Managing Stress

Often we hear people talking about being stressed or being uptight about something that’s happening in their lives. Having some stress can actually be a good thing. It can help us get motivated to get things done. But too much stress – and how much is too much changes from person to person – can lead to other problems including depression, anxiety, irrational thinking, feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, exhausted and ill health.

Stressful situations cause the body to produce chemicals that can raise your heart rate and blood pressure and increase your mental focus (often called the ‘fight or flight” response).   Stress can be caused by a number of different factors. Stressors can be from our jobs, families, social lives, sport or an unexpected crisis. Long-term stress can cause a gradual build up of tension and predispose us to developing stress related conditions.  So some stress is good, but too much stress can cause us not to function to our best ability.

The Symptoms of Stress

Mental symptoms of stress include:

• feeling irritable, angry, moody and easily frustrated
• feeling anxious
• feeling not your self and crying regularly
• experiencing low self esteem or lacking confidence
• feeling restless and unsettled
• having trouble concentrating

Physical symptoms of stress include:

• feeling sick or upset in the stomach and even sometimes having diarrhea or constipation
• increase in frequency of headaches
• having problems sleeping or poor quality sleep
• feeling constantly tired
• sweating a lot, feeling dizzy or faint
• eating too much or too little
• using drugs or smoking

What can you do to reduce stress?

Firstly you need to identify where the stress is coming from.  Once you can identify where the stress is, then you can start to put in place actions to change those stressors.

Here are some simple tips to help you reduce and deal with stress in your life.

1.    Take some time out

Don’t spend unnecessary time worrying about things that are stressing you out. Take some time to do something you enjoy such as going out with friends, doing some exercise such as a bush walk or gym class, listening to music, playing sport or going to the movies.

2.    Keep things balanced

Work hard on striking the balance between work and doing the things that you want to do and enjoy.  You may find that you need to say ‘no’ more often so that you don’t take on too much.

3.    Get yourself organised

Organise your time so you don’t leave doing everything until the last minute.

4.    Sort out relationship problems

Stress in any form of relationships – whether it is at work, school, with family, partners or friends – needs to be worked on.  Seeking help from a counsellor can assist you to work on resolving relationship problems.

5.    Exercise

Any form of activity such as swimming, walking, dancing, yoga, cycling, or going to the gym can help reduce the stress.  Aim to do some form of activity every day, even if it’s just a walk to the end of the street and back.

6.    Relaxation exercises

Relaxation exercises have been shown to relax your muscles and slow your breathing. Try slow breathing (three seconds in, three seconds out) for five minutes when you’re feeling stressed.

If you need some additional support to assist you, it is important that you find someone you can talk to.  This person may be a family friend, work colleague or a health professional such as your doctor, counselor or psychologist.