Stress Management Techniques

1. Change the game- Make the situation that is stressful different, modify that which is distressing in some way. 

2. Change your prespective- This is attitude management. Change what you are saying to yourself about it- change the interpretation you are making to make it more positive and less catastrophic. 

3. Think Positively- This is so important it's work saying again: work on emphasizing the positive in your thinking and your life. 

4. Change your body- This is building endurance through excercise. Regular excercise can do wonders to promote relaxation, improve self-esteem and genrally reverse the effects of stress. 

5. Eat Right- simple, but not always easy to practice. Good nutrition, a low fat, sugar, salt, processed food diet will go a lot further than will soft drinks, coffee and doughnuts. Fruits and vegetables are best. 

6. Relax- Use a specific relaxation technique 

7. Be Creative- Add a positive stress- a challenge, something you can do and feel good about it. The satisfaction you can derive is worth a lot. Everybody needs to feel special in at least one small way. 

8. Express Youself- through art, music, athelectics, drama, dance and appericiation of nature. Participate in something. Hobbies are good for you. 

9. Develop and Protect Healthy Relationships- this means building endurance through communication and social support. We can't go it alone in this world- you need friends, caring and love: all the positive emotions achievable only with others. 

10. Cultivate your sense of humor- Humor has a healing and protective power that is being appericiated more and more. Laughter is good therapy. 

11. Play- adults need time to play too. Healthy recreation and time out is important to physical and mental health. 

12. Seek Counseling- individual or marital. Talk with a counselor about those things in the past and present that make it difficult for you to more the person you want to be. 

13. Do something for someone else 

14. Plan Ahead- have alternative plans for handling predictable stressful events 

15. Seek Medial Attention- If you score high on stress tests. See a doctor. 

16. Learn to Forget- forget unpleasant experiences. Don't carry grudges. 

17. Pray- pay attention to the spiritual dimension of your life. You don't have ot born again to reap the benefits of faith. Hard core scientists are recognizing the benefits of prayer.