10 stress management techniques for better health and happiness

Stress. Who wants it? Not me. Well, just a bit, because experts say a small amount of stress is good for us. It helps prevent boredom, makes us feel motivated and enhances happiness. They call it positive stress because it leads to positive results.

Too much stress, however, is a health hazard and a happiness killer. It can increase blood pressure, cause anxiety, lack of concentration, confusion, irritability, ulcers, hair loss, white hair, damage to the heart and blood vessels and more.

We all have some stress in our lives, but it’s how we deal with it that matters. How can we cope better with stress? Here are 10 stress management techniques to reduce stress and gain extra happiness.

1. Think positive thoughts
2. Prioritize tasks
3. Practice time management
4. Set realistic goals
5. Exercise regularly
6. Direct your energy
7. Make time to relax
8. Have healthy eating habits
9. Get enough sleep
10. Get help

1. Think positive thoughts

Positive thinking is a recurring theme throughout my articles as it’s vital for extra happiness. Our thoughts affect how we feel, so to feel calmer, positive thinking is essential.

… The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. ”

— William James, American Philosopher and Psychologist, leader of the philosophical movement of Pragmatism, 1842-1910

Positive thinking does more than reduce stress. A study by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that people who think positively are likely to live longer than negative thinkers. The study followed nearly one million women aged over 50. It found that optimistic women were 30% less likely to die from coronary heart disease than pessimistic women. On the other hand, women who were cynically hostile were 23% more likely to die from cancer-related causes.

2. Prioritize tasks

Prioritizing tasks can make us more organized and enable us to focus on what is, rather than what isn’t, important. There are many ways to prioritize tasks. One technique is to divide your tasks into three categories:

1. Important
2. Fairly important
3. Not important

Next apply one of the three Ds to each of them:

• Do the task yourself or with others.
• Delegate – distribute the tasks among others. Say “no” to jobs you’re unable to do. If you become a martyr you could end-up resentful that you are doing more than others, and feel stressed.
• Ditch it – if it doesn’t need to be done, don’t do it.

3. Practice time management

Write down the things you do in a day and how much time you spend on each of them. Do this for a week or two. Include phone calls, time on Internet social networking sites, lunch breaks….

What tasks can you be more efficient at? How can you become more efficient at them? Are you doing things you don’t need to do, so you can stop doing them? You might be surprised how many things you can adapt to make life less stressful.

4. Set realistic goals

People who set unrealistic goals can get stressed-out when they don’t achieve them. To help prevent excess stress, use the SMART technique for every goal you set. SMART can stand for different things. My favorite is:

S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Achievable
R = Relevant
T = Time-based (set a date you want to achieve each goal by)

Remember, it’s better to finish one thing and do it well than have many things unfinished of low quality.

5. Exercise regularly

Exercise is one of the best ways to reduce stress. It can reduce anxiety, help us relax and enhance feelings of self-worth – all good for lowering stress.

Exercising in beautiful surroundings can calm and nurture our souls. Forests, mountains and parks are ideal areas.

When I’m feeling stressed, I like long walks in nature. Walking relaxes me, and uses-up extra adrenaline.

6. Direct your energy

Sometimes we have a lot of stressful energy that needs to be released. If we don’t feel like doing a relaxation technique or exercising what can we do?

Transform the negative energy into positive energy by doing something we enjoy – play a musical instrument, cook, plan a short vacation for the weekend… Think constructive thoughts throughout or you could end-up feeling even more stressed.

7. Make time to relax

Regular relaxation is a super stress buster. Try deep breathing, meditation, long baths and Tai Chi. Positive and calming visualizations, such as imagining peaceful tropical islands or relaxing waterfalls, can also help us unwind.

I’ll highlight regular relaxation here. Using deep-breathing as an example, a one-off deep breathing exercise will do little to help combat long-term stress. Doing this exercise regularly throughout the day everyday, however, will.

8. Have healthy eating habits

If you’re wondering what healthy eating habits have to do with stress, it’s a lot. Lack of nutrients can make us feel stressed, anxious, irritable and more.

When we feel stressed we need more of certain vitamins and minerals. Ensure you’re getting enough B vitamins, magnesium and essential fats, for example. Sometimes a lack of just one nutrient can cause symptoms of stress. Don’t overdo it though – too much of some nutrients can cause health problems. Think balance.

9. Get enough sleep

Lack of sleep can cause many health problems including irritability, lethargy, poor concentration and memory, which all contribute to stress. Ensure you get enough good quality sleep.

Drink little or no coffee, tea and other stimulants, especially close to bedtime. Relaxing herbal teas, such as chamomile, passionflower, peppermint and valerian (not to be confused with Valium) can work wonders.

10. Get help

Ask family, friends or a counselor for ideas to help with stress. Credible information about stress from the Internet, books on stress and stress management courses can also be helpful.

Practicing stress management techniques can enhance health and happiness and reduce stress. For long-term results, make them part of your day-to-day life.

written by Nyomi Graef