Stress Management

Finding ways to reduce stress in our daily life is important for guarding our mental and physical well-being. The effect of stress, when experienced day-in and day-out, can cause cumulative damage to our bodies. http://faculty.weber.edu/molpin/healthclasses/1110/bookchapters/stressphysiologychapter.htm These negative health effects can occurs in the reproductive, digestive, immune, inflammatory and circulatory systems. Because of the widespread damage that can occur due to cumulative stress, it is good to know that there are several strategies available for stress management that can be used.

There are three basic categories of approaches which are employed for alleviating stress: (1) remediation procedures that employ psychological and/or medical (medications) methods for curtailing or prevention of stress, (2) psychological methods that can be used to entrain self-regulatory means of behaviors related to stress triggers - like cognitive behavioral therapy and the teaching of problem-solving skills, and (3) personal practices (such as meditation practice to reduce the potential to be aroused) and organizational strategies, such as environmental modification that reduce or prevent exposure to stress and promote feelings of well being. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=785&page=105

This web page on Stress Management offers various tips on personal strategies that help alleviate stress and reduce one's reactivity to stress events. Immediately below you will find "Stress Management Tips" that you can use for office stress relief. Below that, there are suggestions on long-term personal strategies for reducing the experience of stress. A featured video discusses three quick things for reducing stress. Other resources on this page include links to related pages on Mahalo, including How to Manage Stress, Mindfulness Meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qigong. Other links are also listed below for further information.

Here are some means that you can use to help achieve stress relief at work or in any other environment where you encounter stress triggers. These natural stress relief methods are simple but very effective.

1. Close your eyes, and progressively relax the muscle tension around the eyes, the jaw, the neck and the chest. You can proceed gradually further down the body all the way to your toes for deep relaxation.
2. Place your attention on your breathing. Take a few deep, slow breaths, releasing tension with each out-breath. You can internally repeat "let go" on each out breath.
3. Keep some citrus or lavender aromatherapy scents nearby. http://health.discovery.com/centers/stress/articles/relief/relief.html
4. Silently repeat a comforting mantra or prayer such as the serenity prayer: "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."

There are some simple methods that can increase your ability to handle stress, such as eliminating coffee and other drinks that have a high content of caffeine stimulants. There are also mind-body methods mentioned below that can help you intuitively develop a greater resistance to stress at work and other situations.

1. Reduce or eliminate caffeine intake.
2. Take up a regular practice of meditation or centering prayer. Some breath meditation exercises that are performed in qigong can allow you to train yourself to breathe in a deeper and more relaxed fashion. http://qigonghealingarts.org/qigong-exercises/qigong-breathing
3. Buy a journal and use it to help you identify your stress triggers http://stress.about.com/od/generaltechniques/p/profilejournal.htm
4. Get regular exercise, preferably at the start of your day. It can be gentle exercises such as those of Tai Chi, qigong or Yoga. www.mu.edu/healthed/about/documents/Doesitreducestress_000.pdf http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/what_some_specific_stress_reduction_methods_000031_7.htm
5. Find a support group or someone to talk to, and make it a two-way communication. http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/what_some_specific_stress_reduction_methods_000031_7.htm