Stress Management Is A Learned Technique

Here I will begin with something that happened many many years ago. It was when I attended my college in 1994 in Princeton.

When I saw him for the first time in the Class Room, I was a bit surprised. How could this sort of a human being who is typical of his Eastern reigns, be our "Stress Management" Professor? His stiff face seemed incapable of generating any smile! Lines appeared on his forehead, even before he was making efforts to start his career in our College with his first lecture on "Stress Management." I was a bit anxious and eager to enjoy his maiden performance!

I thought he would start with a big platitude on the subject of stress and how to manage it and all that! By quoting definitions and mentioning the names of famous psychologists.

He didn't do that.

It was very interesting how he propagated the subject of stress management for 21 century youth. I am reproducing his one-shot lecture on stress management. It help ed me and it might help you as well.
"First off, I will give you example of my grandma- how she manages the stress! Curry for the night is her worry for the morningand look, how nicely she carries the burden of stress and its management. She manages stress in her typical style, every day! You go by her words, think that she is stressed! But how crafty she is, in the domestic front!"

Stress management is a technique. It is winning over any tough situation, with the charm of your personality and deft handling of the situation. It is about meeting the challenges. Convert defeat into a victory!

Causes of stress may be many; for its management, no hard and fast rules can be prescribed. You have to deal with the stress, as per the demands of time and situation.

The reasons for stress may be:

1. Danger
2. Threat
3. Good or bad news
4. Illness
5. Perceptible changes in one's identification with the self
6. Any other strong external or internal st imuli

How to manage the stress?
Before you think about managing the stress, you need to understand the bottom line of your stress. Its root cause! Its real cause! Only then you can think about the management of stress. For public consumption, you can project any cause, but you know what is really wrong with you. There are several ancillary tools to assist you in stress management.

These hints can help you in stress management:

1. Organize yourself in a methodical manner.
2. Develop a confidence, that you possess grit for conflict resolution.
3. Let your approach be positive.
4. Auto-suggestion- Talk to yourself.
5. Do pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation.
6. Do light exercises regularly.
7. Do not over-exert.
8. Keep a diet control. What you eat and how you eat is important!

In the end, what matters in stress management, is your strong will power. Have a will to outgrow the stress, and grow your will!

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Stress Management Program and Brain Fitness?

Your stress management program is an inside job. In other words, stress is a physiology that exists inside my body. Most of us have learned to link the external world to our physiology, by blaming the outside for the inside.

(For example, I will not have stress when I earn more money. That is not necessarily true).

In order to manage that physiology I am going to have to manage my inside chemistry, which is linked to my perceptions, what I think, how I breathe, my heart rate variability coherence, how I eat...any number of variables.

When I am advocating a stress management plan to my clients, I like to use the brain fitness model, which is based on enhancing the recently discovered capacity of the human brain to grow more neurons.

That capacity is called neurogenesis, and neurogenesis is hampered if not stopped by an exposure to stress hormones, according to Simon Evans,Ph.D. and Paul Burghardt,Ph.D., authors of the excellent book Brainfit for Life . Evans and Burghardt talk in clear language about the necessary steps to enhancing neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, which is the brain's ability to form new connections subsequent to learning new information, sometimes within minutes.

And Evans and Burghardt emphasize the need to review that new information so your brain solidifies the new circuits and keeps them.

The brain is a big user of energy, and the brain is very efficient at eliminating unnecessary circuits in order to conserve energy.

But back to the plan to enhance neurogenesis by following a brain fitness program.

The Pillars of Brain Fitness and Your Stress Management Program

We know by now that the reward for following a lifestyle based on attending to the four pillars of brain fitness is a bigger brain through neurogenesis, and I lean to the side of the discussion that says a bigger brain is a good thing.

So what are the pillars of brain fitness?

They are physical exercise, nutrition including lots of omega 3 fatty acid and antioxidants, good sleep, stress management (!), and novel learning experiences.

Physical Exercise and Your Stress Management Plan

Evans and Burghardt go into great detail about how physical exercise is the most important brain fitness pillar.

