Stress
Stress can make you unhappy. It can also hurt your health
Stress is the upset feeling you get when things change. Worrying too much can also cause stress. There are many things that can cause stress. Everyone feels stress sometime in life!
Stress can make you feel unhappy, angry or nervous. It can also hurt your health. You can get sick when you are stressed out. Stress can even help cause a pressure ulcer (which is what a doctor or nurse calls a pressure sore or bedsore).
Ways to Lower Stress
You can lower your stress. You might even let go of stress. This is called stress management. Here are ways to lower stress:
Thinking about somewhere relaxing can help
- Ask your doctor or occupational therapist (OT) for tips to lower stress - There are things you can do for 20 to 30 minutes that help you lower stress. This is called relaxation. Some relaxation skills are:
- Deep breathing.
- Guided imagery (GYE-ded IM-uj-ree), that is, thinking about relaxing scenes like a beach or a field.
- Visualization (VIHZH-yoo-ul-ZAY-shun), that is, picturing yourself relaxed and healthy.
- Listening to soft music.
- Getting a massage (if the doctor says it is okay).
- Meditation (MEHD-ih-TAY-shun), that is, thinking quietly about something peaceful or holy.
- Prayer.
Getting a massage can help
- Do something you like to do that is healthy:
- A hobby.
- See a movie or TV show.
- Spend time with family and friends (not partying).
- Do things that are healthy, like:
- Get lots of sleep.
- Don't smoke.
- Don't drink too much.
- Don't do drugs.
- Eat healthy foods.
- Work out.
Meditating or praying can help
- Don't overdo it at work or other things that you do.
- Change your attitude. This can be hard. Changing the way you look at things can really help lower stress. People who have a good attitude can:
- Have better health.
- Do better at the things they do.
- Deal with stress better.
- Deal better when things they don't expect happen.
Ken felt depressed when he was in the hospital. He changed his attitude. He got a good attitude. Ken started helping out at his church. He felt better. He lowered his stress.
- Sometimes people need medicine to help them with stress. Your doctor can tell you if this is a good idea for you.
- Stress is a really bad problem for some people. When stress is a really bad problem, ask your doctor to send you to a counselor. You meet with the counselor and talk with them.
- Some counselors teach you to deal with stress better.
- Talk to someone who counsels people who is not a doctor. This might be a leader in your religion or a friend you trust.
Problems are not easy to deal with. Feeling stress about them just makes the problems worse. It also hurts your health. Try to let go of stress. You will feel better.
Don't stress out about stress!