Individual management strategies of stress

Have you experienced a racing pulse, difficulty breathing, sleep disturbances, irritability, appetite changes, or feeling like you cannot cope? If so, you might be stressed. Stress is an inevitable part of life, affecting individuals in different ways. Some people thrive under stress, whereas others struggle. Our thresholds for how much stress we can endure differ from one person to the next. Learning how to cope with stress is essential to ensuring that individuals maintain their physical and mental health. It is improbable to have a life completely free of stress, so we must learn how to cope. In this post, we explore how to cope with stress using stress coping techniques. We will start with the psychological theories about stress and, from there, look at several methods, informal and formal, that can be used. Our goal is that readers should have a solid understanding of stress-management techniques that can be easily implemented. Before you continue, we thought you might like to How to Cope With Stress According to Psychology There are various psychological theories about coping with stress, and it is essential to understand these theories to manage stress effectively. 4 Theories about coping with stress One of the most popular and widely accepted theories is the transactional model of stress and coping, developed by Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman (1984). According to this model, stress results from an individual’s assessment of the stressor, its threat, and whether ...

• You don't have to wait to find relief: With emotion-focused coping, we don't need to wait for our lives to change or work on changing the inevitable. We can simply find ways to accept what we face right now, and not let it bother us. • It reduces chronic stress: This can cut down on • It can improve decision-making: It allows us to think more clearly and access solutions that may not be available if we are feeling overwhelmed. Because stressed people do not always make the most effective decisions, emotion-focused coping can be a strategy to get into a better frame of mind before working on problem-focused techniques. Emotion-focused coping can help with both emotions and solutions. And the two While problem-focused strategies need to fit well with the specific stressors they are addressing, emotion-focused coping techniques work well with most stressorsand need only fit the individual needs of the person using them. • Notice your thoughts: Being more aware of your thinking can help you become more aware of how your thought patterns influence your emotions. • Challenge your thoughts: Instead of accepting negative thoughts as facts, actively challenge them. Are they true? Are there other ways of looking at the problem? • Replace negative thoughts: Once you've challenged your thoughts, actively replace them with something more positive and helpful. This technique allows you to shift the way you see a problem, which can actually make the difference between whether or not yo...

Work, deadlines, bills, homework, chores... and the list goes on. The demands of daily life pull us in all different directions, requiring time and energy that we don’t always have. At some point, just maintaining a to-do list becomes a to-do of its own. When these demands grow out of hand, they may lead to the all-too-familiar feeling of stress. Stress is insidious. When stress goes unchecked, its symptoms linger and chip away at both physical and mental health. Many grow used to the constant feeling of stress pressing down on them, while others wear their stress as a badge of honor. That being said, it’s okay to have some stress. A healthy level of stress pushes people to take care of their responsibilities, without keeping them up at night or damaging their health. The goal isn’t to eliminate all stress—it’s to keep stress at levels that are helpful, rather than harmful. In this guide, we provide an overview of stress, its symptoms, and how it presents in daily life. Then, we will introduce 5 strategies for managing stress in a healthy way. What is Stress? Stress is a feeling of being tense, overwhelmed, worn out, or exhausted. A small amount of stress can be motivating, but too much stress makes even small tasks seem daunting. Symptoms can range from mild (e.g., headaches and stomachaches) to severe (e.g., anxiety and depression). Acute vs. Chronic Stress Acute stress is brief but intense. Short-term stressors—such as giving a speech, getting into an argument, or study...

Why is it important to learn to cope with stress? Coping usually involves adjusting to or tolerating negative events or realities while you try to keep your positive self-image and emotional equilibrium. Coping occurs in the context of life changes that are perceived to be stressful. Psychological stress is usually associated with negative life changes, such as losing a job or loved one. However, all changes require some sort of adaptation. Even positive changes — such as getting married or having a child — can be stressful. Changes are stressful because changes require us to adjust and to adapt. Experiencing too many changes within a brief time period often creates the idea that we aren't in control of events. This perception contributes to Coping involves adjusting to unusual demands, or stressors. This requires giving a greater effort and using greater energy than what's needed in the daily routines of life. Prolonged mobilization of effort can contribute to elevated levels of stress-related hormones and to eventual physical breakdown and illness. Stressors that require coping may be acute, like moving to a new home or experiencing the onset of marriage problems. Stressors also occur that are of longer duration, such as chronic pain, chronic illness or long-lasting financial problems. The effect of many acute stressors that come within a relatively brief period of time may be cumulative and profound. Those who experience a marital separation, the death of an aging paren...

Image: Thinkstock Meditation can trigger the antidote to stress, called the relaxation response. Goal setting and relaxation techniques reduce stress and ease the physical and emotional burden it can take. Stressful experiences come in many forms, such as a demanding job, a chronic disease, or an argument with a loved one. But all types of stressors—even stress from positive experiences, such as planning a party—can result in the same physical and emotional burden on health, especially when you're an older adult. "As we age, our immune systems are less efficient, and adding stress to that can lead to disease progression or the onset of disease," says Dr. Ann Webster, a health psychologist at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. The stress response Stressful situations trigger a physical reaction known as the stress response. The brain relays warnings to the muscles, which tighten, and to the adrenal glands, which release stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones help your body prepare to fight or flee to safety: your heart pounds, blood pressure rises, and more of your blood is sent to your brain and muscles; your breath quickens to get more oxygen into your blood; and your body releases sugars and fats into the blood for energy. In the short term, the stress response can help you navigate a difficult situation. But chronic stress can lead to physical damage. "Stress increases blood su...