If you are reading this article, you have already fulfilled your first step in identifying that you may have a problem, and are taking active steps in learning how to cope with it. Whilst stress is sometimes seen as a negative problem, there is positive stress as well, which can help us to achieve greater effectiveness and efficiency at our optimal stress level.

Stress refers to the conflict we experience when we face pressures and react to the external environment, and this can take the form of both psychological and physical reactions. Be it competition at your workplace, or conflicts at home or with friends, stress is everywhere and certainly unavoidable. Hence, it is important that you learn how to manage your stress levels to ensure that they continue to remain positive, and not cause a negative effect on your lifestyle.

Below are 5 easy ways to manage stress:

1. Identify the Causes
There are many causes of stress, which we refer to as stressors. These stressors are likely to occur in your everyday life, and you can identify them simply by your own reactions to different events or situations. For example, if you find yourself getting a headache when you are required to give a speech, you are likely to be suffering from performance stress. There are many different stressors, and these can range from bereavement and boredom to frustration.

2. Taking Deep Breaths
This is perhaps one of the easiest and most effective relaxation techniques. When you feel your body tensing, or a headache approaching, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Take deep breaths and slowly accept the situation without panicking. Tell your body and mind to calm down, and this will help to stave off the approaching reactions that your body has to the stressor.

3. Think Positive
Your subconscious mind picks up and magnifies your positive and negative thoughts! It is important that you maintain a positive attitude towards stress management, and this will help your subconscious to magnify on the positive aspects. Remember that no matter how stressful it may seem, you will learn something from the situation.

4. Take care of yourself
If you take care of your body, it will help your mind to function better. A well rested body and mind can work wonders for stress relief, so make sure that you get the recommended dosage of 8 hours of sleep a day. A balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables will keep your systems healthy and working. Regular exercise at least twice a week will help your body to relax and unwind from the daily stressed you face. It does not need to be something that is extremely taxing – a brisk walk or yoga practice sessions work just as well as aggressive sports.

5. Relax
Learn to slow down your pace and relax! The psychological and physical reactions are your body’s way of telling you that it needs a break, so take heed. Often, we are the most demanding on ourselves, and you need to remember that taking a break can be more productive than slogging on. A quick break or a power nap can help to rejuvenate your mind, and leave you more motivated than before!

Stress refers to the tension and pressure from the conflict between the external environment and yourself, resulting in physical and psychological reactions. There are many ways of relieving and managing stress levels, ranging from the extreme to the not so. Medication, alternative treatments, therapy range on the extreme, whilst relaxation techniques, laughter and even stress relief games range on the not so extreme.

That is right – there are such things as stress relief games, which promise to help you with managing your stress levels. Stress relief games are a viable option for relieving stress, and this includes both indoor and outdoor games. Although this method is not supported by research, it is highly recommended by most stress management programs.

Outdoor games take the form of tennis, football or basketball, and works similar to exercise. It is a great way to relieve stress and unwind, and serves as a useful and healthy outlet for day to day worries. Through exhaustive physical game play, the stress hormone levels are decreased. Indoor games are of course, a lot more convenient, and do not require you to spend as much time. These include chess, computer games, or mind puzzles such as crosswords and sudoku.

If outdoor games are similar in function to exercise, than indoor games are similar to meditation or relaxation techniques. By focusing on the game, the mind is able to move away from the stressor and this will help it to relax. The game also allows for the expression of altered states of emotions, ensuring intense involvement.

That said, that are many games available online for free, and it can be difficult to choose the appropriate game. There are a few guidelines to keep in mind when picking your game, to ensure that you reap the full benefit of engaging in the game. Firstly, the game should be suitably challenging, but should allow the player to win with ease. This promotes a sense of success and will increase confidence.

Secondly, it is important to pick a game suitable to each individual. Certain people relieve stress through physical exertion or expression of anger, and it is preferable to pick games that allows for them to vent their emotions without any actual physical or emotional damage to themselves or others. Suitable games would be those that involve some measure of violence. Of course, games which have negative effects should be avoided, such as those with high violence content and a high level of difficulty.

In general, studies have found that the incorporation of stress relief games at work reduces stress levels, and result in better relaxation. Whilst only a few studies support the use of online indoor games in stress relief, it is the general perception that such games are highly effective and useful for short term and immediate stress relief.

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) refers to the delayed reaction, sometimes for longer than 6 months, to a highly stressful or life threatening event. Often the causes for PTSD are myriad and distasteful, and more than 40 million women in America suffer from it. Although childhood abuse and sexual abuse is a common cause of PTSD, other events which cause psychological trauma can also trigger the disorder. These include life threatening accidents, wars or natural disasters.