And there is good news for you if you think that you will be required to throw around heavy barbells and buy expensive gym memberships just to have new neurons. After all, how important can new brain growth be?

Well, actually the physical activity required for your stress management program and your brain fitness is exercise of the deep breathing kind, and if you are walking around the block, walk a little faster for a little longer to signal your brain that your are serious about the growth of new neurons.

Nutritional Pillar of Your Stress Management As you might expect, nutriti on is very important to both your stress management program and your brain fitness. It is imperative that you quit eating processed food. No way around it, you need the phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber, ect. from real food, not food that is designed to outlast the effects of a nuclear war.

Your brain uses about 20% of the fuel you burn daily, so there are a lot of chemical reactions in your head, all of which can release free radicals, which cause the aging process.

Antioxidants sop up those free radicals for you, so eat a lot of fruit and vegetables to keep antioxidants available.

Omega 3 fatty acid is important to your stress management and brain fitness because your neurons are about 70% omega 3 fatty acid and if that supply of fatty acid is not replenished, those neurons get brittle and do not effectively communicate.

Garbled chat between neurons is not good. The best source of omega 3 fatty acid is fish, or you can suppleme nt.

Stress Reduction By Heart Rate Variability?

I have been a user and teacher of heart rate variability biofeedback, now called emWave, for about ten years. I love it. Regular practice has given me the ability to manage the inside of my body heart beat by heart beat when I choose to pay attention to the brain in my heart.

What I mean by that is there are still times when I choose to stress myself unnecessarily, and even to keep that distress when I could have the heart rate variability biofeedback eustress. Progress not perfection.

But I was really amazed to see the endorsement of this biofeedback tool by Alvaro Fernandez, who is the author of the SharpBrains blog which tracks all things brain fitness.

So if you want to explore a heart beat by heart beat stress management plan, then then by all means try out heart rate variability biofeedback.

What Can Possibly Be Stress Reducing About Novel Learning Experiences?

Novel learning expe rience is important for bringing those new neurons into existing circuits, where they can begin to help out building cognitive reserve, which is very important if your brain happens to be one of the Baby Boomer brains, or really important if your brain is a Senior brain.

Novel learning experience is usually catagorized for our brain fitness purposes as the kind of learning that happens when you learn a new language or a new instrument.

If you are like me, you do not have time to put into a language or instrument, so using one of the newly minted computerized brain fitness programs could be beneficial.

Can you imagine yourself following a stress management program based on the four pillars of brain fitness?

I can. I will take relaxation and a bigger brain as an worthy endgame.

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Stress Management Techniques to Use In Your Daily Life

People develop ways to cope with stress over their lifetime from past experiences, expectations and environment. Coping mechanisms are triggered once we assess a situation to be stressful. However, not everyone copes with stress in an effective way. Therefore stress management can help to develop health, productive ways to handle stress. Most people wouldn't admit they can't handle stress and deny they needed stress management. Even though more than likely we could all learn a thing or two about stress management techniques.

Stress is a natural part of everyday life. Even though stress can be bad and harmful over long periods of time, it also can be positive, challenging and motivating. If we evaluate the attitude and the habits that accompany stress, then we can change our perspective and learn effective coping skills and stress management techniques.

The first objective of stress management is to identify the sources of stress in our lives. Whether it's your house, career, job, family, money, figure out what is causing you to stress out. Now that you have figured out what is causing your stress, how do you cope with stress? Do you have bad habits that you turn to, change your attitude, make excuses? Are your coping mechanisms healthy or unhealthy? Healthy coping skills motivate you to be productive and reduce stressful situations. Unhealthy coping mechanisms are unproductive and can lead to procrastination, anxiety, and depression. Some unhealthy coping strategies include smoking, drinking, over or under eating, eating TV, withdrawal, drugs/pills, ad oversleeping. These bad habits will lead you down a road of destruction and unhappiness. To change your habits and remove stress from your life, you have to do two things: 1. Change the situation and 2. Change the reaction.

