Basic HTML Version
52
thePeorian.com
S
tressed out? Have a million
things to do in the next
month? Feeling like you
don’t know what to do first with
projects piled on your desktop?
Are deadlines starting to stam-
pede you like a wild herd of
buffalos?
In an effort to minimize stress
The Peorian
and I will devote a
three-part series to minimizing
and conquering stress. Each of
the three parts will focus on a
different aspect, including at-
titude, leisure hours, and work
life. I hope this series will give
you some down-to-earth, helpful
tips for making 2012 and beyond
a little less stressful and more
serene.
Part One
Before we begin, let’s define
stress. It is characterized by the
daily “wear and tear” our bodies
experience as we adjust to our
ever-changing lives. Stress can
create positive influences that
urge us to take action, or it can
generate negative responses,
causing feelings of anger or de-
pression, and physical symptoms
such as stomachaches, headaches,
rashes, insomnia, high blood
pressure, heart disease or stroke.
Stress is something we can’t
avoid… but the way in which
we react to that stress (clinically
termed the “stressor”) is the key
to stress management. We need
to develop individual skills that
transform our stressors into an
optimal level of action rather than
allowing them to overwhelm us,
or harm our bodies or minds.
The first step to reducing stress
is adjusting how you think, feel
and react to the events in your
life. The way in which we per-
ceive a stressful situation deter-
mines if we will find an event up-
setting or not. What is upsetting
or distressing to one person may
be a joy to another. Even when
we all agree that a particular
event is distressing, we are likely
to differ in our physiological or
psychological responses to it.
For instance, some people thrive
on conflict and love to arbitrate
disputes, while others would be
stressed in a job that is stable and
routine. You have more control
over your stress reactions than
you might think!
Now that you know your per-
ception of the stressor is a means
of managing your stress, there
are some simple techniques and
skills you can use to manage your
stress. Try these attitude and
perception tips and watch your
stress levels decrease.
Laugh more!
Research has
shown that laughter stimulates
the production of hormones
called catecholamines, which
cause the brain to release endor-
phins. These endorphins are the
same stress-reducers triggered by
exercise. So it appears that watch-
ing a good comedy or sitcom can
actually lower your stress level,
as long as you get some good
belly laughs or some wide smiles.
Remember that
you don’t
need to do everything perfectly.
Perfectionism is a personality
characteristic that leads people
to the brink of constant anxiety.
Watch for thoughts such as:
“Nothing is ever enough…noth-
ing is ever done well enough…
and nothing ever quite meets the
standard.” The key to minimiz-
ing perfectionism is creating
realistic standards for acceptable
performance, and rewarding our
successes.
Learn to manage
your
anger. Statistics have shown that
people who are chronically angry
have four to seven times the risk
of dying from heart disease as
those who are not anger-prone.
One useful key to lowering your
anger level is asking yourself
three questions: Is my anger
justified? Can I do anything to
fix the situation? Is this issue
important? If your answer to any
of these three questions is “no”
the only appropriate action is to
calm yourself down and realize
that you can choose to make the
emotion work positively in your
favor.
Work, Leisure and Attitude
30 ways to reduce your stress
By Dr. Joy Miller