Stress Treatment & Coping with Stress

Many people in the know say that stress is a killer but it doesn't have to be that way

It's actually very easy to manage the symptoms of stress - and a lot of the time, once the symptoms are managed, the stress goes away - using a variety of self-help methods. To get you started, there are two management routines later on this page and though it might sound unlikely, they might be all you need!

It's often a suprise to those who consult a stress management consultant - and they abound in the world of personal therapy - that huge relief is often felt after just one session. It's certainly a fair statement that the sooner you begin to take action, the faster and more profound will be the end result.

Stress has many symptoms, the most common being:

Something that many peopoe do not recognise is that stress falls into two types - Reactive or Situational. Whichever you suffer from, a competent therapist can help you manage, reduce, or even completely alleviate the symptoms.

In order, here are what are considered to be the top 10 symptoms of Reactive stress:

• Death of a spouse/partner
• Divorce
• Marital separation
• Prison sentence
• Death of a close family member
• Personal injury or illness
• Marriage
• Redundancy or otherwise losing employment
• Marital reconciliation
• Retirement.

There are actually 4 broad categories of Situational stress:

• Relationships (work or personal)
• Workplace related
• Home environment
• Self-worth and confidence issues

The causes of situational stress are varied but here are a few examples:

1. Finding difficulty in deciding what course of action to take and subsequently doing nothing; this usually occurs when there are two situations both equally demanding of your attention so that you feel as you are being torn in two different directions at once.


2. An excessive work load resulting in hasty and ineffective work behaviour - as might be expected, this is a common cause of stress in the work place.


3. Another stressful element of the workplace is the belief - which might be entirely false - that you really do not have the necessary skills for the task in hand


4. The worst, most common, and most tormenting form is having excessively high expectations of self and what you 'should' be able to do. This type is continuous and tends to affect every aspect of the sufferer's life.


5. Feelings of guilt that are out of proportion to the perceived 'crime'. This type of situation can very easily give rise to extreme negative feelings, such as doom and despondency.


6. Any situation in which you feel uncomfortable but at the same time completely disempowered as far as making any sort of worthwhile change is concerned.

Although these six are very common, there very many other types of situations that can cause stressful feelings and anxiety. The 4th one, particularly, often carries 'side effects' that will intrude into other parts of life, including hobbies and relationships.

Stress Related Physical Conditions

The conditions listed here are among those that are most likely to be be severely affected by stress and accompanying axniety:

• Asthma. Always made worse by stress though not necessaruly caused by it. This can respond well to face-to-face therapy, though can sometimes also respond to telephone work.



• Excema. Excema is almost always exacerbated by stress, though oddly, perhaps, not in all cases. Again, face-to-face therapy is better here. The symptoms might only abate rther than disappear.



• Psoriasis. Underlying stress can be the actual cause of this distressing condition but the problem is that there is no easy way of knowing whehter this is so in any one case. It's fair to say that therapy will usually help to promote at least some improvement at any rate.



• Impotence. Many - maybe most - people are simply unaware of the hugely deleterious effect that stress can have on libidic energy and on the male's ability to acheive and sustain an erection - yet it is often the sole cause of the problem. Managing stress here can make improvements which are little short of spectacular. Personal consultation with a specialist in the field is recommended.



• Vaginismus. Personal therapy with a specialist in psychosexual dysfunction can produce amazing results with this condition, which can almost be thought of as 'female impotence'.



• Migraine. This one is not always stress-based, though often is. It will usually be triggered by unexpected stressful events, even if they are actually positive, such as a family reunion. Stress management therapy can produce great results with this, though if it is allergy-based, the improvement might be less startling.



• Alopecia. The 'odd man out' in that those who suffer it often do not realise that they are stressed at all. Investigative therapy often reveals underlying psychological conflicts which can be resolved relatively easily.



• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Worsened by stress, though not necessarily caused by it, I.B.S has long been known to improve as a result of stress management therapies.



• Stomach ulcers. These days, it is well-known that ulcers of this sort can be caused by bacteria, so it is essential to get tested before embarking on possibly expensive therapy. When caused by stress, they can respond quite well, thoguh a change in life-style is usually to be recommended.



• Urticaria (hives). The worst and most distressing form of this condition is an intensely itchy rash - the sufferer might well claw the skin until it bleeds. Creams help greatly, especially those that contain steroids but resolving inner conflict or other stress-related issues will often eventually result in a complete cessation of the problem.

Because any and all of the problems listed can be the result of physiological causes, it is essential that medical consultation should be saught before embarking on any form of complementary therapy.

It's not difficult to learn how to cope with stress when you have the help of an exert in the field and many people simply do not realise how easily their difficulties could be resolved. Skilled therapy is usually more effective than counselling in the situations referred to here and there are literally thousands of therapists world-wide who provide safe and reliable help. Check out 'Stress management' in you area via google - you'll be surprised!

Stress Self-Help

The two routines shown here really only work effectively if you manage to place any non-urgent problems to one side for a while. This is actually very easy when you observe and understand a few importnt points:

• The problem is transient, as all problems are.
• Even if you did keep it in your mind while you're working at this routine, you could not change the problem in any way.
• The mental imagery you are about to learn will help you deal with those problems more easily and comfortably afterwards.

It can be very helpful to imagine or visualise a safe or box in which you can place all your mental 'rubbish' to keep it out of the way for the time being, so that you can concentrate on the task at hand.

