I know that when I am exercising, the amount of stress that I actually feel is dramatically reduced. My schedule has made the regular intense workouts that I used to enjoy nearly impossible, so I have been attempting shorter, more frequent in-home workouts until I can coordinate a new gym schedule. Truth be told, I have found that simply leaving the house for my workout alone helps reduce stress.
Knowing my limits and sticking to them! Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept added responsibilities when you’re close to reaching them. Taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress.
To help eliminate stress, I have started to keep a journal. I will also reorganize time to make sure I have exercise time each day. A third technique I will use is to make sure I am making two healthy meals a day. Increasing water intake will also be helpful.
Erica
Maria, Those sound like two great outlets for managing through stressful situations. They also sound productive too. It's great to have a variety of outlets that you can count on.
Dr. Melissa Read
I usually go to the gym to get my mind off what is stressing me out. I play with my dogs or take them out for a walk.
I've actually recently been going to Yoga and it's really helping with dealing with stress.
I find that taking some "me" time helps me to cope with stressors I cannot eliminate. Often times I would feel guilty if I read a book or took time to do something for myself; realizing that this is an acceptable way to cope with stress I no longer allow myself to feel guilty.
I have quit smoking, decreased caffeine intake dramatically and trying to eliminate negative people in my life.
I can say I feel much less stressed.
Steven, That's interesting. Yes, when the coping mechanism is too hard to do, it can be stressful in itself. Hard labor could be good every once in a while, when the mood strikes. However, it might be a good idea to build in a few other outlets so you have a variety to choose from.
Dr. Melissa Read
Michael, Sounds like this coping mechanism was worked consistently well for you. That's great to hear. I'd love to hear more about the kinds of exercises that are working well for you.
Dr. Melissa Read
Jana, It sounds like you have two wonderful outlets and those that serve you well. It's nice to have a variety of outlets that we can count on. This way, when one is not available, we can turn to the others.
Dr. Melissa Read
Get out of the building more often. I'm lucky to live in a warm climate with lots of sunshine. I'll incease the number of short walks through out the day and focus on perspective.
I find that humor helps with stress. I enjoy watching a funny movie, listening to a comedian, etc to improve my stress levels. Laughing is a healthy coping mechanism, as well as a great way to relieve stress.
Exercise is a good method, because you can put your frustrations in your exercise. I enjoy dancing, so I might look into doing some more dancing in my home to relieve stress.
I know talking is a good way to relieve stress, which I already do when frustrated. I will talk to my family or friends when I need to relieve my stress.
Finally, just accepting that you can't change things will help. When we have problems, I ask people if anyone is dying. When they tell me no, then I say we can handle it and, sometimes, fix it. It helps keep things in perspective. And if you are wondering, I use to work in the veterinary field, so if something was dying, then stress would be greatly increased. Anything else was easy to handle otherwise.
I already exercise regularly and that helps as a good outlet for stress. Making time to enjoy things instead of dwelling on difficulties also helps.
I tried doing hard labor like cutting and splitting firewood, but sometimes, i found that it can add to my stress
Exercise has always been a great way for me to deal with stress. It allows me to get out of my head and improve my health at the same time.
Exercise is what works for me.
I agree cutting out pepsi is going to be difficult, and I would love to find time to exercise.
I am often stuck in traffic and my commute can be an hour or more. I have reduced my stressful reactions to this unavoidable situation by purchasing new CDs of my favorite artists and listening to them during my drive. To reduce my costs, I now visit the $.99 bin at my local CD store and have discovered new music and artists I never knew existed.
Shannon, It sounds like you know exactly what you need to do to get back on track. Yes, sleep and sharing are two great coping mechanisms that work well. Sleep is not always possible when we have taken on a significant amount of responsibility. Sharing can happen at work or home depending on who we trust and tends to be a little easier to accomplish.
Dr. Melissa Read
Shannon, It sounds like you know exactly what you need to do to get back on track. Yes, sleep and sharing are two great coping mechanisms that work well. Sleep is not always possible when we have taken on a significant amount of responsibility. Sharing can happen at work or home depending on who we trust and tends to be a little easier to accomplish.
Dr. Melissa Read
