How does one effectively manage such stress? There are several strategies that can help, fortunately. Some depend on your situation. Tackling financial stress, for example, can involve getting a clear picture of what your financial situation looks like, seeking resources, making wise choices with the opportunities that are available, and trying to take on the problem that's causing your stress--money. (See this article for more specific ideas on handling the stress of a financial crisis.)
Some strategies can be more effective or less effective depending on personality characteristics you have. For example, some people prefer to work through their feelings about what is stressing them, and may find more stress relief by talking to a good friend or journaling about their feelings. Others find more relief through distraction from stressors, and benefit more from stress management techniques like exercise. Virtually everyone can find some benefit from a wide variety of stress management techniques, but certain people find certain techniques especially helpful, or not particularly helpful, depending on who they are. (For help finding stress management techniques that may work with your personality and situation, try the Stress Reliever Personality Test.)
If you're not sure how to relieve your stress, I would recommend that you try a combination of techniques:
- Short Term Stress Relief
Find some stress relievers that can calm your stress response in the short term. You may not even realize it if your fight-or-flight response has been triggered and you've been in 'stress mode' for quite a while, but this can lead to chronic stress, and can take a heavy physical toll. Try some quick stress relievers to reverse this stress response, and you'll be better able to take additional steps to relieve stress. You'll also feel better. - Address The Problem
Some of the issues people are dealing with--losing a job, facing foreclosure--can't be easily fixed, but steps can still be taken toward minimizing the problem. Taking proactive steps toward finding a new job, for example, can help you feel more in control of a precarious work situation, and can open up new opportunities, which minimizes stress. (For help with addressing specific stressors, click on the stressors listed in the poll to the left.) - Work on Long-Term Stress Management
Some stress relievers, such as breathing exercises and PMR, can make you feel better on an as-needed basis. Other stress relievers can make you feel better as you are doing them, but can also lower your stress levels overall if you practice them regularly. These techniques range from healthy habits (like exercise) to healthy attitudes (such as optimistic thinking) to stress relieving practices (like meditation). Having a few regular stress relieving habits in your life can make your stressors affect you less, and can provide you with a means of coping in a healthy way when stress does get you down.
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Elizabeth,
I like this article, especially that you recommend meditation, journaling, optimistic thinking, etc…. I would like to add this….stress only becomes stress if we label it as such. When we become identified with the stress (let’s say financial issues), then the mind creates a problem out of it to be solved which causes the stress. The mind always labels experiences “good” or “bad” because that is what the mind likes to do to stay in control. Why stress? Instead, of becoming identified with the “problem”, why label it as a problem to begin with? Simply allow the experience to happen, watch the mind, be in the witness, no need to get identified with what is happening as everything is impermanent anyways. Who knows if this current economic situation is “bad”, who’s to say it is bad??? We don’t know what is going to happen next and perhaps if this “bad” recession didn’t happen, nothing “good” would follow it? Whatever is happening is just that, its happening-so BE it. No need to label it as a crisis or a problem. Once we accept it 100% and allow it to be, it to will pass, just like everything in life. The only thing that remains the same is change. As well, if we simply allow it to pass, the quicker things will change as we are no longer resisting what is happening. In other words, what we resist, persists. In the end, as long as we continue to be identified with this current economic “crisis”, the longer it will be before we get out of this so-called recession. Furthermore, the more we think about it as such, the less energy we will have to respond in order to take the right action….as Obama says “YES WE CAN!” And how does one find the energy to make IT HAPPEN!??? Meditation, meditation, meditation….(I have to say it 3 times to hammer it in…)Only when people discover WHO they truly are and see that they have unlimited creative intelligence within themselves will we come up with new SOLUTIONS (rather than reinventing the wheel) to our current so-called economic “foes”….but don’t take my word for it, experience IT for your SELF!
Let me put it another way, the external reality is only an outer reflection of our inner reality (individual and collective consciousness)…..so if we all spent more time in meditation and found that inner peace within ourselves (and abundance), only then will we acheive peace and prosperity in the outer world…..as Gandhi said once-We have to BE the change we want to see in the world!
What is happening in the world right now is because inside of ourselves, we have become spiritually “poor”, we are beggars. And so the belief that “there isn’t enough” persists. Only once people see their own inner riches and treasures, abundance will be had by all! 