PTSD usually occurs following a stressful or traumatic event that is highly severe, and often survivors and witnesses of such events will only start showing symptoms of PTSD after a few months. The reasons for this would be due to the event being perceived as dangerous and outside of the individual’s control, leading to feelings of helplessness and extreme anxiety.

Due to the severity of the event or disaster, the inability of the person to avoid or cope with the trauma is such that it results in PTSD. Due to the immense negative impact, the person will avoid any situation or trigger that might remind them of the event. Whilst it has been attributed to internal conflict, recent research has shown that these psychological conditions are actually due to past traumatic events. Further, it is likely that the extreme stress experienced during the event has resulted in physical damage to the hippocampus, the part of the brain that deals with the emotions of fear and stress.

For a person who is suffering from PTSD, any spur of event occurring can trigger manifestations and he will suffer from the traumatic event both physiologically and psychologically. There will be repeated flashbacks of the event, and being subjected to this experience will cause a behavioral change eventually. These take the form of amnesia, listlessness and a need to isolate themselves.  

For children suffering from PTSD, they are likely to experience nightmares, memory fragmentation, hypertension, flashbacks, amnesia, panic attacks and some may turn to substance abuse to avoid memories of the event. Most victims will suffer from a range of effects, such as physiological, psychological, social and self destructive behaviors.

Physiological outcomes take the form of a change in the brain activity, structure and functioning, also known as neurobiological effects. There may also by psychophysiological effects, such as hyper arousal, increased propensity to be startles and increased neurohormonal changes which leads to greater stress and depression. It is often easy to overlook physiological outcomes as they take the form of physical issues such as headaches or lightheadedness and are treated accordingly.

Psychological outcomes include depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders and dissociation, where the individual seeks to hide from the present by submerging into their selves. Other social indicators include low self esteem, substance abuse and an inability to form interpersonal relationships. At its extreme, the individual may turn to self destructive behavior and attempt suicide, or take part in self injury and risky behaviors that can lead to death.
 
If the individual is diagnosed with PTSD, there is treatment and help available in the form of stress medications and therapy. These aim to correct the physical, physiological and psychological effects experienced and aim to integrate the person back into their current lives.

Stress is inevitable, and whilst we may sometimes be able to change stressful situations, it is impossible to always avoid all stressful situations. Stress is the result of our physical and psychological reactions to changes in our environment. In certain amounts, stress can be beneficial, pushing us to achieve our goals. However, too much stress will lead to negative emotional and physical reactions as it is our body’s way of telling us that we need a break and that we are unable to cope.

There are some 60 over different causes of stress, with more sources being added to the list with time. This is not surprising given the rate of change that we are facing in our lives. Not all stress is resultant from negative changes; positive changes in our lives may increase our stress levels as well. Whilst we are not able to avoid all stressful situations, we are certainly capable of learning how to deal with them.

A stressor is something which creates or increases stress, and there are different varieties of factors that cause stress. We identify the top 5 stressors that most people face, and highlight them for you to make it easier for you to spot your own personal stressors.

Cause #1: Monetary
Money may not make the world go round, but it is certainly essential for a certain measure of happiness. Financial stresses are one of the leading causes of stress due to the increased standards of living that people want to achieve. Money is needed to finance the purchase of a new home or a new car. Further, a loss in inflow of money is also a primary cause of stress. These include the loss of a job, or the potential of being retrenched.

It is not hard to understand after all. Money is needed to send your children to college, or to pay for medical expenses, and the various other needs that we have.

Cause #2: Occupational
Closely tied into the first stressor is that of our jobs. Our jobs cause us stress as we need to worry about meeting our performance targets, or impressing the boss for a pay rise. Or it could simply be office politics, or a fear of being retrenched. A merger with another company could drastically change our working conditions, and the list goes on. There are countless factors and reasons that cause occupational stress, both external and internal.

Cause #3: Performance
This is a situation which many at some point or another in their lives have faced. A sudden call for a speech, lunch with the boss, meeting a potential date, driving on the highway for the first time, final examinations and the other monumental events that we go through cause us great amounts of stress. There is a need to perform, to do well and be accepted, leading to greater anxiety. These may even be events that we are familiar with and prepared for, but when placed in the spot still causes stress.