To change the situation you can avoid stressors. For many people this can be as easy as learning to say No. For others it's learning to control your environment, avoid hot topics and avoiding people who stress you tout. Setting limitations on what you are able to do and the time to get them done. If you can't avoid a stressor, learn to alter it instead. Be assertive in expressing your feelings. Offer a compromise. Manage your time to avoid conflicts.

To change your reaction you need to adapt or accept the stressor. Adapting to stress requires changing ones perception and thoughts about stress. Instead of thinking about the situation in a negative light or getting mad, think positively and try to find a positive perspective. Is there a bigger picture that makes the situation look like just a challenge to overcome. Accepting stress means not trying to control things that are uncontrollable. Look for a silver lining or an upside to the situation. Learn to share your feeling sand forgive when things don't go as planned. These strategies can reduce the level of stress that occurs in your daily life.

Other helpful tools to maintain a healthy life include adapting a healthy lifestyle and making time for relaxation. Making time for fun and relaxation is very important. Make plans and put it into your schedule that way you are locked in. This will help to eliminate exhaustion and burnout caused by stress. Exercise, and diet also keep your body healthy and immune system strong. Avoiding caffeine, sugar, alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes also maintain a healthy body. Make sure you practice a daily sleep regiment of 7-8 hours to rest and restore your brain. All of these techniques combined work together as a stress management system to eliminate stress and keep a health body, mind and spirit.

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Stress Management Among Students In Universities

At what age do students have the greatest stress? Young parents might say preschoolers have the greatest stress. They are leaving their parents for the first time, and have many reasons to be afraid. Older parents say middle school students have the most stress, having just entered adolescence. Still others will cite secondary school as the time of greatest stress. Most agree, however, that the stresses of university life are very great.

Stress management among students in universities is a hit-or-miss matter. Some universities schedule optional stress management classes, but students often lack the time to attend. If they have the time, they lack interest.

Stress Management Keys

Specific keys will open the door to better stress management among students in universities. Some of those keys are being used, but others are lost or neglected. Without them, stress management is limited for the students. We will not attempt to list here every key, or to put them in any given order. Rather, we would like to suggest stress management keys that may be lost in the rubble of today's society.

1. Clear definitions: Effective stress management among students requires clear definitions of words such as "stressor," "stress," "eustress," and "distress."

Students who do not understand clearly what stress is cannot be expected to succeed at stress management. They may be trying to manage stressors, thinking they are managing stress. The outcome may very well be increased stress rather than stress management.

Stress management among students in universities can begin only after they understand that the extra demands made upon them are stressors, not stress. They then must understand that their response to those demands constitutes stress. Finally, if they are to get a grasp on practical stress management, they will need to know that there are two kinds of stress. One, e ustress, is beneficial. The other, distress, is detrimental.
Students who understand these concepts, and embrace them, have unlocked the first door leading to stress management.

2. Action Plan: With a firm understanding of the definitions, students are ready to formulate a stress management action plan. They are ready for the proverbial locking of the barn door to prevent the horse's escape.

Armed with the knowledge that stress is the response to stressors, students can learn to control that response. They can determine to take specific, proactive steps to prepare for stressors. They can, in a sense, ambush the stressors as a step of stress management.

3. Stressor Identification: An important part of the stress management ambush is to learn to identify the enemy. A focused tertiary student will see stressors and know them for what they are. Every university student has stressors. All of us have unusual demands made on us. The key to stress management is to identify those dema nds as stressors.

In universities and colleges, stressors take the form of unaccustomed activities. Sharing a room with a stranger makes demands on a student. A new form of study is demanding. Financial resources and potentially new dating standards can be stressors.

Whether students are in Italy or Iowa, they are free of the constraints of home, and that freedom is a stressor. Freedom makes unusual demands on one who has not had it in fullness.

All of these and about 2000 more are stressors that a student must identify in order to engage in stress management.

4. Turning Distress into Eustress: Another key that helps unlock the doors to stress management is that of turning distress into eustress. Students often act as victims of their stressors. They believe they can do nothing but suffer. Stress management requires that they learn to turn a potentially negative response to stressors into a positive response.

