Test Stress

Improving Coping Skills

Stress and Coping

Some stress is a normal part of daily life. If it becomes excessive, however, and exceeds your ability to cope, it can result in feelings of:

• Tension
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Difficulty sleeping

Unrelieved stress can adversely affect your health. Take the Stress Test and Coping Self-Test to help you become aware of how you are currently coping with stress in your life. Then see the suggestions listed below for help in making improvement.

Sources of Stress

Stress that results in feelings of tension and anxiety can arise from many sources. Here are a few:

• Work stressors (long hours, difficult people to work with, deadlines, etc.).
• Home stressors (conflict with children or spouse, home demands, etc.)
• Finances (debt, spending conflict, job loss, difficult economy, etc.)
• Feeling a loss of control over one’s life
• Feeling sad and depressed
• Major life events (divorce, moving, new job, loss of a loved one, a tragedy, etc.)
• Health problems

Whatever the cause, when the stress load becomes too great for you to cope with, your mental and physical health decline. See the suggestions in the next column for ways of improving your coping ability and keeping stress loads reasonable.

How to Cope Better with Stress

Best techniques that work for stress relief

• Reduce your stress load. Learn to say “no” if already overloaded.
• Develop a good support system – people you can talk with and get help from when needed.
• Break the stress cycle with relaxation. Do something you enjoy every day.
• Get regular, moderate exercise, such as walking or biking in park or by a scenic lake.
• Do stretching exercises and practice deep breathing to relax the body.
• Learn to forgive and forget. Resentment hurts you the most.
• Get help from your supervisor at work to deal with work stressors.
• Don’t be hard on yourself. Realize that everyone makes mistakes.
• Take care of yourself. Get 7-8 hours of sleep daily. Eat regular meals. Limit caffeine and alcohol.
• Live one day at a time. Don’t worry excessively about future problems which likely won’t happen anyway. Focus on what you can do today.
• Be positive and optimistic in your thinking. Humans tend to experience in life what they expect.
• Join an encouraging faith or support group. Caring friends can help you cope.
• Get professional help when needed. Talk to a financial counselor, a dietitian, a mental health counselor, or your doctor as needed.

A person who takes control of his or her life and approaches stressful life events as opportunities to learn or grow is more resistant to stress and lives a healthier, more fulfilled life.

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