Shannon Medical Center | Health Beat | Fall 2019

Clearly, it’s important to ad- dress stress that’s a regular part of your life—for both your happiness and health. Experts offer these tips for helping to bring stress under control. Sometimes we can reduce the amount of stress in our lives by saying no to more than we can handle, limiting interac- tions with people who stress us out, and avoiding situations— like traffic routes or newscasts—that make us feel anxious and tense. Make time in your daily schedule—even a few minutes—for things you en- joy, whether that’s a hobby, art, a book or a favorite TV show. Much stress comes from having too much to do in too little time. To help counter this problem, try making a to- do list of things that must get done, starting with what’s most important. Break big projects into small, doable steps. And do your best not to procrastinate. When tension starts, quickly take action to ease the pres- sure. For instance, listen to peaceful music and picture yourself in a happy place. Or just close the door, sit quietly and relax. Fall 2019 5 Mental health Make time in your daily schedule—even a few minutes—for things you enjoy, whether that’s a hobby, art, a book or a favorite TV show. Stress overload Make a plan to put it to rest Walking or other physi- cal activity can lower stress and lift your mood by increasing the body’s feel-good chemicals. It also helps you take your mind off your worries. Get about seven to nine hours of shut-eye. Being tired makes stress worse. Alcohol, tobacco and drugs are unhealthy coping strategies that actually make things worse in the long run. Meet a friend for coffee. Phone a loved one. Sharing your stress may help you feel better. Your friends and relatives might also have good solutions for your stress. You can and should tell your doctor when stress is an ongoing problem in your life. Sources: American Heart Association; HelpGuide.org; Mental Health America T here’s just no escaping the fact that you will experience at least some stress in your life. In fact, you probably encounter it on a fairly regular basis, like the stress of misplacing your car keys when you’re already running late. This kind of temporary stress makes us feel uncomfortable for a little while. But we usually experi- ence no lasting side effects. Ongoing stress, on the other hand, can actually hurt our health and our well-being. Whether it’s triggered by work, bills, family problems or something else, constant stress can cause physical symptoms, like headaches; lead to difficulty concentrating and trouble sleeping; and even increase our risk for heart disease and depression. WHEN POSSIBLE, AVOID UNNECESSARY STRESS. LESS STRESS, MORE JOY RECHARGE. PIVOT TO RELAXATION MODE. GET MOVING. MAKE SLEEP A PRIORITY. DON’T SELF- MEDICATE. TALK ABOUT YOUR STRESS. TELL YOUR DOCTOR. MANAGE YOUR TIME.