HEALTH DATA COLLECTION

Posts Tagged ‘Upset Balance’

Turn on the news and you’ll likely be bombarded with traumatic events and updates on the gloomy economy. Call up a friend and she might tell you her husband just lost his job, or a loved one was just diagnosed with cancer. Even in your own home, you may be worried about your child, or feel burdened by the number of responsibilities you have to juggle. The stress monster is always lurking just waiting to rob us of our internal peace and balance.

Stress in life is inevitable. In reality, some stress is actually good. We need that fight or flight reaction that occurs in our bodies when faced with emergency situations. Some amount of stress can motivate us to take action when we might otherwise drag our feet. Without a little bit of stress, life would probably be somewhat boring or unexciting. However, when stress is affecting our mood, our health, or the balance in our lives, it’s time to do something about it.

Use these tips to put the stress monster in his cage:

Recognize Your Stress

Just like balance, stress is different for everyone. I remember one of the first vacation trips I took with my husband. We were in Cancun, Mexico and I wanted to have fun so I suggested we sign up for a parasailing adventure. This form of parasailing was a piece of cake, in my eyes. All we had to do was sit in this little chair together and the boat would take us for a ride over the ocean. My husband looked at me like I had lost my mind. This was not his idea of fun, but I convinced him that it would be great! Little did I know just how stressed out this experience would make him. While I was laughing and having the time of my life, he was ready to kill me. I believe it started the first argument of our relationship.

How do you know when you feel stress? Do you get irritable? Does your heart start pounding or do your palms sweat? Understand your stress reaction and get to know it well so you can identify stress in your life more quickly. What causes stress for you? Take a few moments t