Coping Skills to Deal With Stress

Whether a challenging event or circumstance has a stressful effect depends on your coping skills. Your reaction to a stressful event is related to:
• Whether you perceive the situation as threatening or undesirable
• Whether you feel you have some control over the situation
• Whether you respond to the challenge in ways that interfere with your taking care of yourselfr
When faced with a stressful situation that you cannot control, it is important for you to know that there are other elements of your life that you can control.
Control what you can--------this helps break the stress cycle by counteracting the negative effects of feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. In times of stress, it is crucial that you take care of yourself. Only then can you deal with a demanding situation or help others. Among the things that you can control are your posture and body language, muscular tension, breathing, exercise and diet. Other useful techniques are:
• Learn pacing
• Learn to say no
• Learn to assert yourself
• Get enough sleep
• Allow enough time for relaxation techniques
• Don’t think you have to do it all
• Allow sufficient exercise time for gentle muscle stretching
• Make sure you are getting proper nourishment (THAT INCLUDES WATER)
• Decrease or eliminate your intake of stress-inducing substances, including cocaine, marijuana, caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and prescription drugs, especially analgesics, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, diet pills and muscle relaxants. ASK YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE REDUCING OR ELIMINATING ANY PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION.
In making all of these changes, you are exercising control over important aspects of your life.