Relaxation and Behavioral Techniques for Treating Stress

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Acute episodes of stress can actually trigger a heart attack. Your first step is to identify what actually causes your stress. If you're unsure, you should consider keeping a stress journal. In this book, you'll record the occasions that stress you, trigger an angry response in or actually produce an adverse physical response. For example, if a certain circumstance gave you an upset stomach or a headache, write it down. This response was probably due to stress. Be sure to write down the time of day as well. Then you need to decipher the types of events or activities which caused this. You then work on alternatives to these circumstances.

One writer once said that the only people who aren't under any type of stress are those in the cemetery. In other words, if you're living, you're living with some level of stress. Now it's just a matter of how you handle the stress. You'll want to change the way you react to the things you can't change. Just as no two people react the same way to the presence of stress; no two people benefit in the same from the same methods of stress management. If, in your search, you discover that one method doesn't work for you, don't hesitate to discard it and try something else. If you are experiencing stress-related medical problems, it's essential that you work hand in hand with your family doctor.

Two things you can do are exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. Exercising 30 minutes three times a week in cardiovascular work outs will help reduce stress. Our muscles tighten and then relax which helps to reduce the overall feelings of stress. For example stress restricts blood vessels but exercise loosens them and strengthens the heart muscles. The benefits of exercise are psychological and physiological.

As for eating a healthy diet, you might be busy so you gobble down fast food and eat on the go. The problem is that unhealthy foods help you to feel fatigued because you are not getting enough nutrition and this in turn affects your thought processes. If you aren't at the top of your game when busy you are going to feel even more stress. In addition, poor food choices compound the negative health effects of stress by causing further physical breakdown.

First prepare what you want your mind to focus on that's positive; for example, write out affirmations like, I want to complete all my work more efficiently, in 3 hours today, without all the email hassles and other interruptions of the day. Then physically relax your body and your mind will follow. As your mind relaxes, focus on what you have prepared and gently tell yourself your affirmation statements, visualizing them in the process. See yourself completing your work, uninterrupted by phone calls, kids running in and out of the house, or other distractions

If it's your working conditions that are causing you undue stress, then you need to re-evaluate your employment. What exactly is causing your stress at work? Your boss? Co-workers? Short of changing employment, is there anything that could be done?

If not, then you need to learn how to manage the stressors in your life better. Here are just a few possible stress management techniques:

Talk about it. Yes, we know it sounds corny. But it works. If you can't release those feelings of stress, anxiety and anger, you'll liable to work them out in some unacceptable way. You'll find yourself yelling at your children more, or being more hostile with your spouse. You may also find that untreated stress may make you aggressive.

Look at the bright side of the issue. Stay focused on the positive. No doubt you've heard about that law of attraction. If you stay focused on the positive, then that's what will increase in your life. You'll find that your negative emotions as well as the stressors will eventually melt away – well, at least they'll thaw out enough that they're easier to deal with.

Discover some good relaxation techniques. You might want to enlist the help of your doctor with this one. Ask what he would suggest along these lines. Of course, temporary aids include a good massage as well as yoga classes. You might also want to learn how to meditate, this can lower your heart rate as well as your brain waves.

Did you know that the moment you close your eyes, your brain waves slow and your body is beginning to adjust to a slower pace. Just closing your eyes in the middle of the day, and taking several deep breaths could be the action that saves you from going over the edge.