Quick Notes – Tips for Dealing Positively with Stress

1. Stress can be a good thing. It is actually dis-stress that can have a negative impact on our health. In fact, if we did not feel any stress, we would not be alive! Stress becomes a problem when we are not sure how to handle an event or a situation. We feel “stressed.”
2. Stress is how we react to a particular stimulus. For example, receiving a bonus at work evokes a positive reaction to the stimulus. Having a car accident on the way home does not. Everyone has their own unique triggers or stressors. The key is to know your own. Knowing one’s “triggers” or “stressors” is half the challenge. Once you are aware of these you can start to change how you react to them.
3. Attitude is sometimes the only choice available. It is how you think about and react to certain events that determine whether you find them stressful or fairly easy to deal with. Your reaction to stress directly affects your health.
4. Getting enough sleep is non-negotiable. Sleep does so much to help the mind and body deal with stress. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, make it a priority to do so. If nothing seems to be working, get professional help. Your physician may have some ideas you haven’t tried. Quite often the subconscious mind helps solve problems while we sleep. We will often wake up with ideas.
5. Exercise. Ride a bike, practice yoga or walk – whatever works for you. Walking is great. It has a meditative effect and can induce the creative flow. Excellent ideas evolve while exercising. Balance your diet. Drink water. Eat fruit and nuts as snacks.
6. Write down your feelings. Examine your own patterns and document them in a journal. Think about the ways you currently manage and cope with stress in your life. Are your coping strategies healthy or unhealthy, helpful or unproductive?
7. Laugh once a day. Take a position shift. Try to be aware of when you have been triggered and choose a different reaction this time. Sometimes humour is just the thing you need.
8. Learn to let go. Many things in life are beyond our control. You are not responsible for the behaviour of others but you are responsible for your own. Focus on the things you can control like how you choose to react to problems.
9. Nurture yourself. You must take care of your own needs. It is your responsibility and can be fun. 🙂

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