Stress Management - Important for All

By raise of hands, who does not have enough stress in their lives? Stress is a part of the human existence, but it need not overtake us. In fact not all stress is bad. There is such a thing as too little as seen in chart below. The goal is to manage a balanced amount of stress in our lives – too much or too little is problematic. Go ahead and put a dot on the chart to indicate where you think you are. Most people will be in the overstressed range so this is where I will focus in this article. Anxiety is the most commonly diagnosed mental illness in the U.S. with almost 20% of the population diagnoses. It is often linked to how we manage stress. Stress causes a multitude of issues: Immune system weakening, IBS and other physical problems, Insomnia, Irritability, and the list goes on. The question is how can we help ourselves. Start with the cornerstone of good mental and physical health – giving yourself 8 full hours of rest each night. Do not try to convince yourself that you are a 6, or 7 hour a night person, there is really no such thing. Next, create a list of your current stressors and then work to address each. Next, learn to slow your pace, take more breaks and play. Recall the old saying: “All work and no play…” I would argue that no play also makes Jack a depressed and anxious boy. Remember, life will never really slow down, but you can choose to slow down starting immediately.