Stress Management

I think it’s safe to say all of us have experienced stress. We’ve had a lot of stress factors in the past two years especially, and every day there are new stressors to face.

What is stress? verywellmind.com describes it this way:

Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional, or psychological strain. Stress is your body’s response to anything that requires attention or action. 

Everyone experiences stress to some degree. The way you respond to stress, however, makes a big difference to your overall well-being. Sometimes, the best way to manage your stress involves changing your situation. At other times, the best strategy involves changing the way you respond to the situation.

Sometimes stress isn’t easy to recognize as it can also be a healthy means to protect us–what’s known as the stress response. For instance, if you’re driving your car and a deer runs into the road in front of you, your stress response is to slam on the brakes. 

We often associate stress with the hard things in life like the loss of a loved one or the loss of a job. Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve had to adjust to many difficult forms of stress–from risks to our health to insecurities around work, finances and home. But stress can also arise from happy events: a new home, a new baby or a new job can bring a “happy stress” into our lives. All of these occurrences, regardless if we view them as “good” or “bad,” can have a lasting effect on us. Too much stress can be damaging to us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. 

As adults, it can be hard for us to identify the different stressors in our lives. And what about our children or grandchildren? How do we help them recognize and handle their stress? It can be tricky. In order to help them, we have to know how to first help and handle ourselves. We teach our children and grandchildren how to handle stress from our example. 

Stress never goes away, it’s part of our human experience. It’s important that we learn how to manage it so that we can be the best role model to help others better handle their stress. 

Listed below are some ways we can handle stress:

• Faith and prayer. Scientific studies have proven that faith and prayer are good for our health.
• Ask yourself if this is something you have control over. If not, how will you manage it?
• Take time to process your emotions. Be gentle with yourself.
• It’s ok to ask for help. Seek out someone you trust to talk to whether it be a counselor or a good friend. 
• If you’re helping someone else with their stress, be sure to create a safe environment to share. Keep communication open and be a good listener. 
• Rest! How much sleep do you need? Turn off all electronics before bed.
• Establish boundaries with your phone and social media. Social media can cause stress if we constantly compare our lives to others’ feeds.
• Learn when to say no. No is a complete sentence, and you don’t have to explain yourself. (This was hard for me to learn!)
• Laughter is one of the best medicines. Learn to laugh at yourself. Proverbs 17:22 says “a joyful heart is good medicine.”
• Take a walk in nature. I love to listen to the birds in the morning. Nature has a way of relaxing us. 
• Exercise. It can be something as simple as stretching. If you don’t have a lot of time, then break it up into smaller increments (10 minutes, three times a day). Moving our bodies is important.
• Nutrition. What are you feeding your body? Try to make small changes. (I’ve noticed I have less arthritis pain when I’m sugar free). 
• Self-care. Learn a new hobby, join a class, try new things, read a book, take a hot bath or drink a cup of tea.
• As best you can, be aware of changes as they’re happening so you know when to ask for help.
• Gratitude journal. Being grateful helps us to be happy with what we have.
• Have a purpose no matter how big or small. Purpose helps us to move forward. What do you like to do? 
• Throughout your day, practice the pause: stop and breathe.
• Smiling, dancing, singing, humming and listening to music help relax us.
• Speak kindly to yourself and others. “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” (Proverbs 12:25)

Take time for yourself and find what works best for you. Consider what helps you slow down. How we take care of ourselves is important. Stress will always be a part of life, how will you manage it?

Share some of the ways you handle stress in the comment section.