Stress - Knowing, Identifying and Managing It

Franklin Roosevelt once said "Never before have we had so little time in which to do so much". We are all so caught up in this race against time, moving from one stressful situation to another day after day, without taking the time to relax. Switching between responsibilities due the ever increasing and competing demands at work, home and family can also be very overwhelming. All this leads stress. As the stress builds up it manifests in the form of various physical, mental, emotional and behavioral ailments. Physical manifestations could be in the form of blood pressure, heart diseases or reduced immune system efficiency. Stress interferes with our mental abilities which results in the generation of negative thoughts, poor concentration, poor memory and learning problems. Stress also leads to emotional problems and behavioral problems like anger, anxiety, depression, eating disorders and drug/alcohol abuse.

Life is full of factors that cause stress - 'stressors', but on the other hand we can choose our responses to deal with these stressors. The first step in dealing with stress is recognizing it and identifying its cause. Most people know when they are stressed. If you suffer from chronic blood pressure, eating problems, insomnia, anger, depression, then you are probably stressed. Once you know that you are stressed you need to determine the root cause. Depending on the stimulus and response the stressor could be external or internal. For instance, an external stressor could be a particular situation or job, a person or it may be an environment that may stress you out. Examples of internal stressors would be anger, anxiety etc. You could also be the source of your own stress! Once identified the stressors need to be managed by choosing an appropriate response.

There are several stress guards that can help us fight the stressors in our lives, For instance:-
1. A healthy diet - remember health is wealth.
2. Get enough rest - good 7 to 8 hours of recuperative sleep is required to energize your mind and body.
3. Avoid excessive alcohol consumption - it is not a stress reducer but a stress inducer.
4. Manage your time by organizing, prioritizing and planning you day - helps gain time.
5. Exercise regularly - helps in draining out stress.
6. Yoga/Meditation - allows you to purge the stressors cleansing your mind, body and soul.
7. Think stress away - think positive, negative thinking induces stress.
8. Smile everyday and keep stress at bay.

Though we cannot avoid stress completely, yet we can manage it. Remember, if you don't manage your stress, it will manage you.