Cause #4: Bereavement
Be it the death of a pet, a loss of a relationship, or the death of a life partner, these are not events that occur commonly. Whilst the death of a loved one is not something that we experience in our lives everyday, it is probably one of the stressors with the greatest impact.

Cause #5: Personal
This refers to stresses that are largely internal, though they may be triggered by our external environment. For example, we have a need for a certain measure of control over our lives. We like to think that we have a choice over what we want to do, when we want to do it. When this sense of control is missing, we find our stress levels rising. Recall waiting for your friend who is late to arrive to catch a movie? These are events that are out of our control, causing us to be subject to other people’s demands, and can be a great source of stress.

Personal changes of any sort, positive or negative, also cause a large amount of stress. The decision to get married, the birth of a kid, or perhaps a legal case, these are all personal stressors.

When talking about stress, stress management experts will always emphasize that the focus should be on making stress work for you, rather than eliminating stress. Without a doubt, it is impossible to live a stress free life in our times, when the needs of money and material wants and needs drives us to study hard and work harder. It is also perhaps a little known fact that stress need not always be bad.

Stress refers to our reaction from the conflict between our external environment and us, leading to emotional and physical pressure. The key is in learning to distinguish when the levels of stress are too high, and how to take steps to reduce the level of stress so that it remains optimal for you. Here are 3 tips to help your relieve stress for free!

Tip #1: Always set Goals
At the start of each day, week or month, it is crucial that you set yourself goals. These goals should be SMART, meaning that they have to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound. Remember that your goals should always be realistic, and by pursuing the goals that you have set out you will be able to achieve more than you thought you were capable of in the time span you have set yourself. It is no point to set goals that are overly ambitious, as the end result may be undesirable, with you unable to meet your goals and hence feeling stressed out and experiencing a lower sense of self confidence.

Tip #2: Improve your Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence here is taken in the context of managing your emotions, especially in relation to stressful situations. This is usually measured by an indicator known as the Emotional Quotient, or EQ. Most often, your emotional reactions may be more extreme than called for, and this is due to your perception of threat to your emotional wellbeing. It is important that you do not adopt extremist views with regards to any situation, though it definitely does not mean that you should not have an opinion. Remember that there is no strict black or white, and that our opinions should always be flexible along the gradient of gray.

Tip #3: Time Management
With proper time management, you will find that 24 hours a day is more than sufficient for you to complete everything that you want or need to, including rest. Before you go to sleep each night, review what you have done for the day, and what you are planning to do the next day. Follow a set of priorities, or draw up a daily to do list, complete with a realistic amount of time allocated to each task. However, there is no need to be overly rigid to the timetable as certain tasks may require more time due to greater complexity than accounted for.

With the rapid advancement of technology, the stresses faced at work have also increased. Many people dread going to work, hence the term “Monday Blues”. What is the reason for this? There is partly the fear from being retrenched in bad times, leading to greater job insecurity on the part of those who remain. Undoubtedly, occupational stress is one of the most commonly cited stressors faced by people all over the world.

Stress refers to the pressure and reactions to our environment which results in psychological and physical reactions. Whilst some stress is good for motivation and increasing efficiency, too much stress can result in negative impacts such as reduced effectiveness and efficiency. More and more people are feeling isolated and disrespected at work, and this has led to greater occupational stress. Many companies have taken to consulting experts and professionals on ways to increase connectedness and motivation of their employees.

Some companies organize parties and make their employees feel valued at work. These are measures to motivate employees and help them to feel secure at their jobs, translating into greater productivity. However, not all companies have such measures in place, and some have not gotten it quite right. Hence, it is up to you to make sure that you can cope with stress at your workplace, and use it to help you work better. Here are 3 simple steps to help you with coping with stress in the workplace.

Step #1: Raising Awareness
Help yourself to identify when you are facing rising levels of stress, tipping the scales from positive to negative. This is important, as being able to identify signs of being stressed can help you to take steps to ensure that your overall quality of life does not drop. If left unacknowledged, the problem will only snowball, leading to disastrous consequences to your health and overall wellbeing.

You can identify if you are feeling stressed by checking if you have any physical or psychological reactions, such as excessive sweating or heart palpitations, or the onset of headaches, irritability or the need to escape. If you experience any of these reactions, identify if you are feeling any overwhelming negative emotions, and if you are constantly worried.

Step #2: Identify the Cause
You need to be able to analyze the situation and identify what is causing the rise in stress. These stressors can be external and internal. External stressors refer to things beyond your control, such as the environment or your colleagues at work. Internal stressors refer to your own thinking and attitude. Often, we only start reacting to stress when a combination of stressors working together exceeds our ability to cope.

