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Coping with Stress
Stress is an emotional and physical reaction to change. Everyone has stress.
Stress can be positive and give you energy or it can be unhealthy and cause
health problems. Stress for short periods may not affect you but stress over
time can cause or make some illnesses worse, such as heart disease, stroke,
high blood pressure, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma or arthritis.
Causes
Causes of stress vary from person to person. Some common causes of stress
can be a death of a family member, illness, taking care of your family,
relationship changes, work, job change, moving and money. Even small
things such as long waits or delays or traffic can cause stress.
Signs
Some common signs of unhealthy stress:
• Feeling nervous, sad or angry
• Fast pounding heartbeat
• Hard time breathing
• Sweating
• Pain or tense muscles in the neck, shoulders, back, jaw or face
• Headaches
• Feeling tired or having trouble sleeping
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Upset stomach, lack of appetite or weight loss
Tips for Coping with Stress
Watch for signs of stress. When they occur, try to avoid the cause or change
how you react. Other helpful tips:
• Do something that relaxes you such as: deep and slow breathing,
stretching exercises, yoga, a massage, meditation, listening to music,
reading, a hot bath or shower.
• Get a hobby or do something you enjoy.
• Learn to accept things that you cannot change.
• Think positive.
• Set limits. Learn to say no. Take one thing at a time.