Coping With Stress Is Something That People

Coping With Stress

Stress is something that people deal with on a daily basis. For me, trying to manage all of the different aspects of my life is what stresses me out the most. I constantly feel like I am juggling too much at once and that I will never be able to accomplish everything I need to do. Alix Kirsta, author of The Book of Stress Survival, states that "stress is the state of arousal with which the body responds to such demands" (Kirsta, 1986, 19). My body responds to these demands by wanting to shut down and tune everything and everybody out. However, I know this is not the correct way to deal with my stress because shutting down will cause me to accomplish nothing at all.

Kirsta believes that people will never live without stress, since there will always be challenges to face. However, there are certain ways to deal with stress in order to make life easier. Before anyone can cope with stress effectively, Kirsta says "you must become aware of your own stress responses" (Kirsta, 1986, 31). If we do not do this, we might adapt too readily to the pressures surrounding us, and thus drive ourselves much harder than our capabilities will allow. Richard Carlson, PhD, author of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...And it's All Small Stuff, says, "Our current level of stress will be exactly that of our tolerance to stress" (Carlson, 1997, 53). In other words, the people who have the highest tolerance to stress are the ones who are under the most stress! Sometimes I worry that I am heading in this direction because I always try to do too much.

Carlson, like Kirsta, believes that in order to cope with stress you must first "notice your stress early, before it gets out of hand" (Carlson, 1997, 54). His advice includes: when your mind is moving too fast, back off for a while; when your schedule is getting out of hand, reevaluate what's most important; when you have too much to do, don't try to tackle it all at once, but rather relax, take some deep breaths, and even go for a short walk. Carlson's theory is that if you catch your stress before it "snowballs," than it will become "manageable and easy to control. Once it gathers momentum, however, it's difficult, if not impossible, to stop" (Carlson, 1997, 54).

One of the best ways in which we can cope with stress is to relax. Edward A. Charlesworth, PhD and Ronald G. Nathan, PhD, authors of Stress Management: A Comprehensive Guide to Wellness, identify a common feeling: "Many people tell us to relax but never tell us how" (Charlesworth and Nathan, 1984, 39). These authors believe that learning relaxation techniques are extremely beneficial when it comes to managing stress because they increase "general bodily awareness and the recognition of specific muscles where tension is troublesome" (Charlesworth and Nathan, 1984, 42). Kirsta says that when you relax, "you will simply feel much better -- almost immediately" (Kirsta, 1986, 102). Kirsta suggests doing certain head and neck exercises as often as you can to "keep muscles supple and prevent both physical and mental tension" (Kirsta, 1986, 104). She also suggests doing back, shoulder, spine, leg, and foot exercises. One thing Charlesworth and Nathan say to keep in mind is: "It is important to know that people who learn to relax do not lose motivation" (Charlesworth and Nathan, 1984, 41).

E.M. Gherman, MD, author of Stress & the Bottom Line, offers additional techniques for coping with stress including physical fitness programs, maintaining a balanced nutrition and diet, and taking vitamins. In regards to a healthy diet, Gherman says: "poor dietary habits can make a person irritable, hyperactive, unattractive, anxious, sluggish, and disoriented. These results can be...disruptive to the climate of the workforce and general quality of life" (Gherman, 1981, 262).

I have always known that I do not deal with my stress properly; however I have never been motivated to change my way of dealing with it because I always told myself I can handle it. After reading through these books, however, I now realize that I fit into the category of "the more tolerance you have for stress, the more stress you can handle." Even though taking on large amounts of stress makes me nervous and causes me to shut down, I used to believe that if I can handle it all, than I'll be a stronger person. These books have taught me that it takes a stronger person to walk away from the stress than to handle it all at once.