Beach Pic

{This pic was taken on one of our min-vacations}

Relax, Relate, Release – Stress Management (Part 1)

Relax, Relate, Release…I remember these famous words quoted by the character Whitley on the show “A Different World”! The episode was hilarious but the message behind the words was powerful and with so much going on in our busy lives, it’s so easy to get stressed out. So, I wanted to share some tips that I presented at a Stress Management workshop. Due to the amount of information, this will be Part 1 of 2 on Stress Management for Wellness Wednesdays.

Stress Management Part 1: Terminology and Identification of Stressors

So what is stress? Stress is a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation (Merriam-Webster).

There are two main types of stress. They are acute and chronic stress, with acute being the most common form.

Characteristics of Acute Stress:

-Demands and pressures of the recent past and anticipated demands and pressures of the near future

-Thrilling and exciting in small doses (short-term), but too much is exhausting. Ex: job interview, an exhilarating ski run

-Generally does not cause health problems for healthy people

Characteristics of Chronic Stress:

-Not thrilling and exciting

-Wears people away day after day, year after year

-Destroys bodies, minds and lives

-Wreaks havoc through long-term attrition

-Can occur when acute stressors pile up

Stress management is a way of dealing with stress appropriately. Stress management gives you a range of tools to reset your alarm system. Without stress management, all too often your body is always on high alert. Over time, high levels of stress lead to serious health problems.

Stressors can be external or internal. External – Events and situations that happen to you, Major life changes, environment, unpredictable events, family, workplace, social. Internal – Self induced, Fears, Uncertainty, beliefs.

Take a moment to write down the top 3 stressors (issues you’re facing right now). Are they events (external stressors) or do they originate from within (internal stressors)?

The first step to stress management is to first identify what is causing the stress (stressors). Once identified, stress relief techniques can be applied. Stay tuned for Part 2 on next Wednesday for Stress Management Part 2: Stress Relief Applications!

References:

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