Slow & steady

Renee Singh

Stress management is mostly about cutting stressors and changing thought patterns. It is also about creating habits that help us to overcome issues that pull us down in life. Ongoing handling of stress creates lasting stress relief.

We have noticed many times that so many of the stressors we face in life are not under our control but we also realise that our responses are under our control. Sometimes we take certain decisions under a high stress condition and these can further aggravate our stress condition by creating new problems or further intensifying the already negative feelings that we have.

On our part it would be wise to look at what we can control to stop doing things that perpetuate our stress levels. We need to consciously focus on what we need to do to help ourselves feel less stressed.

People under stress have very typical responses when they are stressing. Here I am going to be listing a few things which will make you feel consciously aware of what are the stressors in life and how we can adequately deal with them.

Look for opportunities

When stressed most often you feel defeated or tired of the fight and missed opportunities to take charge of the situation. Developing an optimistic attitude helps you in feeling happier and thereby helps you to see opportunities which you would otherwise miss if you keep living in stress.

Obsessive attitude

Many a time we slip into thinking that is unproductive very negative and is very obsessive. This kind of thinking is termed as rumination. When we are living in rumination we are overly stressed and we intensify this feeling by focusing on the negative and constantly reliving it. By continuously living in this state we can create a habit of stressing by our overly obsessive attitude. The good news is that habits can be broken.

Sleep patterns

When we don't get enough sleep we are more reactive to stress. It is extremely important to get quality sleep. Lack of sleep leads to increased stress and can create a vicious cycle. Many stress relievers can actually help in aiding sleep.

Food cravings

Stress normally impacts your cravings. Food has a very major role to play in your eating habits. Emotional eating is a habit most stressed people tend to deal with. It gives an immense level of satisfaction to dig into food when you are not feeling bright or are actually feeling frustrated over something. Junk food also has its own reactions. You can actually crash from a caffeine high or a sugar rush. So we need to realise that keeping eating habits under control is very vital.

Toxic relationships

Dealing with these is really a major stressor and keeping these at bay is a sign of victory. A conflict relationship can take a toll on your health and well being. Unhealthy relationships have an element of uncertainty. These are conflicting relationships that take a toll on your health and well being. Uncertainty in relationships causes tensions so it is important to tackle these kind of relationships in a mature manner so that the stress created by these does not take atoll on you.

Thought process

Thinking patterns are addictive. We set ourselves into thinking patterns like our habits. You are lucky if you have a positive thinking habit otherwise it can be torturous and quite damaging if these patterns are negative. All stress responses are triggered by perceived threats. An attitude that maximises threat leads us to even more stress. Learn to decipher your thought patterns and see how you can change them. You can thereby also relieve your own stress situation.

Exercise routine

Do not try to do away with exercise if you are stressed. You can build your own resilience through exercise. Most people when stressed do not want to exercise or follow a routine. But this extremely required and must be delved into.

Take charge

Whenever we feel we are not in control of a situation we tend to feel stressed. Recognising our choices gives us a feeling of power and we feel less of a victim of circumstance. We need to realise that we have very less control over circumstance but we need to choose our attitude and response.

Overloaded schedule

This situation though exciting can push us into a high stress level. Learning to say no is vital to your personal mental health and arrival at a level of inner peace.

Most people tend to keep ignoring their stress until they are overwhelmed by it. Most people are reactive rather than proactive. This situation does not allow clear thinking and good decision making.

(Singh is a Chandigarh based psychotherapist)