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People problems, getting sick, exams, deadlines --
the list of stress-causing factors is unbelievably long.
What stresses you out? Stress can make illness
worse, so finding stressors and learning to deal with them is a big
step to better health.
The two main types of stress are
physical and emotional. Physical stress comes from any
overtaxing of your body: missing sleep, getting sick, exercising too
much, poor physical habits or anything else that pushes your body
too far. Emotional stress can come from concrete problems,
like a money crunch, getting sick, exams, conflicts with family or
friends or difficult situations.
Taking care of yourself with enough sleep, good
nutrition and moderate exercise and making sure to follow the right
medical plans always helps.
Besides those general guidelines, here are some steps
to help you reduce your stress.
Identify your stressors
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What are sources of physical and emotional stress?
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What makes you feel tired, tense or irritable?
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Are you making a big deal out of a small problem or a series of
small problems?
Identify your signs of stress
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What do you find yourself doing when you’re stressed?
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Can you find signs such as overeating, sleep loss, nail-biting,
crying easily, not talking, back or neck tension, headaches or
anything else?
Eliminate stress
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Prioritize your problems.
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Get enough information to understand each problem fully.
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Set realistic, practical goals.
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Find creative solutions. Think of everything you could possibly do to remove
the stress.
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Make a realistic plan of action and use it.
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List pros and cons of each solution and choose the best solution.
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Evaluate the outcome and try the next best solution, if needed.
Some common problems and solutions
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If you're overcommitted, prioritize your activities and eliminate
from the bottom up.
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If you're in a time crunch, make a schedule with an allotted time
for each task and then follow it.
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If you're in a financial bind, start researching scholarships, jobs
and government programs through libraries and the Internet.
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If you're sick, take care of yourself; see a doctor and follow the
recommendations you get. Use your personal action plan to
move you to a better level of health.
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If you're tired, make a specific time to rest each day, even if it's
for 10
minutes, and make sure people know not to disturb you (wearing
headphones is a good "Do not disturb" sign).
If you have questions or comments about
this Web site, please e-mail
LifeWithIBD@texaschildrenshospital.org.
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