24-08-2012, 03:10 PM
Stress Management Strategies
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What is Stress?
Stress is our natural way of responding to the demands of our ever-changing world.1 Although
we all experience change and demands regularly, the way that we interpret these internal and
external changes directly affects the degree to which we feel stress. As a result, not all individuals
interpret the same events as stressful; what may seem stressful to you may not be the same for
your best friend, and vice versa.
Stress versus Distress
Although some stress is a natural and inevitable part of our lives, feeling burdened or unable to
cope can be problematic and can seriously affect your mental and physical well-being.3 Constantly
being exposed to stressful situations can be over-stimulating and if we are constantly
feeling stressed, we may begin to feel unable to manage the problems at hand. In order to
avoid situations in which we feel “overloaded,” we must first identify what stresses us, what
our threshold for stress is, and how we can most effectively manage stressful situations.
What are stressors?
No one event, regardless of how traumatic, can be
detrimental to health. Stress becomes problematic when
stressors accumulate and/or become recurrent, resulting
in distress or feelings of anxiety and hopelessness.
Stressors come in a variety of different forms: tests, finances, job interviews, health problems, achieved goals, praise,
family conflicts, romantic relationships, competitions, homework assignments, etc. Remember, stressors can be positive
and negative!