Eustress, the beneficial stress, is what carries an excited, happy couple through the whirlwind of preparation for a large wedding. From the moment of the proposal, the couple may be surrounded by stressors. Extra demands, unusual demands are being made on them. Yet they are not depressed. The demands do not weigh heavily on them. They embrace them, and respond with smiles. They accept the challenge of getting everything done well and on time because they choose to accept it that way.

The same type of response can be enlisted on other occasions that call for stress management. Much of what students view as negative stress can be turned around, energizing them to excel.

Is this a false, rosy-tinted view of stress management? Not at all. Does this negate principles such as deep breathing, exercise, healthy diet, and regular sleep? No. As we said, this is not an attempt to provide every key to stress management. It is an effort to look at keys that are being neglected.

Stress management among students in universities can be stripped of many programs, drugs, and therapies if these keys are used well.

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Stress Management

Stress is a part of the human living experience; however, living with high levels of stress can put your health and wellbeing at risk. The emotional stability, physical health and mental clarity can be adversely affected by excess stress making it seems impossible to manage and enjoy life. Stress can manifest physically in the body causing illness; the immune system can be affected by stress leading to the susceptibility to infections and viruses. Stress is caused by a number of factors including physical causes such as changes in life, a death or separation, chemical stress from toxins, drugs and alcohol, emotional factors such as discourse in relationships, loss of a relationship and other unresolved emotional issues creates stress. Time constraints and having a feeling to too much life and too little time is one of the more common types of stress leading a person to wonder how they can even fit stress management into their already overbooked schedule!

With stress being a part of our daily lives it is foolish to think we can eliminate stress all together. At some level, managed stress can motivate us and help drive us to new solutions and betterment of our lives as well as the lives of others. It is the mismanagement of stress that can cripple us and leave us in a state that cannot move us or benefit our lives at all. As we learn and put into practice the techniques to manage our stress we enrich our lives and can get back to a place of ease and happiness. The stress management techniques below can be used in conjunction or as the situation arises and are simply a few of a multitude of techniques to use.