Keep a diary or a list of events that have caused you to feel strong negative emotions, or that are likely stressors. This will help you to identify the causes of your stress. Whilst it is not always possible to eradicate them, we can change the way that we cope with it.

Step #3: Coping with Stress
In order to deal with the situation that is causing you stress, you need to calm your mind and body so as to stave off the reactions and cope with it in a positive way. This can be through different methods, such as taking time off. If a situation is triggering your stress and you are unable to calm down, remove yourself from it. Go outside and take a walk to calm down. Alternatively, you can try implementing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing. If it is an internal stressor, stop your thought process until you are able to deal with it logically.

The key to making these 3 steps work for you is to practice them. These are not instantaneous solutions, and you need to condition your mind and practice them so that you can implement it when you are feeling stressed.

Stress has often been misunderstood to be negative, with few people acknowledging the importance and usefulness of positive stress. In our everyday lives, stress is everywhere and definitely unavoidable; hence our emphasis should be on differentiating between what is good stress, and what is bad. This will help us to learn to cope with negative stress, and harness the power of positive stress to help us achieve more.

There are 4 main categories of stress, namely eustress, distress, hyperstress and hypostress. Negative stress can cause many physical and psychological problems, whilst positive stress can be very helpful for us. Here’s how we differentiate between them.

Eustress
This is a positive form of stress, which prepares your mind and body for the imminent challenges that it has perceived. Eustress is a natural physical reaction by your body which increases blood flow to your muscles, resulting in a higher heart rate. Athletes before a competition or perhaps a manager before a major presentation would do well with eustress, allowing them to derive the inspiration and strength that is needed.

Distress
We are familiar with this word, and know that it is a negative form of stress. This occurs when the mind and body is unable to cope with changes, and usually occurs when there are deviations from the norm. They can be categorized into acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is intense, but does not last for long. On the other hand, chronic stress persists over a long period of time.  Trigger events for distress can be a change in job scope or routine that the person is unable to handle or cope with.

Hyperstress
This is another form of negative stress that occurs when the individual is unable to cope with the workload. Examples include highly stressful jobs, which require longer working hours than the individual can handle. If you suspect that you are suffering from hyperstress, you are likely to have sudden emotional breakdowns over insignificant issues, the proverbial straws that broke the camel’s back. It is important for you to recognize that your body needs a break, or you may end up with severe and chronic physical and psychological reactions.

Hypostress
Lastly, hypostress occurs when a person has nothing to do with his time and feels constantly bored and unmotivated. This is due to an insufficient amount of stress, hence some stress is inevitable and helpful to us. Companies should avoid having workers who experience hypostress as this will cause productivity and mindfulness to fall. If the job scope is boring and repetitive, it would be a good idea to implement some form of job rotation so that there is always something new to learn.

There are many different methods that people employ to deal with stress. Some turn to substances such as cigarettes and alcohol, whilst others may seek medication to cope. These are all quick fixes which deal with the symptoms of stress, whilst the root problem is allowed to build up leading to greater problems in the future.

Apart from therapy and relaxation exercises, one of the next most recommended methods is through the use of aromatherapy. Whilst the act of burning candles may seem dubious, aromatherapy is scientifically supported and used for a range of medical issues. Aromatherapy uses plant extracts to promote and restore overall wellness for your mind and body, and is more than just pleasant smells from essential oils and oil blends.

With the use of different extracts, there are different chemical makeups which result in different results. Aromatherapy can be administered via inhaling or direct application to your body. It is also possible to blend different oils and extracts to produce a more effective overall effect. In general, oils are physically more effective, and have a better scent.

For the purpose of stress relieving, a few essential oils are recommended based on effectiveness. Rose geranium oil is ideal for your nervous system as it balances emotions. Bergamot and lemongrass, both citrus scents, are also useful for relieving stress. Bergamot is often blended with rose geranium to reduce tension, whilst lemongrass is blended with patchouli. Other oils include jasmine, sandalwood, lavender, eucalyptus and pettigrain. These chemicals are able to soothe muscle tension and relieve stress and its physical symptoms such as headaches and anxiety.

The application of aromatherapy is dependent on each individual’s preferences and schedules so as to fit in conveniently with your lifestyle. For the individual with a hectic lifestyle, the inhalation method would be ideal. Simply add a couple drops of oil into a small dish and suspend it over boiling water, and breathe in the scent deeply for ten minutes. You can also employ aromatherapy tools used for dispensing the scent throughout the room. If you have the time to spare, you can consider direct application to your skin by adding 5 to 6 drops of oil into your bath, or mixing it with your body foam. It is safe to mix the oils with olive oil for baths, or massage.

