How to De-stress Your Life

Dr. Rob's interesting article on stress management shows you how to manage and reduce your stress and to give yourself some much needed stress relief.

If I looked up the word "stress" in the dictionary, I'd probably see the pictures of two terrific nurses, Anita and Diana. I happened to see them one day and wow! — I saw that Anita had a tension headache and an upper-back muscle stiffness that was harder than her desk, while Diana seemed to have chewed her fingernails down to the quick. Needless to say, both women, who are also mothers and wives, are suffering from an overabundance of stress.

All of us have experienced the symptoms of stress. Whether it's a nervous stomach, trembling hands, difficulty sleeping, nervous twitches, overeating or repeatedly calling Aunt Edna for advice, at some point our stress may cause some unpleasant reactions (no offense to Aunt Edna).

Sure, stress is a normal part of life, and affects people differently. However, it's clear that too much stress can overload our coping mechanisms and result in stress side effects.

Types of Stress

Stress can be put into one of two categories: mental or physical. Mental stress is characterized by such things as worries over money or a loved one's health, loss of a loved one or losing a job. Physical stressors include a lack of sleep, poor diet or the effects of an illness.

And then there are the "stealth type" stressors that seem to be the ones that put people over the edge: Running around to make sure everyone in the family gets to their game on time, making sure little Fluffy had his shots, pleading with Uncle Chuck to take care of himself, and so on. These stressors fall under a category known as obligations.

What's a Body to Do?

Remember when the bully next door used to scare you? If it's been too many years since that's happened, here's a reminder as to what your body did in response to this extra stress. First, your heart rate increased in order to pump more blood to your muscles in case you needed to sprint away. Next to go into hyperdrive were your blood pressure, breathing and metabolism. Basically, your body went into full-scale alert so it could act quickly and effectively to a high-pressure or threatening situation, what's known as "the fight-or-flight response."

Now picture yourself in this heightened state of alert over many hours of each day and you'll understand why stress turns into distress. The balance of your daily stressors is out of whack with your abilities to cope with them. Your body simply cannot sustain this type of stress without some sort of side effect, whether it's tension headaches, stiff upper-back muscles or trouble sleeping. And if the stressors cannot be decreased or addressed in a healthy manner, your body may experience such health problems as high blood pressure and heart disease.

Coping Techniques for a Healthier You

I know a mother who saw the movie Castaway and wanted a prescription for a one-way trip to that deserted island. OK I said, but first, let's explore some other options. To be sure, all of us handle stress in our own ways. Some of us are able to handle quite a bit of it, while others go ballistic if our pizza comes without the mushrooms we ordered. But there are some healthy ways to deal with whatever life stressors come your way.

Here are some recommendations from the National Mental Health Association to help you reduce and cope with stress. Some may help right away, while others may take a bit of time. It's important to give these techniques a tincture of time, determination and persistence, while knowing your choices include accepting or changing the situation, as well as your responses to it.