Just say no: This is an important stress management toolto learn to say no. Understanding our limits and empowering ourselves to live within those limits whether in our professional or personal life can greatly reduce our stress. As much as many of us just want to do our part, if we are taking on too much we will not do an adequate job and it is better to just say no to the extra responsibilities we are tempted to take on. Avoid stressful people: Among our many relationships some just may not be healthy for us. If there are people in your life that simply stress you out or someone that is a toxic relationship it is best to spend less time with that person or end the relationship all together. Many times we feel we can help a person or save' them from their selves; however, in a lot of cases they simply do not want saved' and you are simply enabling their toxic behavior by playing into it. Control your environment: Avoid the environments that cause you stress if at all possible. If traffic is heavy and stressful on your way home from work try choosing a less traveled route even if it takes a bit longer; the scenery may even be more relaxing and pleasurable. If the crowds are stressful for you while shopping you may want to explore online shopping to avoid the crowds and the stress. If your household is stressful try rearranging furniture to make it flow better or try setting up boundaries for house mates and children who may be the culprit of the stress. Ask that no one demands anything from you in the first 30 minutes you are home from work, take time in a quiet room to let go of work stress or simply relax in a hot bath before jumping into your home life after work. Choose your conversation: Avoid the more stressful heated topics of conversation such as religion, politics and parenting. These topics are highly personal and sensitive and will nearly always create stress and in most cases with no resolve. Issues such as these will rarely lead to a person moving from one side of the topic to the other and the conversations will more than likely lead to discourse rather than unity. Healthy expression: Learn how to express yourself in healthy ways such as communicating your needs, expectations and concerns in open and polite ways. If you keep these things bottled up you will likely build resentment and create additional and unnecessary stress. Healthy expression also includes sharing your feelings with a trusted friend or therapist; venting can be a very good stress management tool. Watch your expectations and learn to compromise: When we set up expectations for another human we set our selves up for unhappiness and resentment. Do not anticipate the reactions or actions of another and instead let go of that need to expect and control. Likewise we must also learn to compromise and be willing to match our requests we have for others with our own actions. Simply find a middle ground in all situations that must be shared with another. Face life head on: Deal with your problems as they arise facing them head on, but always be compassionate when dealing with them. If you need something in life or help, ask for it rather than hinting or hoping someone will volunteer. Practice time management: Managing our time poorly can be a chief source of stress when we feel we are always behind and stretched too thin. Try to plan ahead and include possible pot holes in our schedule that can cause us to need a few minutes extra. Let go of the need to control: Much of our life is beyond our control especially the choices and behavior of others. Focus on the things you can change and let go of the things you cannot change. It is always a good idea to manage your own life and leave the management of other people's lives to the other person. Forgive: Let go of anger, do not hold a grudge or resentments. Free yourself from all that negative energy by learning to forgive others, forgive yourself and simply move on. Look for the good in life: Look for the positive side of any situation. When something stressful and difficult happens in life there is usually a positive aspect that can be taken from it somewhere; look for it. Focus on the lessons you may have learned that will keep you from repeating the situation rather than the situation itself. By spending our energy acknowledging and looking for the good instead of focusing on the bad we empower ourselves and retrain ourselves to be more positive. Chill out: Be sure to make rest and relaxation time a priority even if it means going to bed a little early at night so you can get up a little early and begin your day with quiet meditation. Schedule into your evening a time when you will just stop what you are doing and sit down with a good book, a hot bath or a cup of herbal tea. Perhaps you can schedule 15 minutes in the middle of your day to just lie down and quiet your mind, play a musical instrument or listen to soothing music to rejuvenate your senses. Healthy choices: Make healthy choices in life including eating fresh foods with minimal processing. Be sure to eat 3 healthy meals including breakfast, lunch and dinner and add snacks as needed to keep your energy level up. Getting exercise with a physical activity for 30 minutes at least three days each week will greatly reduce your stress reactors. Limit the amount of caffeine and sugar you take in will help you avoid the crash' both can cause as well as helping you to sleep better at night. Avoid alcohol, cigarettes and drugs that might seem to be an easy escape from stress; however, the relief is temporary and the lasting stress on your body will add to your stress. Get 7 9 hours of sleep at night where your body can recover from the physical and mental stresses gathered through the day. Community: find a support system or activities with positive up beat people to help enjoy life and diffuse stress. Just as spending time with stressful negative people can create additional stress, spending time with positive non stressed people can help alleviate it.

When we learn how to manage the stress in our lives we can learn to live our lives fully and enjoy the human life experience. We are able to add to our lives the things we enjoy rather than feeling like we are drudging on day to day to simply survive or get through the day. By practicing some of the tips and techniques listed above you can begin to move in the directions you desire and manage the stress that is a part of living.

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Stress Management For Mature Students

Most mature students who are studying for a professional qualification, or taking a course to improve their knowledge of a specialist area, do so whilst still continuing with their full-time employment, or running their own business. This inevitably adds another pressure to what is already a busy life, at work and at home. Most professionals take distance learning courses which they have to study at home, and this reduces the time that they can spend with their partner, or family, and reduces relaxation time away from the workplace. Added to this, most courses and qualifications have coursework, assignments, possibly examinations all with time deadlines and quality targets that must be achieved. As a result, the studying, in itself a very worthwhile personal development activity, can cause some students to suffer adversely from stress.

What is stress? Is it always damaging?. Stress can be very damaging and can be very difficult to deal with.
Despite the ove ruse of the word by the many thousands who are not genuinely stressed, when a person is genuinely suffering from stress, it is a damaging and dangerous condition to be in, and action is essential.
Stress is pressure caused by the effect on ourselves that we experience as a result of interacting with our environment, for example our workplace, colleagues, our family, our partner, social friends, and the activities that we are involved in, such as projects at work, social activities, and study activities. There can be positive and negative stress.

Positive stress can help us to achieve our goals, complete a project successfully, make effective changes to our working or personal lives. The pressures of taking on new challenges and activities, but being successful in them, can be motivating and result in feelings of excitement and fulfilment.

