Stress

Just the word stress can create anxiety! You can learn how to manage stress and use it to your advantage. It is like a double-edged sword. Stress can be good for us: it can challenge, motivate and energize us to set achievable goals in every area of our lives. Yet unrecognized and unmanaged stress can be unhealthy for us emotionally and physically. Migraines, ulcers, coughs and colds, irritability, and anxiety can be caused by unmanaged stress.

Many things contribute to the unhealthy stress we feel. Some are more familiar like job loss, marriage, loss of a loved one and disease. Others are not quite as obvious such as noise pollution, lack of sleep, excessive exercise, commuting, caffeine and alcohol.

Here are some suggestions to control and manage it in your life:

** LAUGH – watch funny movies and comedy shows
** RELAX – take vacations on a regular basis even if just for one night
** STOP – meditate even if for only several minutes a day
** SUPPORT – focus on having healthy relationships with family, friends and groups
** CREATE – discover or rediscover interests and hobbies