Eliminate Stress
There is something called positive stress. Positive stress helps in adding excitement and anticipation in life. Stress is necessary for survival. Things like competitions, deadlines, confrontations and frustrations are signs of positive stress as they add a bit of depth and enrich our lives. The main purpose of stress management is not to eliminate stress for no person can survive without it. The primary aim of managing stress is to learn to manage it and apply it in our lives in a positive manner. Stress which is not sufficient to cause balance in or lives can cause depression and also result in a feeling of boredom and dejection. Stress which is more than required causes problems as well. It can result in a feeling of being tied up in tangles. The need of the hour is to find out the optimum level of stress that our mind and body can bear by helping us in being motivated and not over whelming at the same time.
The optimal level of stress cannot be defined. Every person has different stress bearing levels and different breakdown points. The stress which is insufficient for one person might be more that required for another. Something that may bring sorrow to one person can bring misery to some other person. Therefore, the optimal level of stress varies from person to person. A person who likes to live in a stable life ruled by routine will find it stressful to adjust to a job that requires constant changing of work sites. Age is also a very important factor which decides the stress bearing levels of a person. Generally people become less tolerant as they grow older.
The disorders which result from stress are basically the symptoms of unrelieved stress. These symptoms are caused when the stress levels are increased beyond the optimal stress levels of a person. In order to counter the effect of such stress, changes are necessary. These changes include changing the sources of stress and the reactions to these sources.
• You should be completely and thoroughly aware of the causes of the stress which affects you and your physical, mental and emotional reactions. Take notice of the stressors. They are not to be overlooked, no matter how minute they are. Also find out the various events that cause you to be distressed. Introspect about the responses taken by you to overcome these stressors. Also try finding out the way your body responds to these stressors. Every human being responds differently to these factors. Ask yourself questions about the effects of these stressors on your nervous system.
• Once you have recognized the causes of your stress, you need to figure out the areas which you can change in order to minimize the effects of this stress. It may be possible to change the causes of stress or stressors by merely avoiding them or by eradicating them from your lives. You can also reduce the intensity of such stressors. You can accomplish this by managing them not on a daily or a weekly basis but by managing them over a period of time. It may also be possible to reduce the time of exposure to stress. You need to devote your energy and time in order to make necessary changes like managing your time, setting up of realistic goals etc.
• The intensity of the stressors should be reduced. It is all in the mind of the person. The reaction to stress is usually caused by the perception of physical and emotional danger. You must realize if you are considering these stressors in exaggerated form or not. You should also try to find out if your reaction towards these stressors is out of control because if it is so, then the control of these is essentially urgent and critical. One must try to perceive the stress as something which can be easily overcome instead of letting it overpower the mind.
• The physical response of the body to stress should be monitored and regulated. You should try some relaxation techniques which will help in bringing the heart rate and breathing back to the normal level. They also reduce the muscle tension and allow them to become flexible. By keeping control over your emotions, you can exercise control over blood pressure, heart rate and tension. However, these medications are only meant for short term purposes, which means that these alone are not enough. In order to enjoy their long term effects, it is required to moderate these reactions.
• You must develop and maintain meaningful relationships and friendships. Set up realistic goals and pursue them instead of running after goals that are of no use to you. Always remember to be your own friend and expect failures, frustrations and sorrows as a part of life.
• Fitness of body is very important for fitness if mind. Exercise is extremely helpful for cardiovascular fitness. You should maintain your weight and also follow a well balanced and nutritious diet.