Stress Relief Strategies? How To Combine Long-Term And Short-Term Techniques For Best Effects
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Elisabeth Kuhn
If you recognize yourself in this article, you're invited to get Elisabeth Kuhn's FREE ebook with seven mood-boosting, stress-reducing strategies. Or get the full-sized version instead. By Elisabeth Kuhn
Published on 10/9/2009
Do you ever find yourself in situations that are so stressful that you just want to scream and run away The good part is that your gut tells you the right thing
Do you ever find yourself in situations that are so stressful that you just want to scream and run away? The good part is that your gut tells you the right thing. Fast relief of at least the worst of the stress and its effects on your body and mind is extremely important to help you function and do the things you need to do in the moment.
You may be in the middle of an exam, and a panic attack right then and there is NOT helpful. Or you’re working under deadline pressure. You’ve got to get it done. There’s really no alternative. Yet when you’re too stressed, you may not be able to do what you have to do.
However, it's not the only thing you'll need. You'll also need to deal with the root of the problem that's causing all that stress and find ways to improve that situation or, if possible, eliminate it altogether. In a perfect world, you could just make the stress go away.
But that's rarely possible. Instead, what you'll need a plan of action that addresses both your immediate need to calm down, and the underlying cause or causes that have triggered the stressful situation.
First, what you'll need to find is a way, or even better, several ways that can be used in combination or by themselves, of taking control of the stress and your body's stress response. Essentially, you need a way to calm down when the going gets tough, or to chill under fire.
Second, once you find that your mind is working better again, it's time to address the cause... Some people may think of in-the-moment fixes as Band-Aids and scoff at them since they're not addressing the "real" issue. I find, though, that you really need the short-term fixes or else you'll may never get to actually dealing the cause.
The thing is that much of the stress management advice out there focuses mostly on "simply" reducing the overall stress in your life. Sure, that sounds great in theory, but it's not much use when you've got a deadline or are in the middle of some other kind of crisis. You need help then and there, and fast.
In fact, for many people, that clichee-like "just take it easy" advice only adds insult to injury. Sure, they may think. I'd take it easy if I had the option.
So what should you do? And what CAN you do? If you find yourself in stressful situations frequently, plan ahead. Learn some fast-acting techniques and figure out which ones are best for you and practical in the situation you're likely to encounter. Then, when you're starting to feel stressed, put them in action. Practice remembering to do so right away.
Later, once you're out of the immediate situation, you can go ahead and do some soul searching to figure out what's not working in your life and how to improve the situation. But that's better done when you're calm and collected, not when you're in panic mode.
You may be in the middle of an exam, and a panic attack right then and there is NOT helpful. Or you’re working under deadline pressure. You’ve got to get it done. There’s really no alternative. Yet when you’re too stressed, you may not be able to do what you have to do.
However, it's not the only thing you'll need. You'll also need to deal with the root of the problem that's causing all that stress and find ways to improve that situation or, if possible, eliminate it altogether. In a perfect world, you could just make the stress go away.
But that's rarely possible. Instead, what you'll need a plan of action that addresses both your immediate need to calm down, and the underlying cause or causes that have triggered the stressful situation.
First, what you'll need to find is a way, or even better, several ways that can be used in combination or by themselves, of taking control of the stress and your body's stress response. Essentially, you need a way to calm down when the going gets tough, or to chill under fire.
Second, once you find that your mind is working better again, it's time to address the cause... Some people may think of in-the-moment fixes as Band-Aids and scoff at them since they're not addressing the "real" issue. I find, though, that you really need the short-term fixes or else you'll may never get to actually dealing the cause.
The thing is that much of the stress management advice out there focuses mostly on "simply" reducing the overall stress in your life. Sure, that sounds great in theory, but it's not much use when you've got a deadline or are in the middle of some other kind of crisis. You need help then and there, and fast.
In fact, for many people, that clichee-like "just take it easy" advice only adds insult to injury. Sure, they may think. I'd take it easy if I had the option.
So what should you do? And what CAN you do? If you find yourself in stressful situations frequently, plan ahead. Learn some fast-acting techniques and figure out which ones are best for you and practical in the situation you're likely to encounter. Then, when you're starting to feel stressed, put them in action. Practice remembering to do so right away.
Later, once you're out of the immediate situation, you can go ahead and do some soul searching to figure out what's not working in your life and how to improve the situation. But that's better done when you're calm and collected, not when you're in panic mode.