Being Aware of Stress is Critical to Managing It Well

“My body needs laughter as much as it needs tears. Both are cleansers of stress." ~ Mahogany Silver Rain

Although we tend to think of being stressed as an emotional state, there are actually many different types of stress. Paul Check has written about physical, emotional, chemical, nutritional, electromagnetic, and thermal stress. Each type of stress is a byproduct of either our thinking, our lifestyle choices, our environment, or our relationships.

Worrying about time, anticipating the future, being involved in an acutely dangerous situation, and fretting over dealing with others all take a big emotional toll. However, our bodies have no clue about these distinctions. They are only wired to react.

You, on the other hand, tend to live in your magnificent brain, that can be trained to be proactive about stress, thus alleviating its toll on your body. Here are some stress-reducers you might like to try:

1. Sometimes, stress is a product of inexperience. The only way to change your reaction to being inexperienced is to practice being in that stressful situation. If it is an event like a job interview or talking with a patient about a difficult diagnosis, remember that you can only get better with exposure. The more times you go through the circumstances, the less stress you will experience.

2. Meditation is a good stress reliever because it trains your body to let go of its stress response. It actually reverses it through the gentle power of breathing and mental stress release. Relaxing away from the stress and surrounding yourself with a sense of harmony is a wonderful rejuvenator.

3. Talking to others is also a great way for your body to get rid of stress. Your mind can process difficult emotions, get feedback, and vent, which will help your body get back on an even keel. Speaking with a mental health professional can be crucial, especially if you are suffering from the lasting effects of a stressful situation.

4. Laugh. Nothing can release the pressure faster than insightful comedy or silly entertainment. When you laugh, you add more oxygen to your blood and that releases happiness-inducing endorphins. Your muscles will also relax when you laugh. Let’s face it: you cannot laugh and be stressed at the same time. It’s not possible.

5. Exercise. Not only will it strengthen your body, it will help to keep your mind performing at its highest potential. It’s another way to release endorphins and the folks at the Mayo Clinic call it “meditation in motion.” Two for the price of one.

6. Breathe deeply. Step away from whatever stress-inducing situation you are in, leave all thought of it behind, and take ten deep breaths. This will slow down your heart rate and your blood pressure.

7. Listen to music, preferably some that is calming. Playing the sounds from nature is a great stress reducer. You might try rocking out in your car on the way home from work. Having the windows rolled up or down is your choice.

Knowing what your body is up against when it comes to stress helps you appreciate the many situations in which you are exposing yourself to its effects. Although this is not an exhaustive list of techniques, the key is to understand the many ways we induce a stress mode in our bodies, and practice effective elimination techniques to minimize the damage.