Stress: How to cope BETTER with life's challenges

When life and circumstances put pressure on you, here's how to diffuse it. Illustrations: Uttam Ghosh

In the following pages, we take you through the symptoms and cures for stress, so you can gain some peace of mind. Here goes!

What causes stress?

Stress is caused by the body's instinct to defend itself. This instinct is good in emergencies, such as getting out of the way of a speeding car. But it can cause physical symptoms if it goes on for too long, such as in response to life's daily challenges and changes.

When this happens, it's as though your body is ready to jump out of the way of a car, but you're sitting still. Your body is working overtime, with no place to put all the extra energy. This can make you feel anxious, afraid, worried and uptight.

Any sort of change can make you feel stressed, even good changes. It's not just the change or event itself, but also how you react to it that matters. What may be stressful is different for each person. For example, one person may not feel stressed retiring from work, while another may.

Other things that may be stressful include being laid off from your job, your child leaving or returning home, the death of your spouse, divorce or marriage, an illness, an injury, a job promotion, money problems, moving, or having a baby.

Stress can cause health problems or make problems worse if you don't learn how to deal with it. Talk to your family doctor if you think some of your symptoms (outlined in the following page) are due to stress. It's important to make sure that your symptoms aren't caused by other health problems.

• Anxiety
• Back pain
• Constipation or diarrhoea
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• High blood pressure
• Insomnia
• Problems with relationships
• Shortness of breath
• Stiff neck
• Upset stomach
• Weight gain or loss

The first step is to learn to recognise when you're feeling stressed. Early warning signs of stress include tension in your shoulders and neck, or clenching your hands into fists.

The next step is to choose a way to deal with your stress. One way is to avoid the event or thing that leads to your stress, but often this is not possible. A second way is to change how you react to stress. This is often the best way.

Tips to deal with stress:

• Don't worry about things you can't control, like the weather.
• Prepare to the best of your ability for events you know may be stressful, like a job interview.
• Try to look at change as a positive challenge, not a threat.
• Work to resolve conflicts with other people.
• Ask for help from friends, family or professionals.
• Set realistic goals at home and at work.
• Exercise on a regular basis.
• Eat well-balanced meals and get enough sleep.
• Meditate.
• Get away from your daily stresses with group sports, social events and hobbies.

Exercise is a good way to deal with stress because it is a healthy way to relieve your pent-up energy and tension. It also helps you get in better shape, which makes you feel better overall. Meditation is a form of guided thought. It can take many forms. You may do it with exercise that uses the same motions over and over, like walking or swimming. You may meditate by practicing relaxation training, by stretching or by breathing deeply.

Relaxation training is easy. Start with one muscle. Hold it tight for a few seconds then relax the muscle. Do this with each of your muscles.

Stretching can also help relieve tension. Roll your head in a gentle circle. Reach toward the ceiling and bend side to side slowly. Roll your shoulders.

Deep, relaxed breathing by itself may help relieve stress. This helps you get plenty of oxygen.

If you want more help treating stress symptoms, ask your family doctor for advice.