Stress Management For Dummies

How to Measure Signs of Stress

Recognizing stress symptoms and how often they occur can help you deal with stress. Use the previous two weeks as your time frame and record the occurrence of the following physical and emotional signs of stress. After identifying your stress symptoms and how often they occur, use the stress rating scale to find your score.

Stress Symptom Scale

• 0 = Never

• 1 = Sometimes

• 2 = Often

• 3 = Very often

  ____	Fatigue or tiredness	____	Feeling helpless or hopeless
  ____	Pounding heart	____	Excessive drinking
  ____	Rapid pulse	____	Excessive smoking
  ____	Increased perspiration	____	Excessive spending
  ____	Rapid breathing	____	Excessive drug or medication use
  ____	Aching neck or shoulders	____	Feeling upset
  ____	Low back pain	____	Feeling nervous or anxious
  ____	Gritting teeth or clenching jaw	____	Increased irritability
  ____	Hives or skin rash	____	Worrisome thoughts
  ____	Headaches	____	Impatience
  ____	Cold hands or feet	____	Feelings of depression
  ____	Tightness in chest	____	Loss of sexual interest
  ____	Nausea	____	Feeling angry
  ____	Diarrhea or constipation	____	Sleep difficulties
  ____	Stomach discomfort	____	Forgetfulness
  ____	Nail biting	____	Racing or intrusive thoughts
  ____	Twitches or tics	____	Feeling restless
  ____	Difficulty swallowing or dry mouth	____	Difficulty concentrating
  ____	Colds or flu	____	Periods of crying
  ____	Lack of energy	____	Frequent absences from work
  ____	Overeating	____	Your total Stress-Symptom Score

Your Stress Rating

How to Manage Stress with Imagination

Stressed? Imagine that. There's a good chance that you'll feel better if you can release that stress-producing thought and replace it with a relaxing, calm image. Put your mind at ease; here’s how:

1. Find a place where you won’t be disturbed for a few minutes, and get comfortable, either sitting in a favorite chair or lying down.

2. Think of an image — a place, a scene, a memory — that relaxes you.

   Use all your senses to bring that imagined scene to life. Ask yourself: What do I see? What can I hear? What can I smell? What can I feel?

3. Let yourself become completely immersed in your image, allowing it to relax you completely.

How to Control Stress through Progressive Relaxation

Progressive relaxation is a healthful means for releasing muscle tension and a proven approach to a more relaxed, less stressful state. you can control stress and be more relaxed with this effective relaxation practice. Follow these steps for a more calm, collected you:

1. Lie down or sit, as comfortably as you can, and close your eyes.

   Find a quiet, dimly lit place that gives you some privacy, at least for a while.

2. Tense the muscles of a particular body part.

   Begin by simply making a fist. As you clench your fist, notice the tension and strain in your hand and forearm. Without releasing that tension, bend your right arm and flex your biceps, making a muscle the way you might to impress the kids in the school-yard.

   Do not strain yourself in any of these muscle tensing maneuvers; don’t overdo
   it. When you tense a muscle group, don’t tense as hard as you can. Tense about three-quarters of what you can do. If you feel pain or soreness, ease up on the tension, and if you still hurt, defer your practice till another time.

3. Hold the tension in the body part for about seven seconds.

4. Let go of the tension fairly quickly, letting the muscles go limp.

   Notice the difference in the way your hand and arm feels. Notice the difference in feelings between the sensations of tension and those of relaxation. Let these feelings of relaxation deepen for about 30 seconds or so.

5. Repeat Steps 1 through 4, using the same muscle group.

6. Move to another muscle group.

   Simply repeat Steps 1 through 4, substituting a different muscle group each time. Continue with your left hand and arm, and then work your way through other major muscle groups.