We relate stress as those moments where you feel like everything has become too much to handle and everything seems to crumble at the slightest provocation.
Even though we all know what stress is do you know how best to control and manage your stress levels?
Stress can be explained as the feelings of inability to cope with a situation or circumstance. In many cases of stress the situation may seem trivial to an outside party but its detrimental to the person experiencing those feelings.
This difference in perception about the level of crisis had led researchers to believe that stress management is largely reliant on the individuals inner self-esteem and techniques for weathering through difficult situations.
There are several schools of thought regarding effective stress management. Because every persons reaction to different stress triggers is different, there is no right or wrong way to handle stress only the right way for you.
Understanding the reasons and triggers behind your stress can be a huge step forward in learning to control your levels of stress and handle them effectively.
Job Stress Management
A highly demanding job or career can lead to very high levels of stress for people working in them and yet rarely will those people do enough to control those stress levels.
In many cases, the trigger for stress in these situations can be feeling under too much pressure from management to continually perform well. Other people report feeling as though theres simply too much expected of them throughout the working day. Still others complain continually about needing an extra few hours in each day to get everything done. The common feeling among each of these situations is frustration.
Stress management for people in these kinds of situations can often be a matter of better time management and correct delegation. Constant interruptions by telephone or other colleagues can chew into precious time in which you could be getting things done.
If your workload is wearing you down, consider breaking your tasks down into prioritised lists and working through the most important issues first. Any less important tasks can either be done later or given to another staff member to assist. Leave the phone to the voice-mail if you can. Ignore emails until after you have completed the task you are working on. Explain to colleagues that standing around gossiping takes more time than you have available. Talk to them when your work load is lowered.
Be sure to take a walk when your work day is over. You do not need to jog or sprint. Just walk around the block or around the park. The simple act of walking can help to clear bottled up feelings of frustration, improve blood circulation and give you precious time to think things through without interruption.
Relationship Stress Management
Not everyone gets stressed at work. Many people feel stressed about their relationship or family life. A large number of women report feeling stressed about the demands of running a busy household and raising a family without enough support. Many feel their partners are unsympathetic and unhelpful and the pressures of day to day life begin to affect everything they do.
Stress management for people in this situation could be partially helped with time management and effective delegation to other family members, but in relationship stress the overlying emotion is not always frustration, as with job stress. It is often lack of self-esteem and low self-worth. Many women feel as though they lose themselves in order to care for the family first.
Learning to put your own needs first before those of your family is not considered selfish. It is actually beneficial to everyone. If your own needs are well looked after, then you have more energy and more love to spread around to your family.
Take time to relax in the bath. Take a walk away from the chores and the family and enjoy the alone-time. These things do not need to take all day but just a few minutes away from the constant pressure can mean the difference between coping and falling apart.