Three Ways to Manage Your Stress

Any type of challenge such as a significant life change or a traumatic event can make you feel frustrated, angry, nervous or stressed. Long-term stress may contribute to or worsen a range of health issues. Everyone reacts differently to a stressful situation, but taking the steps to cope with the emotional and physical tensions of stress can change everything.

Use these resources to recognize and talk to your loved ones about stress, and find the help they need to feel better again:

Recognize stress: Stress affects all people at some point in life. However, the situations that cause it and the signs to identify it vary from person to person. Stress can be caused by health changes, money issues, and school or work problems. Know how to identify symptoms, including insomnia, chronic fatigue and excessive consumption of alcohol and controlled substances. 

Use healthy techniques to manage it: If stress becomes chronic, it can harm your digestive system, impact your sleep quality, and even increase your chance of getting an infection. To avoid having a negative impact on your health, it is important to cope with stress in a healthy way. Help yourself and loved ones with techniques to curb stress, such as implementing an exercise routine, meditating, or set daily goals and priorities. 

Know where to find professional help: Healthy techniques can be helpful, but if you have a hard time dealing with your stress, you may need to seek help from an expert.  If you feel very overwhelmed, if you are self-medicating with alcohol, using drugs, or are having suicidal thoughts, get help immediately. Find resources from USAGov including helplines and community treatment facilities near you that can provide what you need to feel better.