Stress Management Techniques

No surprise here; we all deal with stress daily. Yes, the levels of stress we experience very vastly. And the things that cause us pressure can differ widely as well. But no matter our age, background, social standing, profession, or health status, stress affects us all.

Some types of stress are healthy. Positive stress helps to keep us motivated, working diligently to complete tasks at hand. Other forms of stress are harmful and can cause us significant emotional and physical discomfort.

Like many other aspects of life and living, stress affects everyone differently. Some individuals handle copious amounts of stress remarkably well, maneuvering themselves to take on added tasks while remaining cool, calm, and collect. Other people may struggle with even tiny amounts of stress, reacting badly when events and situations do not turn out the way they initially planned them to go. Everyone deals with stress. Still, stress can affect some more adversely than others.

Who is More at Risk to Suffer from Negative Stress?

Too little stress can result in boredom, laziness, lack of motivation, and even poor health conditions. Too much pressure can result in chronic fatigue, heightened anxiety, loss of appetite, insomnia, and even more unsatisfactory health conditions. Stress affects everyone differently. But in truth, everyone is at risk for having too much or too little stress. Still, some individuals may suffer from more adverse effects when encountering stress than others.

Suppose you or a loved one has ever dealt with substance abuse, suffered from addiction, or supported someone working through recovery, etc. In that case, you may be at risk for suffering more acutely from stress or reacting more adversely to stressful situations and triggers. Stress is a part of everyday life, but that does not mean we are all well prepared to handle it. If you have struggled in the past with a substance use disorder or addiction or know someone who has gone through the process of recovery, you face more stress than you realize. If you realize how much stress you encounter, you may not have to deal with your stress levels more healthily.

The good news is stress is manageable. It is not just an unpleasant fact you must shoulder through or let weigh you down. Yes, you do have to deal with stress. Unfortunately, there is no getting away from that. But you can use stress management techniques in your personal and professional life to helping you cope better with the pressure you deal with daily. So, what are some of these stress management techniques then? Or better yet, what are five stress management techniques you can use every day to help you cope with daily pressure? Here are some destressing methods you need to know more about.

Method #1 for Destressing

The first thing you should know about destressing is the importance of taking time to do it. Yes, stress affects everyone daily. Yes, everyone handles stressful pressures differently. And yes, it is very possible to use things like breathing exercises at work to help you destress. But the most significant, most crucial component for destressing that not any one of us can afford to forget is we need to take time for ourselves. Yes, you read that right. One of the most important and practical techniques for you to use to help combat stress is to destress yourself.

You can do this on your lunch break at work, where you go outside and ignore the world around you or hide in the corner of a quiet room to enjoy the sound of silence or your own music. You can do this after working during the day by reading a book, watching a favorite show, or cooking a new recipe. You can even do this before heading out to work by taking some time before you leave to exercise or meditate. Whatever your method being, just as long as you purposefully make the time to destress and decompress every day, you will be well on your way to helping yourself manage your daily stress levels healthily.

Technique #2 for Stress Management

Vigilance is your best friend. You know yourself and your responses to high or low levels of stress best than anyone else. One of the best stress management techniques you can utilize then is personal vigilance or mindfulness. Be mindful of your mood, how much stress you are encountering in your day, and watch how your responses regulate the pressure mounting on you. Is today more stressful than yesterday? Do you find yourself snapping at others or yourself more? Are you quickly becoming overwhelmed?

If the answer is yes, then you know it is time to take a break. Step back. Escape into a quiet place for a few minutes if you can and use a breathing exercise or count backward from 100 to help yourself regain control. If you are a planner and need a line of action to help you cope with stress better, make a realistic plan to tackle the tasks you need to accomplish for the day and work from most stressful or most minor destressing down. Having a plan and being aware of when stress is getting too much for yourself can help you immensely. Much of stress management is knowing how to respond to stress when it becomes overwhelming and reworking it to suit your specific needs at any given point in time.

And if your reactions to stress do not come in noticeable outbursts, learn to become observant of yourself. Yes, we all typically know ourselves better than anyone else. Still, we can also get so lost in the daily lives that we miss details about ourselves, our thoughts, and our actions as well. You can become so engrossed in a project or so anxious about an event that you do not realize how you treat yourself or others. You can forget to eat meals, begin to misuse substances in attempts to feel a little better, not be able to fall or stay asleep, and so much more. So, learn to recognize the subtle signs in your body that tell you your stress levels are too high. Once you know what the problem is, you can begin working on how to fix it.

Coping Skills #3 for Dealing with Stress

This one may seem a little obvious, but one of the most remarkable stress management techniques you can utilize to help you deal with stressful situations is learning coping skills. Coping skills are learned. They often are not inherent information for we human beings to know straight after birth. We instinctively know that we must soothe ourselves when we feel inadequate, overwhelmed, or scared. Still, we often do not know how to manifest healthy soothing habits.

