STRESS COPING STRATEGIES

Stress is a part of our day-to-day living. Every individual is subjected to stress either knowingly or unknowingly. Stress is difficult to define precisely. Selye Hans, 1936 defined stress as the non-specific response of the body to any demand placed on it. It is also defined as any external event or internal drive which threatens to upset the organismic equilibrium. Stress affects not only our physical health but our mental wellbeing. Hence, the best way to manage it is to prevent it. In the event that it cannot be prevented, devising strategies of coping with it successfully becomes the next most feasible alternative. Stress can affect an individual in three ways: physiological, psychological and behavioral. Mental stress may be accompanied by anger, anxiety, depression, nervousness, irritability, tension and boredom. Physical stress is accompanied by high blood pressure, digestive problems, ulcers, indigestion, palpitation, chest pain, skin disorder, muscle tension, head ache, loss of appetite, restlessness, shut down of menstrual cycle, impairment of fertility among male and depletion of vitamin C,B and D in the body. Behavioral stress could be symptomized in behavior such as overeating, under eating, loneliness, sleeplessness, alcohol consumption, increased smoking and drug abuse. Stress can be either temporary or long term, mild or severe, depending largely on how long it continues, how powerful it is, and how strong the individuals recovery powers are. Strategies of coping with stress will depend on the individuals age, gender, education, occupation and position, experience, type of family etc. In psychology, coping is the act of constantly changing ones cognitive and behavioral efforts in other to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as tasking or exceeding the individuals resources. Stress coping strategies are thus any strategies employed to consciously solve a personal or interpersonal problem by seeking to master, minimize, or tolerate stress or conflict. Psychological coping mechanisms are commonly termed coping strategies or coping skills. Below are some stress coping strategies employed by many to successfully cope with stress: Exercise regularly - regular exercise schedule help in no small measure to increase an individuals ability to cope with stressful situations; To cope with stress, individuals are encouraged to stop living in the future/past and realistically live one day at a time. This will help to reduce anxiety about the future and reduce the tendency of being overly susceptible to stress; Stress often results from an individuals tendency of always banking on others to meet their needs and in the event that such needs are not meet, anxiety and stress results. Hence, it is pertinent that individuals take responsibility for ones life and stop asking to be rescued; People should stop waiting until a particular time in the future or owning a particular property before they start living their lives; Writing a daily journal of activities, thoughts and moods could serve as a means of coping with stress as the individual reflects on the achievements of past days in relation to the present. Listening to feedbacks from others whom we respect could help us address issues early, that later result in stress. Individuals should set goals realistically; Making friends with people who really like themselves will help cope with stressful situations more; Positive thinking is another strategy for coping with stress. Individuals who think positively are often less

susceptible to stress than their less optimistic counterparts; Learning what is controllable and what is not in ones life could help one cope with stress; Individuals who make out time to enjoy leisure are often less susceptible to stress; Daily meditation helps to cope with stress; Being honest about how one feels in situations of conflicting interest and expressing oneself properly would help cope with stress; Individuals should think to solve their own problems rather than depend on some magical powers to address it; Making acquaintance with happy, successful people will really help an individual to cope with stress; Expect to enjoy your relationships; Developing ones personal talents will help an individual to cope with stress; People who cope well with stress give themselves permission to be afraid of failure and succeed; Encouraging gentleness in oneself and others would help to cope with stress; Facing life with dignity helps individuals cope with stress successfully; Doing something exciting every now and then helps to cope with stress; Focus on one task at a time; Individuals who cope more with stress go often to places where they will get what is good for them; Take a nap in the day; Listening to the sound of ones voice helps to cope with stress; The attitude of letting things just drift on their own will often result in stressful living. Hence, one should take charge and not let things drift on their own; Make your environment comfortable; Taking vacations regularly would help reduce stress; Developing a varied life also helps cope with stress; Individuals should stop being sorry for themselves; Getting enough rest will help reduce stress; Dancing once in a while helps cope with stressful situations; Encourage others to take responsibility for their lives and welfare; Learn to ask for what you want; To cope with stress, individuals should stop letting others push them around; Finding out what one is really good at and doing it helps reduce stress