Stress

Anxiety is often confused with stress. Stress refers to the effect of the demands on our life (both good and bad) that can deplete our emotional, financial, time, and energy resources. Anxiety is an internal response to situations in which a person is overwhelmed with uncertainty, fear, and/or danger. In periods of significant stress, it is common to experience heightened anxiety and/or other symptoms listed.

Some symptoms common in individuals who experience excessive stress levels are shown below.

Physical Symptoms: Nausea, headache, dizziness, eye strain, sleep problems, muscle tension or pain, chest pain, fatigue, gastrointestinal problems

Mood/Emotional Symptoms: Anxiety, irritability, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, uncontrollable worry, apathy, difficulty regulating emotions, emotional lability (shifting)

Behavioral Symptoms: Social withdrawal, avoidance, over or under-eating, angry outbursts, drug or alcohol abuse, blaming, procrastination

Managing stress involves a three-pronged approach:

1. Altering the amount of stress you face (which is not always feasible)
2. Proactively engaging in activities known to combat stress
3. Reacting to stress differently with new internal responses and behaviors

These three approaches all involve engaging in self-care. Taking time to care for ourselves by attending to our physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual health is an important aspect of stress management. The self-care activities listed below help us to find relaxation, connection, fulfillment, and peace by finding new ways to alter the amount of stress we face or engaging in activities to combat the effect stress has on us.

Physical Self-Care:

• Eat regular (breakfast, lunch and dinner) nutritious meals that you enjoy
• Exercise: walk, ride, hike, swim, dance, play
• Get adequate sleep by prioritizing the need for sleep and engaging in good sleep hygiene
• Get routine medical care
• Take time off from physical activity when needed
• Play a sport
• Engage in deep breathing exercises
• Decrease use of alcohol, caffeine, and cigarettes
• Get a massage
• Break large tasks up into smaller chunks and take action on one small piece of the task
• Use relaxation techniques such as Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Psychological Self-Care:

• Write your feelings in a journal
• Take time away from your cell phone/social media
• Try something new
• Identify realistic goals and work toward them in small steps
• Put time into relationships with people who are supportive and contribute to your wellbeing and minimize time spent with people who devalue or disrespect you
• Praise yourself or make a list of your strengths
• Express gratitude
• Use a calendar to organize your schedule and manage your time
• Evaluate your expectations for yourself and utilize realistic thinking and expectations
• Take breaks when you are experiencing a heavy workload
• Set boundaries and say “no” when you are not available for something- know your limits

Emotional Self-Care:

• Connect with someone every day (even if briefly)
• Allow yourself to cry
• Reach out to loved ones to talk; talk about how you are doing and ask how they are doing
• Reread favorite books, watch favorite movies and TV shows
• Seek out comforting activities, places, relationships
• Find things that make you laugh
• Spend time with animals
• Deepen your relationship with yourself by enjoying time spent alone
• Spend time engaging in a hobby or developing a potential interest
• Engage your creative side—draw, paint, sculpt, make or listen to music, color
• Expect frustrations, setbacks, disappointments, and failures- these are an inevitable part of life

Spiritual Self-Care:

• Make time for reflection
• Spend time with nature
• Do volunteer work or a random act of kindness
• Be open to inspiration
• Sit quietly for a few minutes each day or engage in meditation
• Accept not knowing all of the answers; tolerate uncertainty
• Spend time outside when the weather permits
• Pray
• Attend religious or spiritual services