Managing Stress: Easy to Say, Hard to Do -- but Vital

Learning to deal effectively with stress is important. Even people in the best mental health can be caught off guard by work changes, family illness, injury or even a grinding commute to work. Everyday stressors have become so common that it's easy to overlook the body's reactions to them.

As long as the act of planning ahead doesn't cause you stress, it makes sense to develop a regular method for dealing with the daily annoyances and the "adventitious suffering" -- the habit of creating stress from everyday and often baseless worries -- that stress researcher Robert Sapolsky describes.

Those who study stress advocate these steps:

Exercise. Moderate physical activity can affect brain chemistry and elevate mood, provide a respite from the situation causing you stress, and help keep you healthy. Walking, running, dancing, swimming, even yard work can help. Consider controlled breathing and relaxation exercises, too. Meditation, as a regular practice or for a few minutes a day, helps focus thinking, bring mental calm and restore the body's equilibrium. The practice can be as simple as lying on the floor and being aware of each slow breath, or as complex as slowly clenching and relaxing muscles one by one throughout your body.

Stop and assess the stressor . Keep it in perspective: What is bothering you? How big is it? How real? Ask yourself, 'What's the worst that can happen?' as a result of the events or thoughts causing you stress. Research shows that those who handle stress best are those who feel proficient and able to cope with the curveballs life can throw. Trust your ability to handle the situation.

Identify the cause. The American Psychological Association suggests identifying the cause of the stress. You may find that your stress arises from something that's easy to correct. A psychologist can help a patient to define and analyze these stressors, and to develop plans for dealing with them.

Find friends . Social support -- even one close friend with whom you can share your thoughts or just relax -- can ease psychological suffering and boost the immune system. This kind of support has also been linked with longevity.

Act now. Keep in mind that the longer you attempt to bear up under stress, the more damage accumulates in your body and mind. If the steps above don't help, seek counseling -- to protect your physical health, if for no other reason.

-- Cecilia Capuzzi Simon