Emily Hoffman, JRMC Exercise Physiologist

Week Five of New Year, New You wraps up our four-part series on stress management. We have read about the stress response and negative consequences of a stressful lifestyle, causes of stress and our stress tolerance, as well as stress acknowledgment and coping methods. This week we cover six stress management strategies.

1) Avoid Unnecessary Stress

  • Learn how to say no – don’t take on more than you can handle, know your limits, and stick to them!
  • Avoid people who stress you out, or at least limit time spent around them.
  • Reduce your to-do list – distinguish between the shoulds and the musts. Eliminate what isn’t truly necessary.
  • Avoid hot-button topics or environments.

2) Alter the Situation

  • Express feelings instead of bottling them up.
  • Be willing to compromise with others.
  • Be more assertive – deal with problems head on. Do not take a backseat in your own life.
  • Manage your time better – plan ahead to help you stay calm and frustrated.

3) Adapt to the stressor

  • If you can’t change the stressor, regain your sense of control by changing your expectations and attitude.
  • Reframe problems into a more positive perspective.
  • Look at the big picture.
  • Adjust your standards – perfectionism is an avoidable stress
  • Focus on the positive – reflect on all that you appreciate in your life.
  • Each time you think a negative thought about yourself, your body reacts as if in a tension-filled situation. Eliminate words such as always, never, should, and must.  These are telltale markers of self-defeating thoughts!  If you see good things about yourself, you are more likely to feel good!

4) Accept the Things you Cannot Change

  • Don’t try to control the uncontrollable.
  • Look at challenges as an opportunity for personal growth.
  • Share your feelings.Learn to forgive – accept that we live in an imperfect world and all make mistakes.

5) Make Time for Fun and Relaxation

  • Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury!
  • Set aside relaxation time in your daily schedule.
  • Connect with positive people.
  • Do something you enjoy every day.
  • Keep your sense of humor.
  • Plan things for yourself with the same attention you give toward planning things you have to do!
  • Spend time with people who like you!

6) Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle

  • Get enough sleep
  • Eat a healthy diet
  • Reduce caffeine and sugar
  • Exercise regularly
  • Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs

This Good Stress, Bad Stress article completes our four part stress series. The stress management technique to explore this week is called Mindfulness. As previously stated, when the body is under stress muscles tighten, breathing becomes shallower and quickens, heart rate is faster, and digestion shuts down.

The goal of mindfulness is to increase awareness of what is happening both within and around us. By paying attention to each detail and understanding how we feel, we become much more aware of our own mental processes. This awareness can make thought clearer, reduce negativity, improve energy and improve ability to cope. Mindfulness brings about peace of mind.

 Week Five Bonus Instructions:

Watch and participate in this video to earn 10 points. You may practice this technique as often as you would like. You may also search for additional mindfulness videos to find one that fits well for you. However, the point earning caps at 10 bonus points for this week.

Hope you are enjoying the journey to improved health and well-being!