3 ways how to control stress

By: Franchesca Eloise M. Escalante

Sometimes, stress can be good.

It helps us act when we otherwise might be paralyzed,

spurring us to overcome obstacles.


But chronic stress in everyday situations can be harmful,

to your health and psyche.


The good news is that stress can be controlled with the right tools.


With the right physical and mental makeup, stress can be gone.


1. UNDERSTANDING STRESS


Understand a bit about stress.1.1Stress is physical or emotional tension

or discomfort brought on by any perceived

threat to our well-being. While some stress

can be good planning your wedding, for

example other types of stress can be

hazardous to your overall health. In this

article, we'll examine ways to curb the

negative kind of stress.


1.2 Recognize the symptoms of stress.

Stress can manifest in a number of

different ways. Be on the lookout for both

physical and emotional signs of stress. Here

are some common ways stress affects

people:


Realize some of the causes of

short-term stress.1.3

Short-term stress is fleeting but

powerful. Just because we know it's fleeting

doesn't make it any less immediate.


1.4 Know some of the cause of

long-term stress.Long-term stress is more pervasive. In

some cases, it can be brought on by a positive

event in one's life, such as getting a promotion

or having a child. It is arguably more hazardous

to one's health because it can stew and fester

for such a long time. With long-term stress, the

sympathetic autonomic nervous system (ANS)

initiates a fight or flight reaction semi-

permanently, without ever letting the

parasympathetic ANS relax the body and fully

take over. By: Franchesca Eloise M. Escalante

1.5 Do not use drugs or abuse alcohol

in order to deal with stress.

Dealing with stress is a difficult

arrangement. Sadly, taking drugs or abusing

alcohol in order to deal with stress doesn't do

anything to fix the stress. In the long run,

using drugs and alcohol as a crutch actually

creates more problems than it solves.


1.6 Know that stress can ultimately

be prevented.

It may seem like stress is a constant in

your life, but there are ways to keep stress

from encroaching on your happiness in the

first place. This is more than just stress

management, or what you'll find to the next

slides; this is stress prevention.


FIRST. Plan ahead. If you have a bout of short-term

stress before every midterm, for example, it's worth

planning ahead. Start studying a couple days

before you normally do, and study when

your concentration is at its peak. Plan out your

social engagements so that you have a break every

so often. Planning ahead will sometimes prevent

stress altogether.


SECOND. Create an order of operations.

Assign priorities to certain tasks, and get the

high-priority tasks done first and the low-

priority tasks done later. Signing up for health

insurance and signing up for the latest soccer

tournament should not have equal priority.

Prioritize accordingly.


THIRD. Prepare for potentially stressful

events. If you know a stressful event is on the

horizon, prepare for it mercilessly. That way,

when it comes time to give a presentation, for

example, you'll feel confident that you have

what it takes to deliver it effectively.


2. SEARCHING FOR QUICK FIXES


2.1 Ask yourself: Is there really

anything I can do about the

situation?Take a step back. Look for some

perspective. Sometimes, we get stressed

about situations over which we have

absolutely no control, like being stuck in a

traffic jam. Letting the mind know that it's

okay to relinquish control may be all you

need in order to fight stress. So if you find out

there's nothing you can do about your

suddenly stressful situation, try not to worry

about it. By: Franchesca Eloise M. Escalante

2.2 Learn not to sweat the small stuff.Related to but distinct from the issue

above, this method is all about using

perspective to reduce stress. Life is full of

problems some of them big, some of them

small. People who successfully ward off

stress are often good about letting the small

stuff slide and focusing on the truly important

things.


2.3 Fight stress with physical activity.Feeling stressed? Then get on a bike

and pedal out that anxiety. Put on your

running shoes and jog around the track.

Change into your trunks and take a couple

laps around the pool. Controlling stress is

sometimes as easy as getting up and moving

about.


