By: Martine Deiana

Listen this article – 4 mn 54 sec

Stress is inevitable. It is necessary for us to adapt to the changes in our environment. However, it becomes harmful when it becomes chronic. Stress management aims to keep stress in its positive phase. Stress management can be compared to maintaining a car. A car needs to be maintained and tuned to perform well and avoid breakdowns, and we must ensure good stress management for harmonious and balanced functioning. To maintain a car, it is necessary to know and understand how it works. For good stress management, we must know ourselves and understand our reactions. Daily stress management will allow us to find the right balance between feeling in control of events and the ability to adapt. Stress management will help us release all our tensions.

The Keys to Stress Management

Identify Stressors
It is sometimes difficult to change the stress-generating situation. However, it is essential to precisely identify the nature that creates this continuous state of stress. In this phase, stepping back will allow you to evaluate as objectively as possible the conditions that generate all these negative tensions.

Use Physical Relaxation Methods
There are many ways to reduce stress. The goal is to relax and unwind. Choose the methods that suit you best. You can treat yourself to a massage. Sign up for yoga, qigong, tai chi classes. Practice sports. You can also practice posture and breathing exercises, indulge in self-massage, stretching, etc. You have the option of walking, swimming… “A state of physical relaxation will allow you to ‘see more clearly’ in your stress management process.”

Uncover Negative Strategies
In the face of stress, we spontaneously implement strategies that are often negative. These strategies can vary, such as:

• Excessive consumption of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, medication, food.
• Denial: Acting as if everything is fine, ignoring the problem.
• Passivity: Waiting for things to improve on their own, procrastinating.
• Illness: Developing psychosomatic illnesses, becoming prone to accidents.
• Crises: Feeling down, changing moods unpredictably. We must become aware of our negative strategies and set goals to eliminate them. Only then can more effective stress management be considered.

Stress Management Strategies
One of the main consequences of stress is inertia. It is therefore necessary to aim to restore action by implementing positive strategies in different areas of your life. Here are some suggestions, but you can easily imagine and experiment with others.

Mental Stress Management

• Use your imagination, and why not use humor in every situation.
• Plan your progress, set clear and motivating goals.
• Get organized, tidy up your affairs, make a schedule.
• Change your perspective, see the glass half full rather than half empty.

Physical Stress Management

• Listen to your body, move by doing what you love.
• Eat a balanced diet and avoid excesses.
• Relax, breathe deeply, stretch, take breaks.

Social Stress Management

• Balance the time spent at work and at home.
• Avoid conflicts by seeking win-win actions for everyone.
• Develop your social connections, see your friends and relationships, express your affection.

Interpersonal Stress Management

• Believe in yourself and others, trust others, compliment them.
• Assert yourself, verbally express your needs, and learn to say no.
• Learn to listen to others and know how to ask for listening in return.

Recreational Stress Management

• Allow yourself time just for you.
• Organize activities with your friends.
• Get involved, join a club, become part of an association.

Stress management is individual. It is up to you to discover the best tools that suit you. The essential thing is to replace stress with movement and positive action. Stress management is an ongoing process, and its preventive aspect should not be neglected. We take our car to the garage even if there is no breakdown… Let’s be just as respectful of our health and well-being as we are of our vehicle by learning to master stress management!