Dr John Anne asked:


Stress influences our life and health quite significantly. Stress can be defined as any psychological or emotional condition that leads to an overall imbalance of the system. The effect of stress can be profound. It may cause several complications ranging from simple headaches to severe heart attack.

Not all stresses are bad. When you are doing exercise you are experiencing stress, but it is temporary with a promise of health benefits if it can be performed in effective fashion. However, if you are continuing your exercise module for longer period than is actually needed, it has all the possibilities that you are welcoming some disputable stresses in your life. Hence, as it reveals, it is all in the way how you manage stress rather than how you experience it. So learning and adopting various stress management techniques in your daily life can actually make you able to manage your life with full potentiality.

Managing Stress

Typically, stress is associated with two interrelated factors. One is external and the other one is internal. External factors may include all and everything related to your physical world, the world of job, home, relation, events, diseases and others. On the other hand, internal factors determine the bodily abilities. Stress management techniques focus on alteration in the external factors contributing stress or on internal factors in terms of making them strong to deal with external ones. Now we will focus our attention on few effective stress management techniques.

Exercise

We do physical exercise because it perks up our health - not only in physical terms, but also in emotional terms. Exercise helps us to maintain a healthy balance in holistic sense. When you feel that you are physically fit and healthy, it feels good to your mind and eventually it helps to develop confidence to fight against stressful conditions.

Relaxation and Meditation

Relaxation and mediation technique are really worthy as it promotes the overall mind-body enhancement. There are a great variety of these two techniques. Some of the relaxation and meditation techniques can not be learned without any expert guidance; however, there are some that can be achieved by own effort. Here is a brief overview of some of the relaxation and meditation processes that are integral part of any standard stress management techniques.

Meditation: Since ancient ages meditation is considered as one of the best stress management techniques to acquire a total mind-body relaxation. In practice, there are more than thousands meditation techniques available, some of them can be learned by own. The meditative state is achieved when someone may have a deep focus upon the core of his own being. This is a state of absolute calmness and tranquility. A regular and structured practice can induce the same. Transcendental meditation is a particular form of meditation which has been popularized in last decades.

The primary objective of transcendental meditation is to achieve the state of transcendental awareness, the non-complex form of consciousness. Another form of meditation technique known as relaxation response is designed to inducing the opposed reaction to the stress stimuli experienced. It is effective lowering high blood pressure and other bodily stress response.

Qigong:

Originally evolved as a part of ancient Chinese health care system, Qigong offers a blend of physical activities in essence with Eastern philosophy and relaxation techniques. It may include different activities ranging from standing, walking, sitting to body massage and many others. Recognized as one of the most effective stress management techniques, Qigong demands patience, time, commitment, group cohesion, and determination.

Visual Imagery:

This is also known as guided imagery. It offers a calmness of mind and soul by using pleasant visualization through imagination. In this process, you will learn to regulate your breathing pattern in addition to visualize a soothing image in your mind. Controlling these two factors, you will gradually reach at the state of absolute relaxation. This method is easy to learn and virtually any one can take advantage of this technique. A regular practice can ensure a good control over stress.

Michelle Bery asked:


There’s no greater tool to have in the arsenal of life than an appropriate and successful stress management technique. Having a variety of things to turn to in order to alleviate the negative impact of stress can change your life and bring you a health and happiness you may never have previously imagined.

Stress can affect every area of your life and send you on a journey of deteriorating mental and physical health. An effective stress management technique can be invaluable in striking an all-important balance in your life.

For some, an appropriate stress management technique means a dedicated and consistent exercise program. Giving your body a physical outlet is paramount to letting the air out of a tire. Your muscles are given a much needed chance to relax and tension is released. Exercise can positively impact heart rate and blood pressure as well, offering you increased health overall.

Try an exercise that establishes a strong mind/body connection - such as yoga - for a stress management technique. You’ll be surprised at how quickly exercise begins to positively affect you.

An additional stress management technique is the practice of meditation. Meditation - done consistently - can dramatically lower your blood pressure and heart rate - the most common physical manifestations of stress.

Find a stress management technique that’s unique to you by further exploring those activities and hobbies that bring you the greatest amount of relaxation. Take time for yourself each and every day to do something that brings you peace and has nothing to do with work or taking care of anyone else. These few small moments each day will do much to refresh your mind and body, giving you increased energy to face your next challenge.

To find other ideas for a stress management technique - such as acupuncture, chiropractic, and many others, turn to the Internet. There is an abundance of online resources available to help you combat stress and find the stress management technique that’s right for you.

There are even chat forums where you can find support within a larger community; you’re not the only one affected by stress. Look to others in a similar situation for ideas on finding a stress management technique.

Stress doesn’t have to run your life. Put yourself back in control by finding a stress management technique to which you can commit. Making yourself a priority is not selfish; it’s the most compassionate thing you can possibly do for yourself.

Sandra Hishinuma asked:


We often think of stress management as a serious subject.  And although the subject is serious, stress can ruin lives, managing it effectively need not be.  There are ways of having fun while managing stress.  The following are some fun ideas for effective stress management.

Squeeze that ball.  I’m sure we’ve all seen them.  We may even have one or two on our desks.  I’m talking about that squishy rubber ball that’s supposed to help relieve stress.  Yes, squeezing that stress ball really can help you effectively manage stress.  By squeezing a stress ball, you contract the muscles in your hand and arm.  As you release, your muscles relax, releasing tension and relieving stress.  So squeeze that ball and take out all your frustrations.

Play a game.  Dust off some of those boxed games you have sitting in your closet.  Although it may sound a bit silly, playing a game of Candyland or Twister can bring a smile and laughter that can help manage the stress that we tend to bottle up inside.  Playing the games can bring us back to a time when we were carefree and stress was not yet part of our world.

Call a friend.  We all enjoy connecting with our friends.  During times of stress, our friends can be an important sounding board to help us talk through our stress and calm us down.  It is especially important that we feel we have friends we can reach out to that can help us manage our stress.  Besides, once you’ve calmed down, you’ll be able to focus on more enjoyable topics to talk about.

Plan something fun.  Set aside time to participate in something you enjoy doing on a regular basis.  Taking an art class, planning a weekend getaway, or playing a round of golf with your friends can help effectively manage your stress.  By participating in something you enjoy, you are able to take your mind off things that cause you stress and help you relax.

Take a vacation.  A few days off will help you recharge your batteries and help you relax.  Employers give you vacation time for a reason.  Don’t be afraid to use it when you need a mental break from work.  You can’t function at peak level on your job when you feel stressed and burnt out.  A few days vacation will help give you some breathing space away from your job to wind down.  You can then return refreshed and rejuvenated to your job and work at optimum level again.

Read a book.  If you can’t take a physical vacation, take a mental vacation to relieve stress.  Whether you enjoy mysteries, romance, or sci-fi, a book helps to take you away into another world.  We can imagine being a part of the story when reading a book.  This mental escape helps to take our mind off the things that cause us stress in real life and frees our imagination to become a part of the story we are reading.

These are a few ways you can have fun while managing your stress.  What you are trying to accomplish is to give your mind and body a break from the everyday things that cause stress in your life.  Try to pick a few to incorporate into your life and see how much fun and easier life becomes.