Prevent and Manage Chronic Stress

by The Cooperative
Having some stress in our lives motivates us to set goals for ourselves. Think of the stress or excitement of starting a new job or learning a new hobby! This type of stress energizes us and helps us to be more engaged. On the other hand, chronic high stress that doesn’t get controlled or managed can negatively impact our health and well-being. It can increase our anxiety levels, make it harder to control our emotions, and potentially trickle down to other areas of our lives, such as sleep, nutrition, and activity. We can lower our risk for heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and depression by keeping chronic stress at bay.
 
There are many ways we can reduce stress in our lives. It’s important to explore different stress management techniques and find the ones that work best for you. Here are a few general ways you can start to incorporate to manage and prevent stress in your life:
 
  • Focus on the important things. Think about what things deserve your time and energy. If it doesn’t need or deserves to take up extra space in your head, try to let it go!
  • Get organized. Being disorganized can create stress if you miss important tasks or deadlines. Some strategies to improve organization could be using a planner, making to-do lists, or adding reminders to your phone so that you don’t forget things.
  • Say no to extra obligations. Don’t stretch yourself so thin that you feel overwhelmed. You can also delegate tasks to others to take some items off your plate.
  • Be positive! Look for the good in others and yourself. Find a positive in each day and focus on the good.
  • Laugh more! Look for the humor in your day, or watch a funny video to cheer you up.
  • Listen to music. Play your favorite music to relax and revive you.
Our stress levels can ebb and flow by the week, day, or sometimes by the hour or minute! Remembering these tips may help keep your stress levels more manageable.
 
By Coach Sarah

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