makes you become stressful.

One has to accept that stress is normal. It is just a matter of how to handle it. Every living thing is thrust with stress. It is just a matter of how to deal it. It takes courage, motivation, inspiration and sometimes bravery to overcome stress. There are many ways to do this. Let me go with my list, without further adieu!

Disclaimer: I am neither a doctor or psychiatrist nor a fitness expert(actually I may need advise from a doctor or a trainer!). It is just an advise from my little knowledge. Follow them at your own discretion.

STRESS PREVENTION METHODS

1. Fight or flee method. *? Oopsy! That was easy. While it is universally known fact that it is the best way to fight stress, I find it equally simple to fight. All the bodily functions do this. Whenever there is a change in the bodily structure, be it a cut you have or an infectious virus, the brain releases instructions to fight it or hide away, if it can?t do anything. The failure results in a health condition. You can also try this. Fight out the stressful situation, even before it arises or else run away from it. This applies handily for stress rising out of mental blockades or situations

2. Breath! Breath! Breath! *? This is one of the best exercises one can have for any stressful situation. Just relax and take a deep breath and do it many times over a period of time. There is nothing that beats this simple technique. It relaxes your muscles. Makes fresh oxygen flow. Increases blood flow. Lets you refresh. All these act as anti-stress agents. Try this when you are upset or angry too. It has worked wonders for me. This is one of the many reasons why Aerobics is such a hit

3. Muscular exercises *- This is mainly for those who have muscles(!). Try to relax your muscles either via a massage(if you have some one who can do it), or solo relaxation one can perform on self. You can actually try to clasp your hand and release. The same applies to other parts. You can fold your legs and relax. This is very helpful in travels(I have had some 15-20 hour journeys at least 15 times so far). This is how you make fresh blood flow into tiresome body parts.

4. Relax and Close your eyes *? This is one of the earliest techniques that can work wonders. Just forget about the world and surroundings. Sit or lie down in a comfortable place and close your eyes. As a corollary, you can speak out your mind if you wanted to. This is very effective and that?s the reason why psychiatrists try hypnotism as a type of treatment. This makes the patients feel better afterwards. You can also focus on your breathing while you have closed eyes too. This is two-in-one technique!

5. Develop a sound eating habit? This is very important to have a de-stressed life. This has many indirect effects

6. Exercise if feasible *? You don?t have to be the Governor of California to be a stress free person. On the contrary, you can have lesser stress than him by having a good exercise routine(be it walking, jogging or running)

7. Know about yourself and enhance your lifestyle? Find your own areas of improvement and develop strategy to improve yourself.

8. Have achievable and attainable goals? Be it work, finance related, studies, relationship or anything you are off to. Have a set of attainable goals and achieve them. It makes you a better person that way which in turn reduces your stress.

9. Motivate yourself and have high self-esteem? This thing can do wonders. Believe and trust yourself. Have an open mind for things that can improvise you and hold yourself in highest self-esteem. This can cause wonders as a direct blocker of stress affecting you in anyway.

10. If you are a strong follower of religion? Follow your faith and seek for the guidance and strength. Believe in the Almighty with strong will and it can do a lot of wonders. It has been followed for centuries and still is the best medicine. If you are an atheist, well you have no choice for this category but to follow the other options and develop your own too.

Conclusion

Stress is universal. The solution to your problem is in your own hands(A story in comments). Stress is totally managed by ones own self. You can manage it and you can beat it.

I hope you liked my review. Comments are most welcome.

KALIL