Aromatherapy can be used with other practices such as massages and acupunctures, and is present in almost all spas internationally. Relieving stress with aromatherapy is an excellent way to take a break from your hectic life to relax and unwind, leaving your mind and body more refreshed.

Whilst there is medication available for dealing with stress, it is and should not be used for coping with day to day stresses at the work place, or at home. Stress is very much a part of our lives, and we should learn to cope with it without the use of medication. It is important to manage stress so that it is at an acceptable or optimal level, and acts as a positive motivating force.

However, there may be certain stressors that we face such as the death of a loved one or a traumatic experience. These stressors are difficult to cope with without the help of medication to control the symptoms of anxiety and insomnia. These sudden and disastrous events can create extremely stressful situations and doctors will usually have to take precautions in prescribing suitable medications for each individual.

Other cases where medication may be necessary or essential for stress related reactions include sever headaches, such as tension type headache (TTH) which is caused by fluctuations in the circulation of blood and muscle tension. According to The Journal of American Medical Association, tricyclic antidepressants when combined with stress therapy, are highly effective in dealing with TTHs and other headache related symptoms and pain.

The most common medication prescribed for stress is in relation to reducing anxiety and depression, and are usually in the group of tranquilizers or sedatives which function by slowing down the nervous system. These include benzodiazepines and azapirones, which are used for short terms and have severe side effects. They may also lead to addiction if used for long periods.

Apart from these, it is also possible to turn to a range of natural medications such as ayurveda and herbs. These do not contain any side effects, and are equally effective in reducing the physical and psychological reactions associated with stress.

There has also been an influx of alternative treatments used in dealing with stress. For example, laughter has been found to release certain hormones and chemicals in our body that help to reduce stress and blood pressure. It is also a natural cure for depression, and boosts the body’s immune system.

Research from the University of Cincinnati has also found that the consumption of sweets decrease the production of glucocorticoid, which is a hormone produced when the body is under stress. This hormone helps the body to recover from the stress, but has the negative effect of increasing obesity and decreasing the body’s immunity. Sugar snacks, specifically those that are not artificially sweetened, are recommended self medications for psychological and physical stress reactions.

In sum, there is a range of medications and treatments available to help deal with stress. However, do bear in mind that if you feel that medical help is necessary you should speak to a professional who can recommend the most suitable alternative for your needs. Self medication should be avoided.

Hence, it is evident that some form of positive stress can add more color and vibrancy to our lives. The presence of a deadline, for example, can push us to make the most of our time and produce greater efficiency. It is important to keep this in mind, as stress management refers to using stress to our advantage, and not on eradicating the presence of stress in our lives.

On the other hand, negative stress can result in mental and physical strain. The individual will experience symptoms such as tensions, headaches, irritability and in extreme cases, heart palpitations. Hence, whilst some stress may be seen as a motivating force, it is important to manage stress levels so that it does not have an adverse impact on your health and relationships.

Part of managing your stress levels include learning about how stress can affect you emotionally and physically, as well as how to identify if you are performing at your optimal stress level (OSL) or if you are experiencing negative stress. This knowledge will help you to identify when you need to take a break, or perhaps seek professional help. It is also your first step towards developing techniques to managing your stress levels.

Modern day stresses can take the form of monetary needs, or emotional frictions. Competition at work and an increased workload can also cause greater levels of stress. How do you identify if you are suffering from excessive stress? Psychological symptoms commonly experienced include insomnia, headaches and an inability to focus. Physical symptoms take the form of heart palpitations, breathlessness, excessive sweating and stomachaches.

What causes stress? There are many different causes of stress, and that which causes stress is also known as a stressor. Common lifestyle stressors include performance, threat, and bereavement stressors, to name a few. Performance stressors are triggered when an individual is placed in a situation where he feels a need to excel. This could be during performance appraisals, lunch with the boss, or giving a speech. Threat stressors are usually when the current situation poses a dangerous threat, such as an economic downturn, or from an accident. Lastly, bereavement stressors occur when there is a sense of loss such as the death of a loved one, or a prized possession.

Thus, there are various stressors, and even more varied methods and techniques of dealing with stress and turning it to our advantages. In order to do so, we must learn to tell when we have crossed the line from positive to negative stress.