We do need to slow down. We need slower living; slower consumption, slower food, less frenetic activity and travel, and maybe humans even need to breed slower. Being stimulated has driven it all. This is the crisis created by our lifestyle that was not sustainable at this pace. So as Jeff suggests, its time to take some deep breathes and allow ourselves to stop doing what is no longer working. We can them transform ourselves. Life can be simpler even while using better technology to do so.
Jeff: You hit the nail right on the head with the attitude thing! There’s a huge amount of variability on how stressors affect people; what might be experienced as immensely stressful for one person can actually be experienced as ‘challenging’ or even ‘exciting’ by someone else.
How people experience things depends on several factors (their available coping resources and personality traits, for example), but attitude is a huge one. You may already know this, but what psychologists refer to as ‘locus of control’ is whether someone feels ‘in control’ of what’s happening in their life or if they see themselves as victims of circumstance. Predictably, those who experience themselves as in control tend to feel much less stressed by stressors.
What confuses things a little is that there’s the emotional experience of ’stress’ (how we define things) and then there’s the body’s ’stress response’, which is very real and, once triggered, needs to be managed. So, as you mentioned, if people can work on maintaining healthy and optimistic attitudes about what they experience, they might never perceive themselves to be threatened, and the stress response may never get triggered. (That’s the goal.) For those whose stress response is already triggered, it’s important to have techniques on hand to reverse the stress response, too. (Meditation is one of my favorite recommends, too!)
Thanks for adding to the discussions! I’ve actually been on vacation and have been a little slow with comment responses, but have enjoyed seeing your comments. (And that Ghandi quote is one of my three favorites!)
Sue: Yes! I think that things have gotten to a frenzied pace and that’s what many of us experience as ‘normal’ because it’s been so widespread. This type of fast-paced lifestyle and high-consumption simply can’t be sustained long-term.
I was recently in Hawaii and it really struck me how relaxed everyone I encountered was. Granted, most of us were on vacation, and that had a lot to do with the relaxed attitudes, but it was pretty unusual for me to be in an environment where nobody was rushing and stressed, and people were just enjoying nature.
While we ALSO can’t sustain the “I’m on vacation in Hawaii” experience long-term, the less we consume, the less we need to earn to support the whole cycle. I’m actively looking at more ways to simplify life, and will introduce more of that to this site in the coming months. Thanks for pointing out another important truth!
What stresses me the most? It stresses me that we are in a recession and that the whole world it facing a very difficult time perhaps other countries more than we do. But let’s face it we had it to good for a long time and at some day we will be feeling the cruch. As of now most people have not felt the down turn, restaurants are still filled with people, the roads are full of cars people come out of stores with full loaded carts but car sales have gone down and the working people in the auto sector could face layoffs.
But let me say this, I am from the 1920s I went through a the worst crisis and depression
that ever happened in this world and our recession will never be as bad as the dirty thirties. My belief will be that we will get through thisone much faster, we will not see a 10 year crises.
An other subject that stresses me even more is the Muslim wars the Jihad wars that is usual always about religion. Gradually we will face the overtaking by Muslims, we can not change the Muslim attitude of taking over the cultures of their new country. Already we can see first hand from the new Obama U.S. President his first move to open the gates of the Guantanamo jail. There are many terrorist convicts in that jail they be joined right away with their al-Qaida frinds if they are let free. A flood of Muslims are being unloaded in western European countries and the Maroccans are next to imposible to handle.
The daily mischief, evil, the strife becomes unbearable for there own people. Two Dutch people have been killed by Muslims and they are almost declaring the Netherlands a Muslim state. The Quran is being brought into the country and they want the sharia introduced as well. If the sharia law is allowed in the country they have then the power to change the government constitution.
Thanks for having my say.
What’s stressing me the most right now is that fact that I’m going through a separation from my husband, and we’re headed toward divorce. It’s weird, because I believe my body is always under stress even when I seem to be happy. And, there are times when I’m happy, but my lows are really low and sad. I’m trying to get active again and start really exercising, because I do find that after I’ve had a hard workout, I feel much better. I haven’t tried mediation, but will – anything to help w/the stress. You also mentioned breathing exercises, which I also read about in a book a friend gave to me. It talks about breathing as a way to combat stress and help with digestion. I’m really thankful that I found this blog. I’m going to try some of the suggestions – thank you!
I read your whole article and I loved your article. Yoga today is very important in people’s life. Yoga is gaining more and more importance as there is a lot of stress at workplaces. Yoga is the best and easy way to reduce the stress. And I have some good yoga tips at http://www.jiyohealthy.com/category/stress/