Introduction
In daily life people engage in situations in their work, relationships, commitments, managing time, etc they feel nervous irritable and under pressure and hence they get stressed. Virtually, all people at one time or another are faced with such kind of situation. Stress is manifested through such symptoms as poor concentration, sleep disturbances, headache, and anxiety and in extreme cases, it may lead to serious health problems including depression especially when achievements fall short of our goals.
While there are many ways of avoiding stress, relaxing can be viewed as the best method of managing stress. It is in relaxing that other methods of avoiding stress can be effectively practiced.
Different people have proposed different ways to deal with stress. Relaxation involves involving oneself in physical activities aimed at reducing or eliminating stress.
While other people may view relaxing as a normal physical and routine exercise, others view it as a way to deal with day-to-day stresses. Some people say that high stress over a long time and not dealing with it contribute to high blood pressure, cancer, and heart attacks. According to Mayo clinic staff, (2009, Para 1), relaxation does not just involve peace of the mind and being happy, it also involves the process of reducing mental and bodily wear that develops as a result of daily life encounters.
Avoiding stress
While stress can lead to serious health implications, its symptoms also can cause a lot of negative impacts on our well-being. People have proposed several ways in which people can avoid stress. While it is important to know the causes of stress and how to deal with them, it is equally important to know how to avoid being stressed. Balancing all aspects of your life including family work, relationships, and fun among others as well as learning how to manage pressure and challenges is important (Smith and Jaff-Gill, 2008, para. 2). As mentioned earlier, stress is usually caused by among other things improper time management, relationships, low self-esteem, work and work conditions, poor health condition, financial strains, etc. some of the methods to avoid stress as illustrated by Mayo Clinic Staff (2009) include Proper time management- this helps to sort out argent things and those that can wait and also helps in finding time to do things that one needs to do, change of a lifestyle- this includes finding a balance between work, family relations, and other commitments, adopting good health habits, exercising, finding a purpose in life. The other proposed ways to reduce stress include finding a positive support network from family, work colleagues professional counselors, members of our religious groups, etc. , relaxation, laughing and humor improving the eating habits,
Ways to relax
Relaxing relieves stress through reduction of blood pressure, slows the heartbeat rate, and improves concentration, booster confidence to handle problems, improve blood flow to major muscles. Relaxing can be carried out using different ways. Learning how to relax is an attitude and takes time (Butler and Hope, 2007, p. 204). Different people find different ways of relaxing. Relaxing involves active participation in physical exercises, as well passive participation e.g. in watching or listening.
According to Macquarie University (2009), the different methods of relaxing include, engaging in physical relaxation exercises. This includes stretching, breathing, relaxing and stretching muscles, engage in positive thinking while relaxing, avoiding destructions and finding time to keep quiet, undertaking activities such as yoga and Tai-Chi, etc. some other ways to relax include listening to relaxing music, watching a movie, reading books
Conclusion
Relaxing can take several approaches as a way of relieving stress. Unlike other methods relaxing mostly involves physical exercises. Also while other methods of avoiding stress involve direct intervention to specific causes of stress, relaxing is a method that is applicable for all. People who engage in routine exercises will therefore have better capabilities of dealing with other causes of stress. On the other hand relaxing sometimes involves other methods of avoiding stress where one engages in other relationships with people who share a common goal.
Work Cited
Butler, Gillian and Hope, Tony. Managing Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide. 2007. NY, Oxford University Press US.
Mayo clinic staff. “Relaxation techniques: Learn ways to Reduce your Stress”. Stress Management. 2009. Web.
Macquarie University. “Some Strategies to Relax and De-Stress…” Macquarie University counseling Service. .2009. Web.
Smith, Melinda and Jaff-Gill, Ellen. “How to Reduce, prevent, and Cope with Stress”. Stress Management. 2008. Web.