Reduce Stress.

Stress is a physical, emotional or mental factor that puts strain on a person. Everyone feels stress at times. Stress that helps you is called “Eustress”. This type of stress helps us to become energized for a performance or an event. Toxic stress is prolonged stress that is not relieved, which can be harmful to your physical and mental health. For intense stress, it is good to have strategies that are calming and relaxing. The following are examples of practices to manage stress (Source: Gina Biegel):

  • Stress Assessment. It is important to know what causes your stress. Knowing your stressors helps you manage them. Create a list of your stressors, including people, places, things and events that cause you stress.

  • Stress Emergency Kit. When you feel stressed, look for red FLAGS, such as: Forgetting to do things you love? – List them. Lonely? Spend time with others. Angry or Anxious? Take a mindful break and breath. Grieving? Ask for support. Stuck? Look for options. If hungry, eat; tired, sleep; feeling down, reach out.

  • Knowing Your Response to Stress. To keep us safe, our bodies react to stress with either the fight (attack), flight (running) or freeze response (being unable to move) response. What best describes your response?

  • Pain Assessment. Pain provides us with useful information. Write down a list of your physical and emotional pains. Once you have identified your pains, Pay attention to your pain; Assess changes you can make to decrease it. Investigate – what would make you feel better? Now! Do something healthy to feel better.

  • Grounding Your Pain. When in pain, focus on grounding points – ways your body can help anchor you to the present moment. For example, wiggle your toes, walk barefoot, notice sensations on or around your hands, or hold an ice cube until it melts.

  • Mental Health Assessment. Know indicators when you need to recharge. Your mind and body give you clues, including: feeling Tired, Frustrated, Irritable, Overwhelmed, Achy, Unfocused, Emotional or Worried.

  • Your Stress Waves. Stress can be viewed as waves in the ocean: many stressors, many waves; few stressors, few waves. What stressors are in your waves now? On a piece of paper, draw your waves and stressors. To manage your stress waves, identify short-term and long-term stressors and act on a short-term stressor.

  • Drop Your Anchor. Even if the surface of the water is full of waves, if you drop an anchor from a boat, the ocean floor is most often calm and still place. Think of people, places, things and events that gets you to a calm and still place. Write these down as a resource for later.

  • Finding Balance. Find your “thermostat setpoint where you feel you are in balance physically and emotionally. If you are too hot (angry, frustrated or irritated) or too cool (depressed, sad, moody or lacking energy), make some needed changes to get your thermostat to a healthy point.

  • Walk the Line. When you are feeling stress, find a line (real or imagined) and walk it back and forth. Pay attention to the path, to your feet, and to the movement of walking. Walk until you feel a bit better.