Negative stress is caused by the pressures around an individual becoming overwhelming, and then potentially da maging. Once the pressures become too intense, then the fear of failing and not coping add further pressures. This type of stress affects people in a negative, often harmful manner. Negative stress can result in our feeling frustration, resentment, anger, worthlessness, and despair, as well as causing a range of physical problems.

Why does stress affect different people in different ways? It is now accepted that stress affects different people in different ways. Pressures that can become too much for some people can be absorbed relatively easily by others. The reasons for this are many. One is basic personality differences, where one person sees the pressure as a challenge to overcome, whilst another will have doubts about their ability to cope, and see the same pressure as threatening. A related, reason for this apparent difference is that the more positive person has been better trained, or had previous experience to draw on, whilst the negative person is facing this pressure for the first time, or has had a bad experience of it previously. Another reason is undoubtedly the complexity of the environment that surrounds each person. When an individual has most areas of their lives running smoothly then the pressure from a single event or area of their lives can often be managed without difficulty. The same event can be overwhelming for an individual who has many difficult situations current in their lives, which are already putting them under considerable pressure the last straw effect.
How can you tell if you are suffering from Stress? That's sometimes difficult, but if you are: feeling depressed
prone to outbursts of anger, feeling helpless and unable to cope, hate the thought of going in to work falling seriously behind with work or study deadlines, having difficulty concentrating, constantly in conflict with colleagues or your partner, eating too much, or drinking too much, experiencing headaches, muscular or chest pains, stomach troubles, losing interest in study or social activities that previously excited you finding that colleagues or family are expressing concern, the chances are that you are stressed. If you are, there is a strong chance also that you have other problems too, as the negative effects of stress can cause physical and mental problems to arise, if the stress is not addressed.

What can I do to manage my Stress?. Stress can be effectively recognized and managed. The key is to understand our own signs of stress, sele ct a few appropriate techniques to manage that stress, and then consistently use those techniques. One common characteristic of those who manage stress successfully and positively is that they all view stress, pressures, complexity, as an area of their lives that have to be managed, and they take defensive action if the pressures build to unreasonable levels.

If you are suffering from stress, take action! Now! Don't wait a moment longer take action. Here are 25 ways in which you can manage stress more successfully. They are not in order of priority but are offered as suggestions that can help you to prevent stress from damaging your life.

Recognise that stress may be affecting you or could do in the future, talk to someone you really trust face to face, or by telephone, letter, or even email, take time out to play a sport, entertainment, family activity, with friends,exercise on a regular basis it helps manage and prevent stress becoming a problem, eat a balanced diet whenever possible, get plenty of sleep this helps you stay fresh and gives you more energy during the day, avoid self-medication with nicotine, alcohol, too much coffee or tranquillisers, try doing something for others colleagues, friends, family, partner, take one thing at a time when possible if not, don't take on too much at the same time,
try to avoid unnecessary conflict, at work, home, and socially, develop a hobby or interest as a counter-balance to stressful pressures, don't let work or family commitments become an addiction, don't feel guilty about taking time out for yourself you are important too, don't put off relaxing - use a relaxation stress reduction technique daily, know when you are tired and do something about it take a break, don't be afraid to say No! You won't be respected if you say Yes but then make mistakes, delegate responsibility and or tasks where possible and appropriate, manage your time better - you need a system that works for you, not against you, plan ahead for workload and social activities to prevent too much pressure building up, draw up an Action Plan to tackle the causes of your stress, stress is not usually caused by a single, large, problem - break it down into smaller pieces and deal with them individually,
set realistic targets most stress causes are complex and cannot be eliminated immediately, accept that some things you cannot change accept them or change direction to avoid them, when you are successful in making positive changes, even small ones reward yourself, be pleased with your achievement, and be realistic about achieving perfection none of us will ever be perfect.

