Managing Stress 101

By Author: Dr Peter Lind
Total Articles: 15
Comment this article

Stress is defined as your physiological response to an event, memory or internal or external stimulus that causes your flight-or-flight response. Managing stress is all about using specific techniques to cope with or alter your response to stressful situations.

If your reaction to a stressful event is inappropriate you will experience certain physiological responses: sweating, rapid heart rate, slowing of your digestive system, and a burst of adrenaline.

Over time your continued inappropriate responses to stress will cause the triad of stress affects: swelling of the adrenal glands, shrinking of the lymphatic system, and irritation of the digestive system.

Your job if you choose to accept it is to cope with stress and even reduce stress by finding the correct stress management technique and using them over a long period of time.

Just like anything, there are laws about stress and procedures to follow. To stop your stress freight train you need resistance. You stop fueling it. You apply the breaks. You use gravity or another natural force to assist you.

Look at how you control stress right ...
... now. Does anything about stopping a freight train apply to you?

Can you find some form of resistance -- something to keep yourself from collapsing in the face of stress? Your body needs energy from real foods, adrenal gland support, rest, exercise, and relaxation.

Stop fueling your stress. Stop giving it power. It will continue to grow unless you stop fueling it. Stop giving your stress what it needs to multiply. If you can avoid stressful situations in the first place you will be far ahead of the game. What are some areas, places, or people that you can avoid that by doing so will reduce your stress?

Apply the breaks to your stress. Where can you draw the line and make boundaries? Make your own rules about this stress and stand firm on them. No more taking on extra work. No more dating that certain person. No more eating that big glob of ice cream at night and regretting it in the morning. Make new rules - stress-free rules you can use to guide yourself before you put yourself into that stressful situation again.

Memories causing stress need to be addressed. Not the memory but your response to it. There are ways to neutralize your responses to negative or stress-causing memories. These require some physical work on your part but are well worth doing. I have detailed several techniques in my manual.

Use some natural force to assist you. Laughing is in. What can you do everyday to increase your laughter? Who makes you laugh? What do you read that cracks a smile?

Exercise reduces your stress. It is a fact that exercise improves your body's muscle tone, circulation, oxygenation, and other functions thereby improving your ability to cope with stress.

Music sounds good. Music can change a mood and stress levels in moments. What can you listen to that takes your mind of the stress at hand? Turn it on and turn it up and take it with you all day.

Relaxation is a pleasant thought. Have you just sat for five minutes and not done anything? Sit for a moment and take some deep breaths. Do nothing for a change on purpose.

Managing stress is two points.
1. Find out what it is that causes you stress; avoid it and make new rules about it.
2. Do something that powerfully reduces stress and do it over a long time, daily.

This is a simple process but it is not easy; it takes time and attention but what other choices you have?

For more tips and information from health expert Dr Peter Lind, go to managing stress for lots of free information.