What does stress relief mean

Deborah C. Escalante

There never seems to be enough hours in a day. And in those few hours, you’re loaded with deadlines, responsibilities, errands and expectations. With stress weighing you down, daily tasks get harder and harder to handle — like a heavy backpack getting heavier as the day goes on.

Fortunately, there are 4 steps to help reduce stress and cope with the inevitable stressors of everyday life:

1. Avoid.

Believe it or not, it is possible to escape some of the minor stressors that tend to trouble people:
  • Take control of the stress that fills your day by finding ways to ways to make the situation better. For example, if your commute is stressful, try buying a new CD to make it more enjoyable.
  • Create distance between you and something that causes stress. If a co-worker continually irritates you, create physical distance between the two of you.
  • Say no when necessary.

2. Alter.

Communicate clearly and let people know your expectations. It can make a world of difference:
  • Respectfully ask someone to alter how they are treating you. Remember to use “I” statements when addressing someone about how you feel.
  • State your limitations in advance. For example, you can say, “I only have five minutes to talk.”

3. Accept.

Accepting the situation can ease much of the stress when avoiding and altering doesn’t work:
  • Talk with someone about how you are feeling. Call a friend, get coffee with a relative or schedule an appointment with a therapist.
  • Forgive yourself or others. It is an important element of accepting stressful situations, and moving on is easier than sitting around stressing about uncontrollable situations.
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4. Adapt.

Changing your standards and expectations of stressful situations can help you cope with stress:
  • Don’t strive for perfection. Instead make reasonable substitutes throughout your daily life.
  • Choose dinners that are easier to prepare and still make your family happy.
  • Don’t replaying stressful situations over and over in your head.
  • Choose to focus on the positive aspects in your life.
  • Change your perspective by asking yourself if the stressor will matter in five years.

Stress is a part of everyday life. Practicing these four steps can help to provide balance for a healthier, happier lifestyle.

Learn more about stress:

Alan Conway, M.D., is a Family Medicine physician in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Stress relievers: Tips to tame stress

Stress getting to you? Try some of these tips for stress relief.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Is stress making you frustrated and irritable? Stress relievers can help restore calm and serenity to your chaotic life. You don’t have to invest a lot of time or thought into stress relievers. If your stress is getting out of control and you need quick relief, try one of these tips.

Get active

Virtually any form of physical activity can act as a stress reliever. Even if you’re not an athlete or you’re out of shape, exercise can still be a good stress reliever.

Physical activity can pump up your feel-good endorphins and other natural neural chemicals that enhance your sense of well-being. Exercise can also refocus your mind on your body’s movements, which can improve your mood and help the day’s irritations fade away. Consider walking, jogging, gardening, housecleaning, biking, swimming, weightlifting or anything else that gets you active.

Eat a healthy diet

Eating a healthy diet is an important part of taking care of yourself. Aim to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, and whole grains.

Avoid unhealthy habits

Some people may deal with stress by drinking too much caffeine or alcohol, smoking, eating too much, or using illegal substances. These habits can harm your health.

Meditate

During meditation, you focus your attention and quiet the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. Meditation can instill a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health.

Guided meditation, guided imagery, visualization and other forms of meditation can be practiced anywhere at any time, whether you’re out for a walk, riding the bus to work or waiting at the doctor’s office. You can also try deep breathing anywhere.

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Laugh more

A good sense of humor can’t cure all ailments, but it can help you feel better, even if you have to force a fake laugh through your grumpiness. When you laugh, it not only lightens your mental load but also causes positive physical changes in your body. Laughter fires up and then cools down your stress response. So read some jokes, tell some jokes, watch a comedy or hang out with your funny friends. Or give laughter yoga a try.

Connect with others

When you’re stressed and irritable, your instinct may be to isolate yourself. Instead, reach out to family and friends and make social connections.

Social contact is a good stress reliever because it can offer distraction, provide support and help you tolerate life’s up and downs. So take a coffee break with a friend, email a relative or visit your place of worship.

Got more time? Consider volunteering for a charitable group and help yourself while helping others.

Assert yourself

You might want to do it all, but you can’t, at least not without paying a price. Learning to say no or being willing to delegate can help you manage your to-do list and your stress.

Saying yes may seem like an easy way to keep the peace, prevent conflicts and get the job done right. But it may actually cause you internal conflict because your needs and those of your family come second, which can lead to stress, anger, resentment and even the desire to exact revenge. And that’s not a very calm and peaceful reaction.

Try yoga

With its series of postures and controlled-breathing exercises, yoga is a popular stress reliever. Yoga brings together physical and mental disciplines which may help you achieve peacefulness of body and mind. Yoga can help you relax and manage stress and anxiety.

Try yoga on your own or find a class — you can find classes in most communities. Hatha yoga, in particular, is a good stress reliever because of its slower pace and easier movements.

Get enough sleep

Stress can cause you to have trouble falling asleep. When you have too much to do — and too much to think about — your sleep can suffer. But sleep is the time when your brain and body recharge.

And the quality and amount of sleep you get can affect your mood, energy level, concentration and overall functioning. If you have sleep troubles, make sure that you have a quiet, relaxing bedtime routine, listen to soothing music, put clocks away, and stick to a consistent schedule.

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Keep a journal

Writing down your thoughts and feelings can be a good release for otherwise pent-up emotions. Don’t think about what to write — just let it happen. Write whatever comes to mind. No one else needs to read it, so don’t strive for perfection in grammar or spelling.

Just let your thoughts flow on paper — or computer screen. Once you’re done, you can toss out what you wrote or save it to reflect on later.

Get musical and be creative

Listening to or playing music is a good stress reliever because it can provide a mental distraction, reduce muscle tension and decrease stress hormones. Crank up the volume and let your mind be absorbed by the music.

If music isn’t one of your interests, turn your attention to another hobby you enjoy, such as gardening, sewing, sketching — anything that requires you to focus on what you’re doing rather than what you think you should be doing.

Seek counseling

If new stressors are challenging your ability to cope or if self-care measures just aren’t relieving your stress, you may need to look for reinforcements in the form of therapy or counseling. Therapy also may be a good idea if you feel overwhelmed or trapped, if you worry excessively, or if you have trouble carrying out daily routines or meeting responsibilities at work, home or school.

Professional counselors or therapists can help you identify sources of your stress and learn new coping tools.

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  1. How stress affects your health. American Psychological Association. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress.aspx. Accessed Feb. 28, 2019.
  2. Relaxation techniques for health. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/stress/relaxation.htm. Accessed Feb. 28, 2019.
  3. Stress and your health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/good-mental-health/stress-and-your-health. Accessed Feb. 27, 2019.
  4. 5 things you should know about stress. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/stress/index.shtml. Accessed Feb. 28, 2019.
  5. Meditation: In depth. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm. Accessed Feb. 28, 2019.
  6. Yoga: In depth. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/yoga/introduction.htm. Accessed Feb. 28, 2019.
  7. Seaward BL. Essentials of Managing Stress. 4th ed. Burlington, Mass.: Jones & Bartlett Publishers; 2017.

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