Some of us drink too much to numb pain. Others may use drugs recreationally to escape the feelings of impending doom and grasp onto some euphoria. Some people even overeat to try and escape pain and feelings of self-loathing. Addictions are not born out of nowhere. They typically develop over time with a large set of on-setting factors building behind them. Many of us deal with stress poorly, and it can get us in harmful and scary positions. Yet, regardless of the cause of your stress and its development, good coping skills are a must-have.

In many drug and alcohol rehab facilities like https://www.sjrp.com/, coping skills training and counseling are staples in its rehabilitation programs. Many of us do not know how to deal with stress. But with careful instruction, we can learn coping skills that work best for us to help us destress. Some of the most commonly taught and utilized stress coping skills include:

• Distancing yourself from the source of stress
• Asking others for help/assistance
• Lowering your expectations to a realistic level
• Practicing thoughtful breathing
• Meditating
• Making your focus on maintaining emotional composure
• Engaging in problem-solving

And so many more. Not every coping skill or strategy will work for everyone in the same way. It is vital that you speak to a professional for helpful guidance and training to learn a variety of coping skills and how to do them the right way so that they can aid you in calming down in stressful situations instead of harming your emotional or mental health.

Tip #4 to Help You Deal with Stressful Triggers

Another tip you can utilize to help you manage and deal with stressful triggers is to talk to someone you trust. This person does not have to be a therapist exactly. However, speaking to a professional about your stress levels can be extremely helpful if they are extreme. This individual can be a supportive and trustworthy family friend, best friend, sibling, parent, or co-worker. The only requirements this individual must meet are 1; they must be a source of positive emotional and mental support with your best interest in mind, 2; they must be trustworthy; 3; they must be willing to be a part of your support community.

A robust support system is crucial for any human being to have. Without a positive support system, family, and friends, we can find ourselves spiraling into depression, believing lies about ourselves, or even turning back to more harmful coping techniques that can cause us more grief in the long run, such as substance abuse. Having a clear, strong, and reliable support system is essential for everyone, but even more so for individuals going through or who have graduated from an addiction rehab program. It is imperative that these individuals connect with other people who have gone through similar experiences. This way, they can encourage one another through great times of stress and doubt.

Our experiences and belief systems may not always line up directly with one another. But humans were made for community. And taking the time to discover our similarities and build upon shared interests can help us create solid support networks. Not every family member or friend you meet is meant to be in your support group, though. It is essential that you remember to differentiate between a person who is fleeting through your life and one who is there to stay with you through thick and thin. That last person is the one you want to be in your support system, although the other can help in times of need too.

Practice #5 for Managing Daily Pressures

Taking care of your body physically. In most of this article, we have discussed the importance of taking care of yourself emotionally and mentally. By surrounding yourself with a positive support system, taking time to decompress, learning about and practicing coping skills, and even tuning in to your body to differentiate the subtle changes to stress in your system. Now it is time for us to talk about the importance of taking care of your physical well-being.

Stress is not just an emotional or mental hang-up. Stress is a pressure that can cause you physical distress as well. Now you do not have to start lifting weights at the gym to help you destress unless you want to. Just getting outside for 30 minutes a day to take a walk, go on a bike ride, or do a small yoga session can help you divert your concentration from whatever is stressing you out to focus on another aspect of life. Doing this will help you create balance for yourself to relieve the stress in your brain and remove physical tension buildup in your body. Stress affects your mind, your emotions, and your physical health. As a result, you must remember to physically take care of your body to help you better manage the daily pressure you face.

Again, we all react to stress and stressful situations differently. What helps you relax after a hectic day may add to someone else’s stress levels. But learning to manage stress is discovering how to create balance for yourself. It is not always easy, but it is well worth the effort you put in so that you can feel consistently better about yourself and the life you lead. With stress, you can be in control of it instead of it controlling you.

References

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National Institute of Health: Office of Research on Women’s Health: Putting Science to Work for the Health of Women. 7 Steps to Manage Stress and Build Resilience. (Accessed 2021, April 14).

National Institute on Mental Health. Transforming the Understanding and Treatment of Mental Illnesses. 5 Things You Should Know about Stress. (Accessed 2021, April 14).

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. My Health Finder. Manage Stress. (Accessed 2021, April 14).

CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: CDC 24/7: “Saving Lives, Protecting People.” Tips for Coping with Stress. (2020, November 25). (2021, April 14).

Medline Plus: Trusted Health Information for You. Stress and Your Health. (2021, April 2). (2021, April 14).

SJRP. St. John’s Recovery Place. Florida Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center. Home Page. (Accessed 2021, April 14).

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