Living through stressful situations takes a toll on your mental and physical health. While more limited periods of stress can get you through challenging situations, continuing stress will begin to put you at risk for mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and panic disorder, as well as physical health issues.
Being able to manage stress effectively will help limit the more intense symptoms you can experience when you start to feel overwhelmed. Instead, management techniques will keep you in control so that you remain effective while dealing with stress and are able to maintain your mental health in high stakes situations.
Coping Strategies for Stress
There are a variety of different coping strategies that can provide results when you encounter a stressful situation, but you should also learn your stress triggers or the emotions you experience that precede feelings of being overwhelmed. When you are able to tell that you are entering into a stressful situation,
you can before the stress becomes more intense. Early intervention is often more effective than waiting until you feel overwhelmed to start combating stress.
When you notice your triggers, try responding with one or more of the following techniques:
- Accept Feelings of Stress – Denying that you are in a hard situation can often make it worse. By acknowledging – at least yourself but potentially to others – that you may need extra support can get you the resources and space you need to cope.
- Take Time for Yourself – Although it can be difficult to step back when you feel stressed, making a point to engage in more relaxed activities gives your mind a break. This can keep you from living in a state of constant worry and provides your mind a chance to de-escalate.
- Practice Relaxation Strategies – Engaging in your preferred form of relaxation, such as meditation, yoga, mindfulness, or a moment of quiet with some of your favorite music, will relax your body which also, which prompts your mind to feel more relaxed as well.
- Practice Healthy Habits – Regular exercise, eating, and sleeping will help keep you physically in good shape and make you better able to cope with mood changes that can be the result of stress.
- Avoid Drugs and Alcohol – While alcohol and drugs may make you feel more relaxed in the moment, they can often be detrimental for long term stress management because they alter your ability to regulate your emotions, leaving you more exposed to stress in the long run.
Although these and other personal coping mechanisms can help you mitigate stress, there may be times where these strategies are not enough. You may have recognized your stress triggers too late and already feel overwhelmed, or the situation may be too intense for your usual coping methods. If this happens, you may need more advanced strategies to help overcome anxiety.
Working with a psychiatrist can be beneficial to help prevent worry from impacting other areas of your life or developing into a more serious mental health condition. For patients in Dallas, Aware Behavioral Health offers treatment for stress and worry using strategies like anti anxiety medication and cognitive behavioral therapy to help manage and reduce your feelings of stress, both now and in the long term. To learn more about stress management in Dallas, contact Aware Behavioral Health.
