An important first step to learning how to better manage stress is to understand your stress. This involves 3 key elements.
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Your response to stress – how it affects you physically and how it changes the way you act and think.
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How do you know when you are stressed?
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What are your physical stress signals?
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How are your thoughts or behaviors different from times when you do not feel stressed?
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Your sources of stress
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What events or situations trigger stressful feelings?
- Are they related to your family, finances, work, relationships or something else?
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Tracking your stress with a stress log can help you increase awareness.
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How you cope with stress
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Are you using unhealthy behaviours (such as smoking, drinking alcohol and over/under
eating) to cope.
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Do you try to put off dealing with the stressor by procrastinating or focusing your
attention on something else all together?
- Is this a typical reaction, or is it specific to certain events or situations?
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The next section will provide you with strategies to increase your stress awareness in each of these areas.