Living with stress...

Being stressed out sucks... is it just me, or do we seem to face stress with far more frequency than we're comfortable with. So many things in life come with a level of worry and tension, it's no wonder we're numbing ourselves by over eating, over drinking, binging on the quality TV shows of today;). According to skillsyouneed.com "negative stress, tension and anxiety are extremely common problems in modern life" and "most people will suffer from potentially dangerous or debilitating symptoms of stress and stress related issues at some point in their lives." Stress causes a tangible, physiological response in our bodies, due to our flight or flight survival instincts - and because today's stress is often persistent and longer term, this becomes extremely uncomfortable... so we are certainly justified in being upset.... nice to know we're not alone and we're not being weak, lame or sulky... our stress is real;)

Physical signs of stress are: palpitations, dizziness, indigestion or heartburn, tension headaches, aching muscles, trembling or eye twitches, diarrhoea, frequent urination, insomnia, tiredenss, impotence.

According to a large group surveyed, here are some of the stressors in our lives, in order of intensity:

Death of a spouse or partner
Divorce
Marital separation (relationship issues in general)
Death of a close family member
Injury or illness
Marriage
Job loss
Marital reconciliation
Retirement
Change in the health of a family member
Pregnancy
Sexual problems
Addition of a family member
Death of a close friend
Changes at work
Taking on a mortgage
Moving
Etc... the list is long.... and the intensity of each of these is significant!

The moral of the story seems to be that stress, however unpleasant and unfortunate, is a natural part of our lives. Boo!.... so I guess the best we can do is manage the stress when it flares up.

10 tips in dealing managing stress:

1. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine
2. Get physical activity
3. Get more sleep
4. Try relaxation techniques
5. Talk to someone (this may be #1, if you ask me;))
6. Keep a stress diary
7. Take control (write down potential solutions and work to reduce and remove)
8. Time management
9. Learn to say no (so as not to add more stress)
10. Rest....

Wishes for the stress flares to be short lived and easily solved, or at least manageable! Hugs :)

Blessings,

Chatgirl