Topic: stress

Question: How can I be less stressed?
I need help dealing with stress. How can I handle it all and feel less stressed out?

Answer (from Dr Traci KochendorferTime for you to " Claim IT" with over 15 years in health and wellness, Ph.D Psy.D D.D. F.P.L.C. recognized on TV and Magazines,):
How can we handle stress in healthy ways?
Eat and drink to optimize your health. Some people try to reduce stress by drinking alcohol or eating too much. Try and find if you do certain things or are there triggers when you do.
Exercise regularly. In addition to having physical health benefits, exercise has been shown to be a powerful stress reliever. ...
Stop using tobacco and nicotine products. People who use nicotine often refer to it as a stress reliever. ...
Study and practice relaxation techniques. Taking the time to relax every day helps to manage stress and to protect the body from the effects of stress. Lastly channel your creative energy try my adult coloring book it might help

Answer (from Sherry Katz, LCSWCouples and Family Therapist, LCSW):
In case you feel some relief to know you're feeling the tone of our times.We live with crumbling of our values which then gives rise to insecurity everywhere.  If someone doesn't know what their values are then its difficult to do anything, and right now everyday we hear uncertainty in what used to be our basic assumptions.You're more normal for noticing and feeling stressed than if you imagine life felt fine the way it is!One road to take is to accept that there are no clear roads forward.  This means to change long term goals into shorter ones.Also, in general the more focused you can be as to your particular wishes, motivations, interests, and people about whom you care, the greater will be your sense of confidence that your personal world is as secure as it can be for right now.And, it helps too to know that nothing lasts forever, eventually all of what is up in the air will start to land in a much more clear way.

Answer (from Kelly Mulroy, LMHC, NCC, DCCClinical Hypnosis and Psychotherapy):
Part of handling stress is making sure that your perception of the stress is accurate. Sometimes stress can seem more than it really is. One thing that I encourage my clients to do is to ask themselves, "What is this stressor really about?" Simplifying stress is a key to minimizing stress and leads to feeling less stressed out.

Answer (from Rachelle BurrellThis is for you):
Unfortunately we can't escape stress in this life.  Some stress is good and it motivates us to take needed actions.  Or stress may paralyze us, cause sickness, and upset relationships. Stress affects every area of your life; physical, emotional, social, cognitive and spiritual.  You may experience physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach upset, or sleep disruption.  It may affect your ability to learn new things or concentrate.  Further it may cause you to question previously held beliefs and heighten your emotions.  You can take a holistic approach and focus on those 5 realms to reduce your stress.   As examples, exercise as approved by your MD to reduce muscle tension and lift mood, journaling or art to channel your emotions, spending time with positive people, staying away from negative people if you can, and be aware of thoughts that increase your stress.   This does not need to take a lot of time out of your busy schedule.  Taking 3 minutes throughout the day to walk, journal and take deep breaths helps.  A therapist can help you identify specific stressors and help you to problem solve solutions.

Answer (from Max Shmidheiser, PsyD, ABPP, MBE, CBISTOasis Neurobehavioral Health, LLC):
As a general disclaimer, in any area of mental health there is no "one size fits all" response, as each concern addressed in therapy is unique to you and your life situation.  With regard to stress reduction, it can be useful to take an inventory of the emotional, cognitive, and physical manifestations of stress with your psychologist, and to identify the context, history, and triggers related to the stress. This can help in establishing clear treatment goals with well defined targets for stress-reduction interventions, of which there are many. Basic examples of interventions to address manifestations of stress include: cognitive reframing techniques for manifestations of cognitive stress; assertiveness communication training, activity pacing, and mindfulness meditation for emotional manifestations of stress, and good sleep hygiene and lifestyle modifications (e.g., with nutrition, exercise, etc.) for physical manifestations of stress.  This is by no means a comprehensive list of interventions, but hopefully will provide a sense of some of the options that could be available for you to work on with your psychologist.

Answer (from Linda AbdelsayedChange is the only constant in life):
There are many causes for feeling stressed out. Between a demanding job, family responsibilities, and everything else that can come up, stress becomes more and more part of our everyday life. One of the best ways to combat the toxic effects of stress on our bodies, social lives, and overall well being is to engage in self-care. But not the self-care that most people think of like vacations or massages. The best self-care is the kind that helps you live the life that you already have rather than escape it. You see, the reason why vacations and massages don't work long term in reducing stress is that they allow you to escape from what is causing the stress without truly fixing it so you just return to what already stressed you out. So, instead you need to find ways to help live with the stressors that you already have. They can be things like creating a more manageable schedule, introducing healthy eating or exercising, financial planning, and even learning a few simple relaxation skills. The key to combatting stress is to make small but consistent changes to your life so that it becomes more manageable and more enjoyable.