- How does
stress affect you?
Stress can have a serious impact on your health, especially if it is
chronic. It affects the heart and blood vessels, the nervous system, and
the immune system. Stress can cause moodiness, anxiety, and difficulty
concentrating. It can make some health problems worse, such as coronary
artery disease, diabetes, and asthma. Over time, stress can lead to
depression, relationship problems, and poor performance at work or
school.
Manage Your Stress
1-Change Your Lifestyle
- You may want to follow the Lifestyle
Guidelines listed below to maintain your health and prevent stress:
Avoid cigarettes. Cigarette smoking is the
single most important preventable cause of illness and early death. The
effects of smoking can be reversed.
Exercise regularly. Regular exercise helps
people of all ages look and feel better. Different kinds of exercise
provide specific health benefits.
Eat sensibly. A nutritious diet is
essential for maintaining good health and proper weight.
If you drink, drink only in moderation. Alcohol is frequently used to
reduce stress because it has a relaxing effect. Regular, heavy use of
alcohol leads to disease. Drinking and driving often leads to fatal or
crippling accidents.
Use care in taking drugs. Although drugs may provide temporary relief
from stress symptoms, they may not solve ongoing
problems and tensions. Excessive or continued use of either
prescription or illegal drugs may cause physical and mental problems.
Be safety-conscious. Living safely at home,
work, and on the road prevents accidents and injuries.
Learn to manage stress. Stress is a normal
part of living. Three major steps to keep daily stress from becoming a
problem: take time to relax, talk with a friend, and learn to keep a
positive outlook.
2-Relaxation Exercises
Relaxation exercises are effective techniques for reducing stress. These
exercises help you to feel less tense and more relaxed. The result is a
greater sense of physical and emotional well-being. A brief relaxation
activity requires 60 to 90 seconds, so it can be done easily and quickly
on the job, in the car, or in a few minutes of free time at home.
Step 1. Assume a passive and
comfortable position. Although sitting may be most conducive to
relaxation, you can do these exercises while standing, riding in a car,
lying down, or as you prepare for an anticipated stressful event.
Step 2. Practice one or more of the
following activities several times each day. This will help keep you
calm, and will reduce tension when it occurs:
Deep breathing: Exhale slowly, and tell all your muscles to
relax. Say as you exhale, "I feel tension and energy flowing out of my
body". Repeat the above exercise five or six times and you'll become
more relaxed.
Whole body tension: Tense every muscle in your body, stay
with that tension, and hold it as long as you can without feeling any
pain. Slowly release the tension and very gradually feel it leave your
body. Repeat three times. Notice how your feelings change.
Shoulder shrugs and head rolls: Try to raise your shoulders up to
your ears. Hold for the count of four, then drop your shoulders back to
normal position. Rotate your head and neck. Vary this by rotating your
shoulders up and down, and head and neck around--first one way, then the
other, then both at the same time.
Imagine air as a cloud: Open your imagination and focus on your
breathing. As your breathing becomes calm and regular, imagine that the
air comes to you as a cloud--it fills you and goes out. Notice that your
breathing becomes regular as you relax.
Some relaxation exercises work better for some people than others.
Practice whatever exercises seem to fit you best.
