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Stress Management Australia
What is stress?
Stress is your physical reaction to a "stressful" situation that prepares your body for a rapid response, for example "fight or flight". Unfortunately, this is not always appropriate in the modern age, because many situations do not require a physical response.
The stressful
situation can be any situation where you're not sure you can cope or that is unfamiliar to you. Different people find different situations stressful and it is your response inside to what's happening in the world that makes it stressful to you. So some people love to give a rousing speech, but many others find it extremely stressful.
Some causes of stress
Stress can be caused in almost any area of your life - work, relationships and money are three common examples. Also major changes in your life are stressing, so if you change your job, you might expect some stress.
There are also things in the environment that can cause stress, like noise or physical danger.
Effects of Stress
Sustained stress can be harmful to your health and can cause a long list of symptoms, from lack of sleep to increased smoking.
But, stress with adequate recovery can increase capacity for further stress, in the same way that muscles increase in strength after being used hard, then being allowed to recover.
Some people can regard almost everything as stressful and do not let themselves have time and space to recover.
Stress Management Tips
You can use these ideas for stress management to help reduce and control stress in your life.
You can:
Physically relax using meditation, hypnosis
or biofeedback.
Do something physical like exercise or going
dancing.
Get organised, do your filing, reduce
clutter and use time management techniques.
make sure you are going things for YOU.
Take breaks throughout the day and in the
longer term (go on that relaxing weekend away)
Get adequate sleep
Apply your sense of humour as often as you
can
Focus on the good in situations
Develop some good supportive friendships
that you can rely on.
that allow you to have a good chance of achieving them.
Take a different perspective on situations,
it may not be about you.
Notice what stresses you repeatedly and take
steps to deal with that by learning skills or new responses.
Eat and drink well, don't smoke, limit
caffeine intake and take regular exercise.
Take up a hobby.
Get external help from a stress management expert or take control of your life with the help of a life coach.
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