bythemethod.com blog

Stress Management is necessary for a happy life.

People often ask if stress isn’t a modern excuse for being weak and lazy. After all our parents and grandparents managed without stress management and so why is it so important for us?

The first observation must be that perhaps our parents and grandparents didn’t manage as well as we think they did (or they say they did). Modern life in the UK is marked by those who fear marriage because of the mess they say in their parents marriages for instance. The second observation is that we live in a world of constant change and pressure. Keeping up with technology is bad enough but then having to do it to a tight deadline can be crippling. The third observation is that many of the things that helped manage stress in the past are not a part of modern life. Modern life and our search for happiness is giving us a need to seek out new ways of stress management.
Stress management is a complex subject because it deals with people and people tend to be all different. Good stress management is not the preserve of the psychologist but involves many other things as well. How you organise your life, what part you play in society, your spiritual beliefs as well as attitudes all play a part in personal stress management.

It always seems to me that there are seven big aspects to stress management that need to be born in mind.

1. Stress management involves learning how to relax. This is key for someone who is under a lot of stress now. There are many resources available to help but this needs taking care of right away.
2. Stress management involves education. It is important to understand the nature of stress and how it effects you.
3. Stress management involves thinking in the right ways. Being positive and looking for ways to think about things that reduce stress is important.
4. Stress management involves doing things in the right way. You can save a great deal of trouble by doing things in an efficient and satisfying way.
5. Stress management means looking after your body. That is making sure you keep as fit and healthy as you are able. A fit body handles stress much better than an unfit one.
6. Stress management involves belonging and giving. We gain strength from good relationships. Giving is one of the prime elements of love. If you can love others and yourself you will be much better at handling stressful situations.
7. Stress management involves getting spiritual. Believe in God helps people manage stress but even just getting more beauty in to your life will help.

As you can see these elements of stress management are just the kinds of things that our ancestors had and we lack. I’m not suggesting we go back to the good old days but that we strive to build a modern world where these good stress management practices form the regular habits of life.

The strong foundations of stress management are: