Stress Management: Alleviating Stress

Stress is a unique experience for everyone! Perhaps you are pulling your hair out over a tight deadline at work; maybe your world appears to have crashed around you, and you are not coping with the situation or the consequence; or in this recovering economic world, perhaps you are scratching your head and wondering how you are going to keep the roof over your head as interest rates take off.

Alleviating or eliminating stress is easier said than done, but often, when we are in the thick of it, we can not see the forest through the trees.

Let us take a moment to examine your life. What is currently causing undue pressure (stress) on you? Can you see the situation with objective eyes? Have you experienced this before? If so, how did you cope before, and would the same strategy work this time? BE HONEST. After all, you are only fooling yourself if you are not!

Understanding the root cause of your stress is the first step toward alleviating it. Sometimes, just acknowledging the sources of pressure can provide a sense of relief. Stressors in our lives can come from various avenues — work, relationships, financial woes, or even health concerns. It’s important to identify which areas weigh heavily on your mind so you can address them directly.

Outlined below are: –

5 Common Strategies for Alleviating Stress

• Listen to a relaxation or meditation CD

• Take up or participate in a hobby, e.g. gardening and dancing

• Relax with an aromatherapy massage

• Journal your thoughts, feelings and fears

• Walk or Exercise – 30 mins, 3 times a week

Why don’t you try one or two of these ideas over the coming week? Set aside a little me time and see if these strategies help you. If these strategies do not help, please don’t hesitate to reach out for help, or schedule an appointment to come and see me and together we can explore the root cause of your stress, identify and implement some self-care and productive coping strategies to help you through life’s ripples.