How to Cope With Stress

Due to the hectic pace of  our modern lives, stress is something that affects us all. Stress can often be down to a number of reasons, such as health problems, family issues or pressure at work.  Although it can’t be eliminated completely there are a number of ways to help cope with stress.

Steps

Take a step back and look at which problems or issues are causing you the most stress.  Is there anything you can do about them? Improving your organisational skills can often reduce your stress levels as you will have more time to complete any tasks you need to accomplish.

• Prioritise your tasks and be realistic in setting goals for your life, don’t “bite off more than you can chew”
• Get anything you are putting off or dislike out of the way in the morning.  This will prevent the feeling of having something “Hanging over you” for the rest of the day.
• Break larger tasks and responsibilities down into more manageable chunks where possible.  This will stop you feeling overwhelmed.
• Plan ahead and try to avoid leaving things until the last minute.

Take care of yourself and your body to help with the physical side effects of stress.

• Avoid coffee and alcohol  if you are feeling under pressure as both of these can have an adverse effect on stress levels.  Try to drink water or fruit juice instead.
• Get plenty of sleep. About 7-8 hours is usually recommended for adults. Try to get into a regular sleep pattern, going to bed and getting up at the same time each day.
• Get some exercise as this releases feel good chemicals called Endorphins both during and after, as well as improving your general health.
• Eat a few squares of chocolate a day as this also releases Endorphins.  Just don’t over-do it!
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet avoiding sugary foods as these cause your blood sugar levels to yo-yo up and down which can make the symptoms of stress worse.  If you are finding it hard to eat a wide enough range of foods, take vitamin supplements as your body needs vitamins to help it deal with the effects of stress.

Take time to relax.

• Listen to music and unwind rather than watching TV.
• Take a relaxing bath to give you time to yourself and soothe away the stresses of the day.
• Spend some time just doing nothing, clear your mind of worries and problems.

Change your outlook.  A lot of stresses can be put down to the way you think about problems.   Try to accept things that are outside of your control, only worry about things that you can directly affect yourself.  I think part of a prayer written by Reinhold Niebuhr sums this idea up the best regardless of your religious beliefs

“God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Image: Flickr user Zach Klein