Stress is often lurking in the background when an illness strikes. Maybe you have caught the flu that has been floating around work and you notice that you always seem to catch the latest thing that is doing the rounds, be it the flu at work or the cold at your daughter's kindergarten. It could well be that you are stressed out and this has affected your immune system and made you more susceptible to these types of complaints. And while it is easy to take cough drops or an honey-n-lemon drink for the cold it is not quite so obvious how to treat stress.
The secret to treating stress is that prevention is better than cure. Staying on top of stress is the best solution to beating stress. The good news is that techniques for preventing stress are easy to learn.
Stress
Here are some simple ways to prevent stress :
Don't take on too much - remain realistic about what you can do. Don't be afraid to turn things down because you think you may miss out on a promotion.
Have some down time - allow yourself to switch off from everyday reality. Take on a hobby. Do some exercise. Play a game of squash. Go out for a meal and a movie. Have some fun, life is not always serious.
Treat yourself - if you have had a hard day, why not run a hot bath and spend a few hours soaking your weary body and reading a trashy novel
Keep in touch with friends - your true friends will look out for you. They will know when you are down and how to pick you up. Often talking to your friends is the reality check you need when stress is making you depressed.
Laugh - see something funny or see the funny side in something. Having a sense of humor will never allow stress to make you take things too seriously.
For people that are chronically stressed out take up meditation or yoga. These types of activities can help you to change how your body responds to stress and can help you to relax more completely.
Where people fail in combating stress is that they are not disciplined enough to follow through with common stress management techniques because they are lazy, get in a rut or don't believe the techniques work.
Or, worse still, they don't listen to their body when it is telling them that they are getting stressed out and never try to reduce stress. They don't listen, out of some sort of pride, or they justify enduring stress because they have a duty to provide for their family. Whilst this is an understandable reaction, in the long run they will be worse off and so will their family. Listen to the warnings your body gives you.
Simple Ways To Prevent Stress
Get more informed about the how stress affects health or find out if you may have any common symptoms of stress by visiting http://www.stressmanagementreview.com
Adrian Whittle writes on issues related to stress including how stress affects the immune system and dealing with stress for older people and retirees.