Controlling the Stress Factors in Your Life

According to the Cleveland Clinic, women are socialized to be the caretakers of others.

Staff Reports

More women than men continue to juggle traditional responsibilities while also having a career outside the home. More than 70 percent of married women with children under the age of 18 are employed outside the home.

Studies have shown that women perceive more stress in their daily lives than men, and a woman’s coping style is more “emotion-focused” than that of a man. Heart attacks, strokes, and depression are frequent consequences of stress.

It may seem that there’s nothing you can do about your stress level. You
have a lot more control than you might think. In fact, the simple
realization that you’re in control of your life is the foundation of
stress management.

Identify Stressors
This first step is the most important of all, as identifying things that
stress you out is essential to learning to eliminate them. Take 10
minutes to think about what stresses you out during the day. What
daily/weekly occurrences stress you out? What people, activities, or
things cause stress in your life?

Make a list, determine which of them can be eliminated, and start to
weed them out. Since everyone has a unique response to stress, there is
no “one-size-fits-all” solution to managing it. Focus on what makes you
feel calm and in control. If that’s still out of reach, find ways to
make them less stressful. Below are some helpful suggestions to
alleviate the stress in your life.

1. Boost Your Time Management Skills! Time is elusive. We run out of
time, or it gets away from us, and we feel hassled and harried.
BUT…effective planning helps you cope with stress. Consider these tips:

• Say “no” more often.
• Use time wisely.
• Invest in an appointment organizer.
• Set goals for yourself.
• Simplify mealtime.

2. Stop Controlling. We are not the Master of the Universe. We sometimes
wish we were, but acting as if we are is a sure way to get stressed
out. Learn to let go, and accept the way other people do things; and
accept what happens in different situations. The only thing you can
control is yourself, so work on yourself before trying to control the
world. Learning to let go of your need to control others and the
situations around us is a major step towards eliminating stress.

3. Avoid Difficult People. You know who they are. If you take a minute
to think about it, you can identify all the people in your life; bosses,
coworkers, customers, friends, family, all those folks who make your
life difficult.
You could confront them and do battle with them, but that will most
certainly be difficult and more stressful. Instead, try to eliminate
them from your life! And if that isn’t possible (a family member or
boss!), at least minimize the time you spend with them.

4. Exercise. This is common advice for stress relief, and that’s because
it works, but it’s also a stress prevention method. Exercising helps
relieve the stress buildup, it gives you some quiet time to contemplate
and relax, and just as importantly, it makes you more fit!

A fitter person is better equipped to handle stress. Another important
factor: being unhealthy can be a major stressor (especially once you
have to go to the hospital), and exercise can help prevent that.

6. Be Grateful. This might not be as obvious as some of the others, but
developing an attitude of gratitude is a way of thinking positive, and
helps to eliminate negative thinking from your life, thereby reducing
stress. Learn to be grateful for what you have, for the positive people
in your life, and see it as a gift. With this sort of outlook on life,
stress will go down and happiness will go up.

7. Be Prepared!  Remember the Scout motto, “Be Prepared”? Well, it is
also a wonderful motto for stress management. If you take a few extra
minutes to prepare for the day ahead of you, you will find that you are
less hurried, hassled, and frazzled. Consider the following ways to cope
with stress:

• Get up 15 minutes earlier
• Prepare for the morning the night before
• Set appointments ahead
• Get to work early
• Always have a “Plan B”

Visit your family physician; he or she can help determine if your stress
is due to an anxiety disorder, a medical condition, or both. A doctor
can treat a physical illness or refer you to a mental health
professional for counseling. And don’t be put off by the idea of “mental
health” treatment: sometimes counseling is simply a matter of having
someone to talk to!

It is very important that you learn how to manage your stress, and
adjust to your present situation so that you can plan for a healthy
future