Self Help Stress
Stress is reaching epidemic proportions in the western world with up to two-thirds of doctors consultations due to stress related illness. It is little wonder then that so many people are looking for self help stress solutions or self help anger methods in order to control or at least mitigate the effects of stress.
A key component of any self help stress management regime should be to gain an understanding of stress psychology. It is important to reflect that life is a process of change and implicit in this is that we adapt to change. The way that we view the change is central to how we adapt to it. If we view the change as being positive, we will usually accept the change and happily assimilate it into our life.
Stress is a normal part of our lives, if we accept it and deal with it creatively we can use stress for success. Stress can be helpful, it can provide motivation for us to take action. If for example we did not have the stress of needing to pay our bills we may not wish to go out to work.
If, however we view the change as being negative then this will present a conflict to our internal resources and we will react to this perceived threat with a variety of physiological reactions. Long-term stress can increase the risk of illnesses such as depression, heart disease and many other problems. It is for this reason that in addition to seeking qualified medical help that many take the stress self help route.
Many of us read how to prevent stress articles or stress reduction tips in magazines, stress books or on a stress reduction cd. Much of the advice offered will include strategies such as trying to simplify your lifestyle or use emplot strategies susch as self help time management. Try to make your life as uncluttered as possible by stripping it done to the essentials.
Many people believe that there is a relationship between stress and depression and some people do in fact develop depression after some stressful incident that has occurred to them. This could be the death of a relative or losing your job, or divorce. But also stress can occur as the result of a more positive episode such as marriage, relocation, or a new job. Depression can just as easily be triggered by a positive stressful as a negative one.
It is unclear whether or a single stressful episode in your life can lead to depression but there is certainly evidence that stress and depression are interlinked. Obviously if you think you are suffering from depression then you should seek medical advice but there are also many self help depression resources available for those who wish to explore them. Many of the resources which may be in the form of books or audio products you will find in specialist book stores and websites listed under categories such as mental self help or bipolar self help.
It is impossible to be both stressed and relaxed at the same time, so it would make sense to assume that relaxation is a critical component in recovery from stress related disorders. If you take just half an hour out of your busy schedule to relax this will have significant benefits for you both physical and mentally. Although relaxation may seem like the most natural thing in the world, for many people being able to relax is fraught with difficulty.
Fortunately today there is an abundance of relaxation books that teach established proven methods for people seeking self help relaxation information. The relaxation self help taught in these books facilitate relaxation of both the mind and the body using many different techniques. Theses include yoga, hypnosis, meditation, bio-feedback, muscle relaxation and controlled breathing. Remember that being able to learn relaxation techniques is a critical component in your battle to overcome stress, anxiety and depression.
Guided meditation relaxation is a very effective method of self help stress management. The basic mechanics of mediation is to focus your thoughts on one relaxing idea for a prolonged period of time. This relaxes your mind by moving it away from thinking about your problems. Meditation slows down your breathing, reduces blood pressure and helps the muscles to relax. Although some people will attend classes with a suitable instructor to learn meditation alternatively you can go along the self help meditation route. Most bookshops will have a section with meditation self help publications that you should find useful.
Hypnosis is a fantastic tool for healing the mind, and for gaining control over both our conscious and subconscious mind. Stress relief hypnosis is a effective and proven technique to achieve deep relaxation. Self-hypnosis is a procedure that you can learn in order to hypnotize yourself. This has many advantages for stress control the biggest being that you do not require a hypnotist to be with you.
There is an abundance of hypnosis self help information available in the form of learning hypnosis books and tapes and MP3 downloads. Many people hold the erroneous impression that they cannot be hypnotized. But anyone who can lose him or herself totally in an engrossing book or movie or become so absorbed in a task that they are oblivious to their surroundings is actually practicing a form of self-hypnosis. Self hypnosis is like any other learned skill that will improve over time with practice. Once you learn self-hypnosis you will be able to use it to relieve stress, anxiety and ultimately improve your coping skills and makes you feel better!