By Ratidzo Makombe
Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the demands of life. A small amount of stress can even be a good motivator however, over time continuous stress and multiple challenges such as juggling work and motherhood, meeting deadlines, and paying bills, can push you beyond your ability to cope.
Your brain comes hard-wired with an alarm system for your protection. When your brain perceives a threat, it signals your body to release a burst of hormones that increase your heart rate and raise your blood pressure. This "fight-or-flight" response fuels you to act. Once the threat is gone, your body is meant to return to a normal, relaxed state. Unfortunately, often the nonstop complications of modern life mean that some people's alarm systems are always going off.
Stress management is a good way to reset your alarm system. Without this, your body might suffer tremendously from constant stress leading to serious health problems. Here are three types of stress management techniques you can adopt with a group of friends.
Create awareness.
Becoming more aware of your thoughts and actions can help you recognize patterns and areas where you can improve as well as appreciate the areas you are already doing well at. The next time you feel stressed, take a deep breath and ask yourself, "Where is this stress coming from? Is it justified? How best can I deal with it?" Once you have done that, you can actively choose how to best respond.
Focus your attention.
A powerful technique for dealing with stressful situations is to cultivate your attention to focus on the present moment. Doing so reduces the mind's tendency to wander or ruminate on the what-if thoughts that often add to the stress. Focusing your attention takes practice, especially in a world that is filled with many distractions. To develop this skill, try focusing on the details in your everyday surroundings and experiences. Discover new aspects of old haunts and habits. Find the beauty in the mundane.
Focus on what you can control.
Do you find yourself being overly critical? "This would be better if they..." "they should have ..." "I would have done it this way ..." Combat this by focusing on the things within your control. By taking this approach, you learn to be less concerned about the actions of others and more about your responses You may find great peace with this approach.
As part of our mental health campaign we want you to remember that stress is often unavoidable. The key is learning how to cope with it. Be proactive and do not wait until stress damages your health, relationships, or quality of life.
Edited by Ratidzo Njagu
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