A Guide to Stress Management Benefits and Reduction Tips

The ability to reduce stress seems like a benefit in itself. After all, who wants to feel stressed?

But reducing stress affects more than just our state of mind. Stress can sneak up on you and become a chronic problem. It can disrupt your physical health, sleeping patterns, mental health, and relationships – in fact, your entire quality of life.

April is National Stress Awareness Month, and we want you to be proactive in dealing with any stress in your life. Read on to find out why it’s beneficial for you to lower your stress levels as well as discover some stress management tips.

Stress Management Benefits

Stress occurs throughout our lives and is often unavoidable. Learning how to manage stress gives us some measure of control over our lives.

In addition, when you can effectively avoid or better manage stress, you are less likely to:

• Develop health problems like hypertension (high blood pressure), ulcers, asthma, and irritable bowel syndrome
• Experience insomnia
• Overeat, drink too much alcohol, or use drugs

Stress Management in College

The short-term stress of taking a test or performing in a piano recital is one thing, but chronic stress in children can lead to health problems in adulthood. Stress levels are rising for everyone – even kids.

Teens have been reporting higher levels of stress than adults every year since 2013. For ages 6 through 17, anxiety and depression has risen from 5.4 percent in 2003 to 8.4 percent in 2011.

Ideally, we should be teaching kids stress management in elementary, middle, and high school. But even in college it’s not too late to learn.

By mastering stress management in college, students learn:

• Better time management
• Improved concentration
• Delegation skills

In addition to improving memory and focus, by learning stress management in college or earlier, students can avoid anxiety symptoms and have a better sense of control over their own lives.

Why Reduce Stress at Work?

Stress at work can lead to all sorts of problems because it can:

• Make it difficult to concentrate, which can lower productivity and efficiency
• Affect your ability to make decisions and communicate effectively
• Put you in a perpetually irritable and bad mood

When you can reduce stress at work, you’ll experience several benefits:

• You’ll be able to “work smarter” (as well as work harder)
• You’ll communicate better and experience more pleasant work relationships
• It will be easier to focus on work

We even bet that the workday will go by much faster!

Stress Management Tips

For maximum stress management benefits, you should manage stress at both a mental and a physical level.

Mental Tools to Manage Stress

Much is said about being optimistic and having a positive attitude. However, it’s very hard to do this consistently if it’s not a part of your personality.

It can feel impossible to “think positive” if you have experienced significant loss (death in the family, loss of one’s job, etc.) or become discouraged by repeated struggles.

If you struggle to remain positive when dealing with stress, here are a few tips:

• Connect with a caring person—When dealing with stress, it’s important to remember that you are not alone in your problems. This is not meant to belittle your stress – just that others may have good advice on easing stress or at least provide a sympathetic ear.
  • Tip: Use your best judgment when deciding who to confide in. Good candidates are loved ones, close friends, and professional therapists.
• Journal to get clarity of mind—If you’re not comfortable sharing your stress with others, journaling can also help and provide the clarity of mind to better analyze and troubleshoot the sources of stress.
• Step outside, breathe, and walk—Connecting with nature by sitting or walking outdoors can help you relax and give you the mental space to think clearly.

Physical Tools to Manage Stress

Stress can gradually seep into our body over time. What happens to our bodies when we are stressed?

• We tense our muscles
• Breathe faster
• Our heart rate may increase

Gentle workouts like yoga, Pilates, and Tai chi can help reduce stress. These types of exercises focus on controlling your breathing and stretching your muscles. Once you are aware of how tense your body becomes from stress, you can learn how to relax.

Massages can also provide stress management benefits. For those who don’t have the time or funds for hour-long massage sessions, shorter massage periods are still beneficial. One way for employees and students to lower stress is by regular visits from Mobile Recovery Stations to receive brief, but impactful massage sessions.

By taking the time to care for your body and your mind, you’re dealing with stress in a positive way (as opposed to relying on negative habits). Once you experience the benefits of stress management, it’s easier for it to become a regular habit.

Clients who have experienced the Turbo Sports Recovery Mobile Recovery Stations can testify to the relaxing and rejuvenating effects of massage. To learn more about how to give or receive the gift of less stress, request a quote.