from the American Counseling Association
sponsored by the ACA Foundation

Think you’ve got a lot of stress in your life? Well, welcome to the club. In today’s hectic world and troubled economy, stress is a part of everyone’s life.

And while it’s true that stress that comes with certain events, such as buying a house, changing jobs or the loss of a loved one, can affect your health and even your life span, the reality is that not all stress has to be damaging.

Stress, even so-called bad stress, has the potential to motivate us, to help us focus and to provide important information about ourselves. The key is to learn how to respond to stress and to make the most of it.

One starting point is to analyze how stress affects you.  When you feel stressed, monitor how you’re reacting. Do you get irritated with others, feel physically tense or develop a headache? Perhaps you get jumpy or very talkative, or maybe become very quiet and listless?

Once you see what stress does to you, look for ways to better handle your reaction. If your stress seems to give you energy, try to channel it in appropriate directions. Step away from the stress-inducing event and use you energy productively. Take a walk, do some gardening or find other physical activity that will redirect some of that stress-induced energy.

If stress, however, seems to sap your energy, then take time to rest and get back on track. Try a few minutes of meditation, or something relaxing like reading or listening to music. Try finding a pleasant activity rather than just facing the unpleasant reactions stress can bring.

As you learn to handle your stress, you also want to reflect upon why you’re feeling stressed to begin with. Start writing down situations and activities that prompt stressful feelings for you.

As you develop such lists, try to analyze the fears that lie beneath these stressful situations. In identifying such situations you may find the fears are unfounded, or that the situations can often be avoided or minimized.

Responding to and managing stress takes work, but your goal is understanding what stress is telling you in order to changes for a more positive and less stressful you.

However, if you find that stress is overwhelming you and that your efforts aren’t minimizing its affects, then look for professional help. A counseling professional can offer stress management tools to help reduce stress levels and allow you to use your stress for more positive outcomes.

“The Counseling Corner” is provided as a public service by the American Counseling Association, the nation’s largest organization of counseling professionals.  Learn more about the counseling profession at the ACA web site, www.counseling.org.