Stress

Stress is characterized by the body’s nonspecific response to the varying demands that are placed upon it. Many times stress is referred to in a negative light; however, stress can help to keep a person alert and motivated allowing the person to accomplish more than they would otherwise. A lack of stress can be just as much of a problem as too much stress.

The goal in treating stress is not to eliminate it but to learn how to manage it and use it to our advantage. As we strive to find an optimal level of stress in our lives we will start to see that proper amounts of stress motivate us to excel in our performance and disproportional levels of stress can suffocate and overwhelm us.

Here are some tips as you look to manage your stress:

Find what causes stress in your life and notice your reaction to the stress.
Identify areas of your life you can change to eliminate or reduce negative reactions to stress.
Teach yourself to control your physical reactions to stress.
Exercise to increase your physical capacity to deal with stress.
Build up your emotional ability to deal with stress.