Why do we need to avoid stress?

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Category: General

Created on Tuesday, 29 July 2008 09:13

Published on Tuesday, 29 July 2008 08:54

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Whatever the reason, we need to learn how to cope effectively in stressful situations to insure that we do not aggravate our symptoms further. We all react to stress in different ways and are stressed by different things. To some people a messy dusty house will have them climbing the walls whereas others, like myself, will have the inbred ability to simply not see it and walk calmly by. The key is to identify your own particular stressors and to develop a strategy to cope with them before they become overwhelming. Obviously it is not possible to prepare for every situation as we are not in control of what happens in the world around us, but we can learn to control our response to stress.

There are various techniques which we can learn to use to combat stress and to alter our response to it, have a look at the list below and see what most appeals to you.

• Cognitive behavioural therapy: a helpful technique  in tackling negative ways of thinking to enable you to respond more positively to stressful situations.
   
• Meditation: very useful to slow you down, clear the mind and help you to relax when things start to become overwhelming. 
   
• Exercise: a great way to get rid of all the stressful emotions; also during exercise the body releases endorphins, the body's natural painkillers.
   
• Rest: taking a rest before you become exhausted can prevent you from becoming over fatigued, a state in which you are more likely to become stressed.
   
• Relaxation: learning to relax each muscle group can make your rest periods much more productive allowing you to release the tension from your body.
   
• Distraction: distracting your mind with perhaps a movie or your favourite music can help to calm you down and give you a break from thinking about the stressful situation.
   
• Getting away: if the situation does become overwhelming it can be helpful to get away for a few days and have a change of scenery to help you relax and come up with a solution if one is needed. 
   
• Laughter: this can be one of the best stress releases as it can instantly relax you and cause the release of endorphins.