How To Deal With Stress Effectively

In these modern times, men and women work long hours, eat fast food, travel in rush traffic, stay up late, worry about money, and face many new illnesses which can cause extreme anxiety and frustration. All of these situations may cause numerous physical, mental, and emotional tensions.

Hima Dalal, O.T.R./L, occupational therapists for Layton Physical Therapy, located at Richmond Heights General Hospital, who helps her patients cope with anxiety, says, “You can't eliminate stress from your life, but you can learn to use it productively. No matter what (or who) has you climbing the walls, these easy, efficient techniques will let you take control of your life.”

To use stress in a positive ways and prevent it from becoming distress, you should become aware of your own reactions to stressful events. Help yourself with the following guidelines to reduce stress:

1. Take care of yourself! Your are special! - Get regular sleep and exercise.
2. Make time for fun – Have a good balance between rest, fun and work.
3. Try physical activity- when you are nervous, angry or upset, release the pressures through exercise or physical activity.
4. Share your stress – It helps to talk to someone who you can trust about your concerns and worries. (If you think your problem is serious, you might seek professional help form a psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker).
5. Know your limits – What stresses you? Be in tune with your feelings. Trust them and share them.
6. Be adaptive – flexible.
7. It's O.K. to cry – A good cry can be a healthy way to bring relief to your anxiety, and it might even prevent a headache or other physical consequences.
8. Avoid self-medication.
9. Decide what you usually like to do for relaxation and take time to do it.
10. Break the chain of frustration – Deal with your frustration, don't pass it on to others.
11. Establish realistic goals for daily and weekly activities – Know your limits.
12. Must you always be right? - Do other people upset you, particularly when they don't do things your way? Try cooperation instead of confrontation.

How Vulnerable Are You To Stress?
The following test was developed by Psychologists Lyle H. Miller and Alma Dell Smith at Boston University Medical Center. Score each item from 1 (almost always) to 5 (never), according to how much of the time each statement applies to you.

1. I eat at least one hot, balanced meal a day.
2. I get seven to eight hours of sleep at least four night a week.
3. I give and receive affection regularly.
4. I have at least one relative within 50 miles of whom I can rely.
5. I exercise to the point of perspiration at least twice a week.
6. I smoke less than half a pack of cigarettes a day.
7. I take fewer than five alcoholic drinks a day.
8. I am the appropriate weight for my height.
9. I have an income adequate to meet my basic expenses.
10. I get strength from my religious beliefs.
11. I regularly attend club or social activities.
12. I have a network of friends and acquaintances.
13. I have one or more friends to confide in about personal matters.
14. I am in good health (including eyesight, hearing, teeth)
15. I am able to speak openly about my feelings when angry or worried.
16. I have regular conversations with the people I live with about domestic problems, e.g., chores, money, and daily living issues.
17. I do something for fun at least once a week.
18. I am able to organize my time effectively.
19. I drink fewer than three cups of coffee (or tea or cola drinks) a day.
20. I take quiet time for myself during the day.

_______TOTAL

To get your score, add up the figures and subtract 20. any number over 30 indicates a vulnerability to stress. You are seriously vulnerable if your score is between 50 and 75, and extremely vulnerable if it is over 75.

Do I Have Stress?

1. ____ I have cold, sweaty palms.
2. ____ I often feel breathless.
3. ____ I have tense muscles in my forehead, jaws, neck and shoulders.
4. ____ I compete often and fell I should always win.
5. ____ I often do several things at the same time, e.g.-- eating and talking on the phone.
6. ____ I often become irritated and impatient.
7. ____ I often finish other people's sentences.
8. ____ I think jobs are done better if I do them myself, than when delegating the work.
9. ____ I rarely have the sense of achieving something and feeling good about them.
10. ____ I set extremely high goals for myself.
11. ____ I do everything quickly.

SCORING: Give yourself 1 point for each check mark and 0 for each questing that is negative for you. If your score is 6 or higher, you may be creating a great deal of stress for yourself.

In future editions of VITAL SIGNS, we will discuss rehabilitation techniques and exercises to help to reduce stress. If you would like more information on relieving stress, please call Hima Dalal, O.T.R./L at 585-6442.