What exactly is stress?

 Stress is our body’s response to change.  It is a very individual thing. A situation that one person finds stressful may not trouble someone else. For example, one person may become tense when driving; while another may find driving a source of relaxation and comfort. Something that causes fear in some people, such as rock climbing, may be fun for others.  It is not that some things are “bad” or “stressful” because everyone is different. Everybody responds uniquely to different situations.

How does stress affect us?
It can make us feel irritated, fearful, keyed up, or powerless.
It can make it hard for us to sleep.
It can give us pain within the body.
It can elicit bad habits such as drinking, smoking, overeating, lack of eating, or drug use.
How should we cope wit it? 

Outside events (like problems with work, getting ready to marry or move, preparing for life changes) can be upsetting. The key factor is not the outside event but how we react to it within ourselves that is important.  We will never be able to control life’s outside events but we can try to get a handle on ourselves emotionally. Here are some suggestions:

Take 15 to 20 minutes a day to meditate.  This requires putting everything out of our minds, sitting quietly, breathing deeply, and thinking of a peaceful place or vision.

 Physical activity is a must. Studies over the years have shown that exercise helps reduce stress.  Tension is released through activity. The key is to do what we like to do whether it may be swimming, yoga, dance, or bicycle riding.

 For situations that bother us within our work situation it is important to figure out within our control what we can do to make it better.  It may require talking to the boss or supervisor.  If a neighbor’s dog is disruptive and interrupting our sleep perhaps a morning coffee together to discuss it would be better than holding it within. We need to think ahead about what may upset us. Some things or people we can avoid. For example, we can spend less time with people who frustrate us or who we generate stress from or we can avoid difficult times of driving such as rush hour if driving creates stress. The idea is to think each day through and try and find areas that we CAN change and implement those changes.

We need to try and accept things we CAN’T change. This is not easy by any means. This requires a true shift in thinking. We don’t have to solve all of life’s problems, at least not at once. We can talk to others, friends and family, therapists, doctors, etc.  The point is to reach out for the help.