AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PERSPECTIVE
What is Stress?
Stress is a normal part of life and something we all experience on a daily basis. We all need a small amount of stress in our lives, to motivate us and spur us on to reach the goals we set out for ourselves. So when does Stress get out of hand? When does it start to have a negative impact on us?
We all respond to stress differently so, there’s no “one size fits all” solution to managing stress. But if you feel like the stress in your life is out of control, it’s time to take action. Stress management can teach you healthier ways to cope with stress by taking charge of your lifestyle, thoughts, emotions, and the way you deal with problems. No matter how stressful your life seems, there are steps you can take to relieve the pressure and regain control.
The first steps … It’s important to firstly recognise the main sources of stress in your lives. This can often be more complicated than you may think, as it involves being brutally honest with yourself. It’s easy to place blame on common stressors (such as those named above) as the main causes of stress. Whilst these stressors may be triggers, often the true reasons for prolonged stress that continues to manifest in your life, are as a result of your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Once you have identified this, you can then work on recognising your individual response to these stressors. To identify your true sources of stress, it’s important to look closely at your habits, attitude, and behaviours:
- Do you dismiss the continued stress you experience as temporary (“I just have a million things going on right now”) even though you can’t remember the last time you took a break?
- Do you define stress as an integral part of your work or home life (“Things are always crazy around here”) or as a part of your personality (“I thrive on living a chaotic life, it’s who I am”)
- Do you blame your stress on other people or outside events, or view it as entirely normal and unexceptional?
Until you accept responsibility for the role you play in creating or maintaining it, your stress level will remain outside your control.
Coping with Stress – It’s important to identify if your existing methods or behaviour’s you display, in terms of managing stress are either ‘helpful’ or ‘unhelpful’. Unfortunately, many people cope with stress in ways that compound the problem.
Unhelpful Behaviours – Some of these strategies may relieve stress on a short term basis, however will cause more damage and longer lasting stress long term.
- Smoking
- Bingeing on junk or comfort food
- Zoning out for hours in front of the TV / computer
- Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities
- Using medication to relax
- Sleeping too much
- Procrastinating
- Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems
- Taking out your stress on others (lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence)
Helpful Behaviours – If your methods of coping with stress aren’t contributing to your greater emotional and physical health, it’s time to find healthier ones. No single method works for everyone or in every situation, so experiment with different techniques and strategies. Focus on what makes you feel calm and in control.
- Get Moving! – Physical activity plays a significant role in reducing stress. You don’t have to spend hours in a gym to experience the benefits. Any form of physical activity can help relieve stress and burn away negative emotions such as anger, tension, and frustration.
- Avoid identified sources of stress:
- Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them.
- Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently causes stress in your life, limit the amount of time you spend with that person.
- Take control of your environment – If the evening news makes you anxious, turn off the TV. If traffic makes you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If going to the supermarket is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online.
- Alter the situation – If you can’t avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Often, this involves changing the way you communicate and operate in your daily life.
- Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. If something or someone is bothering you, be more assertive and communicate your concerns in an open and respectful way.
- Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend at least a little, you’ll have a good chance of finding a happy middle ground.
- Manage your time better. Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. But if you plan ahead and make sure you don’t overextend yourself, you’ll find it easier to stay calm and focused.
- Adapt your way of thinking about the stressors – How you think can have a profound effect on your stress levels. Each time you think a negative thought about yourself, your body reacts as if it were in the throes of a tension-filled situation. Regain your sense of control by changing your expectations and attitude to stressful situations.
- Accept the things you can’t change – Many sources of stress are unavoidable. You can’t prevent or change stressors, such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession. In such cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are.
There are many more short and long term strategies you can adopt when managing stress. The most important start is to identify and acknowledge that you are experiencing stress. Opening up is not a sign of weakness and it won’t make you a burden to others. In fact, most friends/family that you choose to open up to will be flattered that you trust them enough to confide in them, and it will only strengthen your bond.
Samira H. Cutts
Occupational Therapist
Samira is an Occupational Therapist. Having graduated in 2002, Samira has developed extensive experience working within a variety of rehabilitation settings including neurological rehabilitation, cardio-respiratory rehabilitation and paediatric care. Samira takes a holistic approach when working with children, incorporating both physical and sensory related issues.
