Coping With Stress - The Right Way!

Stress impacts us all in one form or another, so coping with stress correctly is crucial for everyone. The causes of stress in our lives, like bills, unemployment, death, etc., seem to be ever present, so it may seem that dealing with stress is a futile effort. On the contrary, there are good ways to limit the impact of stress on you. Without understanding and using these control mechanisms, stress will not only be draining mentally, but stress can also result in physical ailments and problems. The first step to effectively managing your stress is to determine what causes it.
Why Are You So Stressed?
Identifying the causes of stress is required for appropriately coping with stress. Mentally, stress is the result of the frustration or concern caused by changes in your life. The biological affects are the result of ineefectively dealing with the mental aspects of stress. Here are a few isuues that can initiate the previously mentioned concern and frustration:

- Physical pain
- Conflict
- Divorce
- Marital Issues
- Job Loss
- Deadlines
- Money Problems
How Do You Know You're Stressed?
As stated before, stress can result in both negative mental and physical conditions, if not dealt with properly. Unfortunately, most of us do not recognize that we are stressed until we see some of these negative conditions show up in our lives. It's when these sign manifest, that coping with stress becomes critical:

- Physical pain (As opposed to causing stress, pain can also be a sign of stress, like back or neck pain)
- Constipation
- Insomnia
- Changes in Weight
- Ulcers
- High Blood Pressure
- Relationship Issues
If you are seeing any or all of these conditions manifest themselves in your life, stress could be the reason! Now let's address it. Let's be clear here. There are both healthy and unhealthy ways to handle stress. Let's outline some of the unhealthy ways first, so that you might be better prepared to avoid them.
Coping With Stress - Unhealthy Ways
There are many things people do in excess to deal with stress. Done in every now and then, these things are not necessarily detrimental, but they are only short-term crutches and do nothing to deal with the real cause of the stress:

- Excessive Alcohol Consumption
- Drugs
- Overeating
- Withdrawing from friends and family
- Sleeping too much
- Watching TV or surfing to avoid "life"

Again, these are just temporary escapes, not solutions. They do nothing to deal with the stress in your life or to avoid the detrimental health effects that can manifest as a result. Let's take a look at some more appropriate ways to deal with stress.
Coping With Stress - Dos
Mental Aspects

- Realize you can't control the uncontrollable
- Look for the "silver lining" (there's something positive in every situation)
- Be more expressive (don't hold things in!)
- Improve time management skills

Physical Aspects

- Eat more nutritious food
- Get a sufficient amount of sleep
- Exercise regularly
- Meditate
- Find a stress-free hobby

In the past, I have had a lot of issues dealing with stress, mainly due to a highly demanding job. I eventually began to go to the gym and work out more frequently. However, this only addressed the exercise part of the solution. I have personally found a way of coping with stress that simultaneously satisfies the exercise, meditation and stress-free hobby aspects. My solution is yoga. I can do it in the privacy of my own home and the benefits of yoga go far beyond the ones I just listed!