Sunday, March 1, 2009

Tips for reducing stress

Lately, it can be clearly seen some postgrads students in UMT are stressed due to work, life and study. So lets share a few tips on reducing stress...


-Keep a positive attitude.
-Accept that there are events that you cannot control.
-Be assertive instead of aggressive. "Assert" your feelings, opinions, or beliefs instead of
becoming angry, defensive, or passive.
-Learn and practice relaxation techniques.
-Exercise regularly. Your body can fight stress better when it is fit.
-Eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
-Get enough rest and sleep. Your body needs time to recover from stressful events.
-Don't rely on alcohol or drugs to reduce stress.
-Seek out social support.
-Learn to manage your time more effectively.

Information provided by Jerome F. Kiffer, MA, Department of Health Psychology and Applied Psychophysiology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Stress Management - Ways to Relieve Stress

The best way to manage your stress is to learn healthy coping strategies. You can start practicing these tips right away. Try one or two until you find a few that work for you. Practice these techniques until they become habits you turn to when you feel stress.

Stress-relief techniques focus on relaxing your mind and your body.

Ways to relax your mind
Write. It may help to write about things that are bothering you.1 Write for 10 to 15 minutes a day about stressful events and how they made you feel. Or think about starting a stress journal. This helps you find out what is causing your stress and how much stress you feel. After you know, you can find better ways to cope.

Let your feelings out. Talk, laugh, cry, and express anger when you need to. Talking with friends, family, a counselor, or a member of the clergy about your feelings is a healthy way to relieve stress.

Do something you enjoy. This can be:
-A hobby, such as gardening.
-A creative activity, such as writing, crafts, or art.
-Playing with and caring for pets.
-Volunteer work.

You may feel that you're too busy to do these things. But making time to do something you enjoy can help you relax. It might also help you get more done in other areas of your life.

Ways to relax your body
Exercise. Regular exercise is one of the best ways to manage stress. Walking is a great way to get started. Even everyday activities such as housecleaning or yard work can reduce stress. Stretching can also relieve muscle tension. For more information about becoming more active, see the topic Fitness.

Try techniques to relax. Breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, and yoga can help relieve stress.
Breathing exercises. These include roll breathing, a type of deep breathing.

Progressive muscle relaxation. This technique reduces muscle tension. You do it by relaxing separate groups of muscles one by one. Yoga, tai chi, and qi gong. These techniques combine exercise and meditation. You may need some training at first to learn them. Books and videos are also helpful. You can do all of these techniques at home.

Other techniques to reduce stress

In addition to meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, and breathing exercises to relieve stress, you might try these other therapies.

Ways to relax your mind
-Self-hypnosis can open your mind to suggestions that can relieve stress or change the way you respond to stress.
-Autogenic training includes six exercises that make the body relax. Each exercise helps you relax your body in a different way.
-Music therapy can relax your body, improve your mood, and change the pace of your day.
-Humor therapy may reduce stress and boost your immune system.
Ways to relax your body
-Massage, such as a shoulder and neck massage, uses touch to relieve tension. You can see a massage therapist or have a friend or family member give you a massage. You can even give yourself a massage.
-Aromatherapy uses the aroma-producing oils from plants to help you relax.
Biofeedback teaches you how to use your mind to control skin temperature, muscle tension, heart rate, or blood pressure. All of these things can be affected by stress.
-Herbal supplements
Some people use herbal supplements such as valerian, kava, gingko, St. John's Wort, and chamomile to relieve stress symptoms such as anxiety and insomnia. But supplements like these can be sold with limited or no research on how well they work. Talk with your doctor if you are taking supplements, especially if you have another health condition.
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1 comment:

Unknown said...

Stress management and tips for reducing stress are interesting in this article. With the help of the tips given in this blog people can learn the ways to relax their body and mind.