http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/famlf2/EP105.pdf

Steps for Reducing Stress
When stress occurs, it is important to recognize and deal with it. Following are
some ways to handle stress. As you begin to understand more about how stress
affects you as an individual, you will invent your own ideas about how to help
ease tension.

• Turn to physical activity. When you are nervous, angry or upset, release the
pressure through exercise or physical activity. Running, walking, tennis, yoga,
swimming, or working in your garden are some of the activities you can try.
Physical exercise will relieve that “up tight” feeling, relax you, and may turn
your frowns into smiles.
Remember, your body and mind work together. A regular routine of physical
exercise will help to relieve the daily symptoms of stress.
• Locate the source of your stress. You need to look inside yourself, as well as
outside. Remember, spending too much time analyzing your feelings may
make them look bigger than they really are. This, in itself, can make you more
tense.
• Share your concerns with others. It may help to talk to someone. Perhaps a
friend, family member, teacher or counselor can help you see the problem in a
different light.
If you feel your problem is serious, you can seek professional help from a
psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. Knowing when to ask for help may
avoid more serious problems later.
• Know your limits. If a problem is beyond your control and cannot be changed
at the moment, do not fight the situation. Learn to accept what you cannot
realistically change.
Sometimes it will be appropriate to take action and remove the stress. But, for
other times you may need to change your attitude and live with the situation.
Whatever decision you make, do not waste time wondering whether or not you
have made the right one.
• Take care of yourself. You are important. Get enough rest and eat well. If you
are irritable and tense from lack of sleep, or if you are not eating correctly, you
will have less ability to deal with stressful situations. If stress repeatedly keeps
you from sleeping or eating, you should ask your doctor for help. Try to:
• Eat regular meals and snacks.
• Reduce or eliminate caffeine.
• Consume more water.
• Exercise regularly.
• Limit your intake of alcohol and other addictive drugs.
• Make time for fun. Balance work and community service with recreation by
scheduling time strictly for yourself. Do something you really enjoy, whether it
is bird watching, fishing, bowling, needlework, woodworking, etc.
You need to participate in some type of recreation that relaxes you and also brings
deep enjoyment. This helps you face your daily frustrations more calmly.
Play can be just as important to your well-being as work; you need a break from
your daily routine to just relax and have fun.

• Check off your tasks. Trying to take care of everything at once can seemoverwhelming. As a result, you may not accomplish anything.
Instead, make a list of what tasks you have to do, and do them one at a time.
Remember to do the most important tasks first, and check them off as they are
completed.
Also consider delegating tasks that can be done by other people. Remember —
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO DO EVERYTHING!!!
• Don’t always insist on being “right.” Do other people upset you — particularly
when they do not do things your way?
• Try cooperation instead of confrontation. It is better than fighting and insist on
getting your own way. A little give and take on both sides will reduce the
strain and make everyone feel more comfortable.
• Get away from it for a while. When tensions mount and make you too
emotional to think clearly or to make wise decisions, you should take a “timeout.”
There are many ways of doing this — going into the next room for a few minutes,
counting to fifty, or putting the decision aside until later. Often problems have a
way of solving themselves when we leave them for awhile.
• Create a quiet scene. You may not be able to run away, but you can “dream the
impossible dream.” A quiet scene painted mentally can take you out of the
turmoil of a stressful situation. Read a good book or play beautiful music to
create a sense of peace and tranquility.
• Avoid self-medication. If you load up on tranquilizers in every stressful
situation, you will never be able to solve your problems. Knowing how to
handle tension-producing times comes only with practice.
Practice comes only from dealing with the problem, not from taking a pill and
ignoring it. Contact your physician if you feel you cannot cope.
• Learn to relax — SMILE! There are times when putting on a happy face, even
though you do not feel like it, will ease tension and will begin to make you feel
much more relaxed. If the smile can turn into a hearty laugh, tension will fly
out of the window.
Part of the secret is to not take ourselves too seriously. The other part is to assume
the attitude that, “this too shall pass.”