Stress is an inevitable part of being alive and engaged with life. When used productively, stress can serve as a powerful impetus for creating meaningful changes and taking action… eustress. On the other hand, stress can become a physically, mentally, and emotionally debilitating self-destructive force when one lacks a strong support system, has biologically-based physical or psychological challenges, or has difficulty engaging in regular self care… distress. Since stress is a given in life, it is in everyone’s best interest to gain the knowledge, resources, and skills necessary to prevent unnecessary stress and reduce existing sources of stress. As you become more knowledgeable and committed to a regular routine that includes stress reduction techniques and self care, the ways in which you respond to stressful events in life will begin to shift. A great deal of events occur in life which are unexpected or out of your control… the trick is to identify what is truly within your control and address it, and what is truly out of your control and let it go. This is often easier said than done for many of us.

The first step toward reducing levels of stress is to accurately identify the true sources of stress in your life. Once you are aware of the origins of stress impacting you, the next step is to identify the current (healthy and/or unhealthy) ways in which you cope with stress. Perhaps you notice that you seek out social support or engage in healthy levels of exercise when feeling stressed… or maybe you realize a tendency to procrastinate or abuse substances when under stress. Whatever your current coping skills may be, try to avoid judging them – as this is futile, and only serves to increase stress levels – and instead focus on what you can change about the situation. By learning about stress reduction, you can become more adept at changing the situations that lead to unnecessary stress as well as changing your reactions to those situations.