Stress Management Routine Number One

It's best to do this one laying down, so try to find a comfortable and quiet place where you can close your eyes and relax. Switch your 'phone to 'silent' and do anything else that might help to avoid you being disturbed for a while. Now:

1. Breathe in slowly and deeply, hold your breath for a moment or two, and then let every muscle on your face become as expressionless as you can manage as you exhale.
2. Allow that expressionless feeling to drift down into your whole body. Don't rush this part - take as much time as it takes.
3. Breathe slowly and steadily as though you were pretending to be asleep, all the time actually listening to your breathing.
4. When you feel relaxed all over, imagine that you can leave your body and see yourself relaxing more and more with every breath you take.
5. Now let your mind just drift, withot trying to thnk of anything at all. It's a bit like letting workmem do some repairs in your house while you relax in the garden.
   

Now do nothing for as long as it takes....

Most people find that their eyes open of their own accord after about 20 or 25 minutes or so, feeling not just relaxed but invigorated as well, with problems seeming to have faded into the background. It's best to avoid the temptation to close your eyes again, though, as this could end up with you feeling somewhat'muzzy' and maybe headachy.

Stress Management Routine Number Two

This routine takes longer, is more powerful and the results can last longer. You will need to use the Preparation Routine (steps 1-3, above), then the Relaxation Routine. given here. You might need to read it through a few times until you feel you have remembered at least the gist of it - in particular, the suggestion that you will see at the end of it. It might take a while, but it is an excellent way to work and is actually a version of the professional stress management routines that some consultants use in their offices.

So, after carrying out steps 1-3 from routine nuber one, you will already be relaxed through and through - but now you're going to take it further still. Concentrate on getting that expressionless feeling into both your arms now - after a while, you might find that they start to fel heavy or light and this is exactly what happens as you become more relaxed. After you have succeeded at this part of it, turn your attention to your legs... the thigh muscles first then working down to the shins and calves. This gets easier each time you practice it, though can take a good few mnutes at first - don't be tempted to rush, though, because you really cannot hurry relaxation at all. Keep working at it until your whole body feels either heavier or lighter than usual - and it impossible to forecast which is most likely because it varies from person to person.

Once you feel that you have achieved this, follow with this little routine. It can create a deeply relaxed state where you can experience a wonderful sense of wellbeing. As stated earlier, you will need to learn the routine off by heart though it doesn't have to be word-perfect, as long as it carries the same sort of idea.

In your mind, imagine that you are the top of a beautiful and softly lit staircase. It's warm and softly lit and there are ten softly-carpeted steps to go down, with a wonderfully smooth handrail on the wall at the side. As you gaze down the stair case, you can see a door and you somehow just know that behind that door is a special room, where nobody ever goes but you... it's your own special room where you can make wonderful things happen for yourself just by thinking about them... In your mind now, imagine, as vividly as you can, moving lazily and easily down that staircase and imagining, as well, that each step you take relaxes you more and more... you can feel the carpet soft beneath your feet and the smoothness of that handrail as your hand glides down with each step you take... go slowly... take your time...

As you step off that last stair, you find yourself in front of that door... and as you notice the colour of it and the texture and shape of the handle, it somehow opens for you, just perhaps by the power of your thoughts... you move easily into the room and you notice how comfortable it is, and how the softness of the lighting somehow relaxes you even more than before... it's furnished in a way that is absolutely beautiful and perfect for you... make it truly vivid in your mind so that it is alost as if you have been there before and are remembering it so very clearly... remembering that chair that you can see in the middle of the room, a chair that you somehow know is the most comfortable in the world... you move across the room to the chair and flop lazily into it, astonished and delighted at the wonderful sense of tranquillity that suddenly fills every pore of your entire body... as you become more relaxed than you can ever remember, more relaxed than you ever knew was possible....

Let your mind be completely empty now; you can do this easily in this super-relaxed state. If possible, say the follwing suggestions to yourself aloud and in full; one of them, the third, is a bit lengthy but very powerful and certainly worth rehearsing unitl you know it off by heart.

I will change the things that I can change and want to change, so that all the things that can be changed will change.

After you have repeated the suggestions three or four times - or more if you wish - just allow yourself to continue by turning everything over to your subconscious as in routine number one. This time though, you will need to rouse yourself from this relaxed state when youre ready to do so. Just deciding it's time to leave it will be sufficient.

Self Hypnosis

Although some people are anxious about it - and there really is no need - self-hypnosis is probably one of the most effective methods of managing stress in your life generally. It is a specific skill but you can learn it easily because there are many self-hypnosis courses that you can find online, an excellent one of which you'll find ou about in a moment or two.

Self-hypnosis is used by many sportsmen and 'career climbers' globally, as well as by musicians, writers, shop assstants, policemen, engineers, office workers... in fact by millions of people all over the world and on a daily basis.

Just in case you're a bt anxious about this, here are a few facts about self-hypnosis that might surprise you if you've not already investigated the concept - and they apply to ALL types of hypnosis:

• You cannot 'get stuck' - this is quite impossible
• You do not become unconscious or go to sleep
• You know what's happening at all times
• You can exit the state whenever you wish to
• You cannot 'lose your mind'
• It is not connected in any shape or form with the occult
• There is no such thing as a 'hypnotised feeling'
• It is actually a totally natural state which we all go into several times a day
• It is very similar to meditation or relaxation techniques
• IT IS COMPLETELY SAFE!

It's not difficult to learn how to 'do' self-hypnosis though you will need to read up on it first to get the best out of it. Once learnt, you can use it to help:

• Combat Stress - use it with the routines above for a real power session!
• Lose weight
• Quit smoking
• Improve sporting and other performance
• Increase concentration and recall
• Improve confidence and self-confidence
• Work effectively with motivation issues

To help you further, you can:

• Subscribe to an excellent and free 7-lesson self-hypnosis course at this site: http://www.hypnosense.com (look in the top half of the left hand column)