Dealing with Contagious Stress

According to Kathleen Hall, PhD and author of "Alter Your Life," others' stress can make your own heart rate and blood pressure skyrocket. These are the words coming from an expert. Nevertheless, if you are to evaluate your own life, some of us have really been in a state where we are feeling happy and having the grand time of the day when we suddenly meet or come across a person that takes away all the feeling of bliss in a matter of seconds.

This certain person suddenly feels the need to spread her anxiety and affect everyone within her grasp. Like the flu, stress and the feeling of anxiety can be contagious and can spread like wildfire in a matter of minutes. When this happens, nobody wants to be in the way and catch it like a dreadful disease that you have been trying to avoid all your life especially during the precious times when you are in a state of bliss.

Most of us have very busy schedules, and we are very much prone to exposure when it comes to these so-called contagious stress. One can easily catch this in a simple trip to the mall, office, and school, in a ride to the bus or subway and perhaps in anything we do, and everywhere we go. There is no escaping this contagious stress especially if it is not just your day.

Most of us easily get affected and are wallowed in a foul mood of anxiety and stress that we have absorbed from somebody else. If we are not prepared, we have no choice but to spend the rest of the day feeling stressed out which can be very exhausting and prevent us from doing the rest of our day to day chores. That is how deadly it can be. However, there are certain ways to keep stress of others from getting into you.

The first step to battling contagious stress is to breathe deeply. When you encounter any form of anxiety, your lungs tighten and stress hormones released. According to Miss Kathleen Hall, taking a couple of deep breaths will immediately put a stop to this reaction. So practice breathing not only because it is an essential component in our existence but also because it can help us in our battle with day-to-day stress.

The second step is to recite a mood-relaxing mantra. This does not mean that you have to change your religion and beliefs in life or turn on to witchcraft to get help. Mood-relaxing mantras are just simple affirmations that can help you deal with the stress that you will be facing. Phrases like, "I will be calm today" or "It is none of my business" can help you start and learn your way to focus more on yourself and on other important matters in your life.

The third and last step is to deflect the stress. It is like using a mirror to deflect light against somewhere else but in this case deflecting the anxiety and frustration away from you. Sometimes we face a situation wherein we have no choice but face these contagious people and the stress that comes from them. Sometimes, after a long narration of the reason behind that gloomy and contagious look, the person asks you directly of what opinion you might have regarding their situation.

Your only defense against this is to answer the question with another question that is the same to what he or she is asking. As Miss Kathleen Hall has mentioned in her book, "Often, our impulse is to jump in with advice, but doing that gets us caught in the turmoil. Putting the problem back in their lap keeps you from escalating the drama or getting too enveloped yourself."

Now that you know what to do, you can never again be affected by this contagious disease of anxiety, frustration, and stress.