Either an extremely high or low level of stress can be detrimental to one’s health. Various negative effects of stress has long been recorded, from heart disease, compromised immune system, depression, diabetes, liver disease—the list goes on and on.
And since stress is an inevitable part of life, the only thing that can be done is to know how to deal with it—through stress management.
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There are many ways by which one can manage stress. It can be as simple as doing breathing exercises, having a good diet, avoiding stimulants like nicotine and caffeine, taking time out to relax, having a support system, and many more. All of these, when practiced religiously, can lead a successful stress management plan.
Stress management can yield the following benefits, among others:
- Health Improvement. A good amount of stress is beneficial. However, when it is in excess, the negative health outcomes are overwhelming. You will be surprised that a simple stressful situation, when not properly dealt with, can cause you to experience minor things like bloating, upset stomach, headaches. Even more serious illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and lung ailments can occur unless proper stress management is employed.
- Increased Productivity. Of course, when you are not stressed, you are more likely to perform and function well. Stress management teaches you to reduce stress through relaxing your mind and thinking positive. As a result, you are more focused and you learn how to respond and handle failures and demands at work and use them as motivation to improve your performance. True enough, having the right amount of optimism can do wonders in your life, as it lets you use your weaknesses as a challenge to do better.
- Higher Self-Esteem & Improved Self-Image. One of the key components of stress management is exercise. Through exercise, you achieve a healthier, fit, and toned body. As a result, you do not only reduce muscle tension, but you also feel more confident because you know you are in good shape. Also, when you get enough sleep, you do not look groggy and sluggish. You feel more refreshed and renewed, and the beauty within you comes out and becomes apparent to the people around you.
Indeed, the positive effects of stress management are unquestionable. However, stress management is not without its limitations. This is mainly because most stress-reduction approaches like exercise, fitness programs, nutritional education, and time management tips do not specifically provide a way for a person to reduce or eliminate stress in the moment. In fact, despite the best efforts of companies to implement stress management programs in the workplace, there is still an increased level of tension among employees.
This can be explained by the fact that perception of stress is highly individualized. This means that while certain events are inherently ‘stressful,’ it still depends on the person who perceives and reacts to a situation that determines the activation or deactivation of a stress response. The problem with stress management is that the approaches used do not directly target the real source of people’s frustrations. Thus, people convert these to unpleasant behavior instead.
