Reduce and Cope With Stress

Stress is a natural by product of life today, but the good news is that there are many effective stress-reducing techniques to diminish the physical and emotional symptoms of stress and improve your quality of life. While you may not be able to change your outer environment or circumstances, you can take control of your stress from within, by practicing any 1 of a number of exercises for this purpose. Once you realize you can take charge of many of the components of your situation, you will learn how to reduce and cope with stress through any challenging time.

Steps

 * 1) Identify the causes of your tension to determine if there are changes you can make to reduce stress anxiety at the source.[[Image:Reduce and Cope With Stress Step 1.jpg|center]]
 * 2) * In some cases, stress may be somewhat self-inflicted. For example, stress over work deadlines may be a result of a procrastination habit. If you can identify the reasons for your tension, you may be able to make changes to your situation that create a more stress-free environment.
 * 3) Relax your mind through mental exercises like positive thinking that diminish the effects of stress and help you think more clearly.[[Image:Reduce and Cope With Stress Step 2.jpg|center]]
 * 4) * According to the Mayo Clinic, studies have shown a link between positive thinking and one's health and well being. Positive thinking does not come naturally to everyone, but it is a habit that can be learned. The first step is to practice self-talk (thoughts that run in a continuous stream through your mind) that transforms negative thoughts into positive ones.
 * 5) Keep a journal to write about stressful events and how they make you feel. You can also list the reasons for your stress in order to more effectively identify stressors and deal with them at the source.[[Image:Reduce and Cope With Stress Step 3.jpg|center]]
 * 6) Begin a daily exercise program that relieves muscle tension and promotes a healthier lifestyle overall. Physical activity releases endorphins, known as "feel good" hormones, into the body to elevate your mood naturally.[[Image:Reduce and Cope With Stress Step 4.jpg|center]]
 * 7) Eat stress-reducing foods like oranges, almonds, salmon and spinach. These foods provide nutrients necessary to reducing tension, boosting the immune system and lowering blood pressure.[[Image:Reduce and Cope With Stress Step 5.jpg|center]]
 * 8) Learn relaxation exercises like deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation to reduce stress anxiety and the physical symptoms associated with it. These relaxation techniques help focus the mind, relax the body and relieve tension.[[Image:Reduce and Cope With Stress Step 6.jpg|center]]
 * 9) Prevent additional stress from entering your life by eliminating the stressors that you do have control over.[[Image:Reduce and Cope With Stress Step 7.jpg|center]]
 * 10) * Some of the easiest ways to reduce stress include learning to say "no" when someone asks for a favor you don't have time to do and avoiding people and situations that create more anxiety and stress in your life. If factors like the news or discussions over hot-button topics induce tension, avoid those as well.
 * 11) Practice healthy habits that naturally reduce stress anxiety and avoid behaviors and substances that tend to make stress worse.[[Image:Reduce and Cope With Stress Step 8.jpg|center]]
 * 12) * A healthy diet and sufficient sleep work effectively in combating the results of stress. By the same token, avoid behaviors that can contribute to tension, such as smoking, drinking alcohol and caffeine and taking drugs.

Related wikiHows

 * Reduce Stress Through Exercise

Sources and Citations

 * http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm
 * http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-relieving-stress
 * http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/positive-thinking/SR00009
 * http://www.delish.com/recipes/cooking-recipes/stress-reducing-food-040909