Learning how to deal with stress and anxiety
Stress and anxiety are two things that I’m very familiar with and it has taken me a long time to learn how to manage them. I’m still far away from mastering how to control them, but I learned how to identify some of the signs and prevent some triggers. As life happens though, it becomes more challenging to prevent those situations, but instead we have to learn how to positively react.
I was going about my job as usual, manning a booth at a health fair when a gentleman and I began a conversation about heart health. At some point while we were chatting, we focused on stress and how it impacts the heart. He asked me what did I do to handle stress and without a hesitation I responded that I pray, hold on to God and trusted Him.
I was pleasantly surprised by the response, but it also made me wonder about what other people do to handle stress. As a result, I surveyed my friends on Facebook to learn about my friends’ approach to stress, here’s what they shared:
• Chat with spouse or a friend • Coffee and a movie • Cook • Deep breathing • Eat • Exercise • Find 30 minutes a day just for you, outside exercise routines, etc.
• Hobbies, like painting, to disconnect from work • Laughing and dancing • Listen to music • Make a list and cross off list • Make a plan • Meditation • Pet lots of dogs • Pray • Read • Self-talk • Sleep, at least 7 hours • Stay in a positive frame of mind
• Take natural supplements • Trust God • Wine with friends • Yard work All of these techniques are great ways to deal with stress and you will find what works best for you. However, I do want to ask you that if you are under a great deal of stress, to find those stressors and search for ways to decrease or remove them altogether.
Stress and anxiety can lead to depression, which can be very dangerous. If you find yourself in a situation that you feel like you can’t handle the stress any more, please ask for help. Ask someone you trust to help you find ways to improve your situation. If you don’t have anyone that can help, there are many community resources that you can reach out or you can also contact a 24/7 depression hot line, there are many available online.
As difficult as it may be, please do not ignore stress and anxiety. There are many people here to help and we all want you to be successful.
Diana Maldonado, Benefits Analyst at Yuma Regional Medical Center, can be reached at dmaldonado@yumaregional. org.