2.4 Try meditation and breathing

exercises.When stress takes over, the

sympathetic ANS pumps adrenaline and

other hormones into the body to prepare it for

action. Usually, the parasympathetic ANS

eventually takes over and calms the body

down. You can help the parasympathetic

ANS take over by practicing meditation and

breathing exercises.


2.5 Get social.After getting stressed out, it's tempting

to try to isolate yourself from people. But

evidence shows that being around trusted

and amicable people can help ease stress. It

doesn't necessarily have to be your friends or

family, although they are great social

motivators; it can be acquaintances or simply

people around in, say, in a coffee shop. Being

around the right sort of people can do

wonders for managing your stress.


2.6 Distract yourself.If your aim is improving concentration,

distracting yourself probably isn't a very good

idea. But that's not your aim, is it? Distraction

can be an effective way of temporarily

ignoring stress if you eventually use another

method of controlling it instead of just

ignoring it.


2.7 Focus on the positive.There's almost always a silver lining in

stressful situations. On a sheet, divide the

situation into possible positive and negative

outcomes. Then do something symbolic to

the negative outcomes, like ripping them

apart or burning them up. Take the positive

outcomes and let them inform your thinking

instead of the negative outcomes.


2.8 Be simple.In order to feel like you have more

control over your own decisions, try

simplifying aspects of your life. Take that

vacation you've been putting off for five

years. Set aside time to relax with a warm

cup of tea. Take walks with your family. Try

filling your life with simple things. It's those

simple things that often have the most

powerful effects.


2.9 Try managing stress with

music therapy.

Combine relaxation with music in order

to fight stress, dementia, speech loss, rising

blood pressure, and much more. Scientists

have found that music therapy helps people

calm their mind and body through its order,

rhythm, and predictability. Find a nice spot to

let loose, turn on some relaxing music, and

help control your stress.


3. INVESTING IN LONG-TERM

SOLUTION


It may sound a little counterproductive to

dwell on your stress in a journal, but it's

actually healthy if you learn to deal with

stress. Keep a journal with you at all times

and write in it whenever you feel stressed.

3.1 Make a stress-journal.


3.2 Start sharing your thoughts.

Being in a stressful situation can make

you feel like you're alone on an island.

Luckily, you're not. Sharing your thoughts

and feelings with other people, whether they

are friends, family, co-workers, or

acquaintances, can make you feel like a

burden has been lifted from your shoulders.


3.3 Maintain a healthy diet.

When your body is running low on fuel,

or is only running on the wrong kind of fuel,

it's hard to muster up energy to fight stress.

During this time, stress can seem

particularly frightening and be particularly

exhausting. Therefore, it's important to get

a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables,

whole grains, lean protein, fiber, and

healthy fats.By: Franchesca Eloise M. Escalante

3.4 Carve out enough time in your

day to sleep.Stress and inadequate sleep can form a

vicious cycle. On the one hand, a survey

said that 2/3 of subjects associated their

sleep problems with stress. On the other

hand, another study found that for each

hour of sleep you lose during the night,

your risk of stress increases 14%. In other

words, stress causes sleeplessness, and

lack of sleep causes stressBy: Franchesca Eloise M. Escalante

3.5 Reward yourself, but don't rely

too much on incentives.

This gives us an incentive to work

through difficult situations in order to do

what we know is right. But don't rely on

incentives in order to get you through

stressful times. It can be unhealthy to

always need an incentive. Sometimes you

buckle down and do something because

you want to do it or you know you should

do it. By: Franchesca Eloise M. Escalante

3.6 Ask for help.

Actively solicit the advice of others and

entertain their ideas. You never know when

another perspective will really hit home.

Asking for help may mean putting aside

your ego, but it's worth it. People are

generally keen on lending a helping hand.

(It makes them feel good about

themselves.) Learn take advantage of that

largesse.cBy: Franchesca Eloise M. Escalante

These are the three

ways to control stress,

except one. A. Understand

Stress

B. Investing long-term solution

C. Go out of

town

D. Searching for quick

fixes


3 ways how to control stress

Education