Mild, manageable, stress helps us to achieve our time deadlines, get to appointments on time, remember important dates, and get those last minute details worked out on a project that is due tomorrow, perform to the best of our ability, and produce high quality work. This is usually not what caus es us to become "distressed" to suffer negatively from stress. Sometimes too many minor stresses build up to create an unhealthy level of stress. What would, individually, be manageable, combines to become unmanageable and stressful. For example, more and more overlapping work activities, with impending time deadlines and high quality targets, building up to the point where it is not possible for the individual to manage it all. At other times, sadly, we will experience events that in themselves result in exceptionally high levels of stress - such as the loss of a loved one, losing a job, or the ending of a relationship. Adding a course of studies to the mix of pressures that affect mature, working professionals, can raise stress levels to a high or potentially damaging level. Being aware of the dangers of negative stress, and how to manage stress, is essential. It is one of the many skills that is required by individuals aiming for successful personal and career development .

As the demands on professionals increase, in terms of performance in the workplace, having to show evidence of continuous personal development activity, and having to balance these with the demands of home and social lives. The key to success is to recognise that Stress can be a dangerous enemy, to learn about it, and to find ways to manage it effectively. By taking preventative action, using some of the recognised stress management techniques, stress can usually be managed successfully.

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Models For Stress Management

Stress management is a coping technique to deal with the stresses of daily life. Most stress management methods intend to equip a person with effective coping mechanisms to deal with stress. For many people they are unable to deal with stress and ignore it, bottle it up, or don't deal with it at all. Unfortunately, in most cases this doesn't eliminate the stress, rather it makes it worse. Learning ways to cope with stress effectively will lead to a happier, and healthier life.

Stress is a part of everyone's life, whether it is positive or negative, short or long-term stress. However, not everyone has the ability to cope with stress in a positive health way. One's ability to cope with stress is learned thru life experiences, by personal expectations and with the resources that are available. Effective coping mechanisms include time management, cognitive therapy, conflict resolution, exercise, meditation, etc. Effective stress management is healthy and helpful at reducing stress. Ineffective ways to cope with stress are usually unhealthy, unproductive and act as a diversion to dealing with stress. These methods include smoking, drinking, over or under eating, zoning out in front of the TV, withdrawal, pills/drugs, over sleeping, procrastinating, and taking stress out on others.

Stress management improves stress to restore everyday functioning. How a person is affected by stress is determined through their perception, capacity and understanding. Richard Lazarus a psychologist who studied stress developed the cognitive appraisal model that argued in order for a situation to be considered stressful it first must be appraised as stressful. If a person assesses a situation as harmful, threatening or challenging then it can be considered a stressor. First evaluation is influenced by personal and environmental factors, which also determine coping strategies. There is a choice between problem-focused coping, which manages the problem, and emotion focused coping, which manages ones negative emotions. Once a problem has been appraised and a coping mechanism has been chosen, a secondary assessment will determine if there are enough resources available to cope with the situation. Insufficient resources can change the primary assessment of a stressful situati on.

The cognitive appraisal model sets up the basis for Lazarus' stress management model, The Transactional Model, which focuses on the transaction between a person and their environment. If a person doesn't appraise a situation as stressful, then stress is eliminated. Additionally if one possesses the adequate resources and ability too cope then stress can be dismissed. Changing ones perspective of a situation can avoid the development of stress. Learning ways to change ones perspective can decrease stress and improve the quality of life.

Although the transactional model is based upon the transaction between a person and the environment, the Health Realization/Innate Health Model examines the nature of ones thoughts in regards to these transactions. This model summates that a persons thought processes could determine ones response to stress. Therefore if we evaluate our negative thought processes and insecure thinking we can disengage from it. We can learn to use a "mental filter" to appraise oneself (resources) and ones circumstances (environment). Therefore we can change insecurity and negativity into positivity, which will reduce stress. Understanding the nature of thought through a quiet mind, inner wisdom and common sense will reward you with feelings of well being rather than stress.

These models of appraisal, transaction and nature of thought can all be learned through several sessions with a psychologist. In addition they will teach you coping skills and techniques to use when caught off guard. Most stress management techniques include setting limits, refusing demands and learning to relax. Some effective stress management techniques include time management, biofeedback, talk therapy, conflict resolution, relaxation, meditation, deep breathing, cognitive therapy, yoga, and exercise. Being able to uses effective stress management techniques will reduce stress, decrease anger and hostility, improve health and improve your life.

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