Submitted by Nancy Bergeron, Registered Psychologist
Stress is the body’s instinctual response to real or perceived threats or changes. It can be brought about by positive events (getting married or graduating) or negative events (losing a job or a sick family member). Some common reactions can include emotional tension, irritability, fear and worry about the future, feelings of hopelessness, difficulty making decisions, sleep problems, headaches, muscle pain, stomach upset, and other illness symptoms.
How to Manage Stress
Practice Self-Care
Try to eat a healthy balanced diet that is nutrient rich. Exercise regularly and get a realistic amount of sleep each night. In times of stress we tend to do the opposite and not take care of ourselves. However, this is when we need it the most. Start by just choosing one thing and do it.
Seek Support
Our natural tendency during stress is to isolate and forget to reach out for assistance. Share your challenges with a trusted person, you may be surprised by their knowledge in the area of what you are stressing about. Others may have some great suggestions that you never thought about. When we are stressed our problem-solving ability can be affected; our body is in fight or flight mode.
Make Time for Fun
Sounds counterintuitive to be having fun when something important is going on. However, this is a great way to diffuse that fight or flight tension that is in your body and allow your mind to rest. Laughing releases the feel-good hormones, endorphins and oxytocin, which counteract the stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline. So, take some time off from the worry and engage with friends, be goofy, and laugh…it really is a great problem-solving strategy as it will allow your brain to focus better later.
Learning how to manage stress is an important skill. Unmanaged stress can lead to anxiety, and anxiety can become chronic as well as acute based on its triggers. The hardest thing for us is learning to say no. We live in a busy world. Mastering how to say no can be life-changing when it comes to deleting unnecessary stressors in our lives. I will leave you with a few helpful phrases to practice:
- Let me think about that.
- Here’s what will work for me…
- Can I get back to you?
- That doesn’t work for me.
- Oh, I wish I could!
- I appreciate your asking, but I can’t.
- That isn’t doable for me right now.
- I know this is important, but I can’t.
Never forget… ‘No.’ is a complete sentence.
