Stress Can Be Managed

by Dr. Brett L. Lukert, DC

Managing stress is a skill that, quite frankly, very few people accomplish. If they did, stress-related problems would not be so prevalent. Stress is by far the number one contributor to health problems. What people don't understand is how all-encompassing stress really is.

Stress can be emotional, mental, physical, chemical, occupational, and biomechanical. It is easy to relate to common stressors associated with family relationships, finances, and job pressures. We tend to overlook the stress caused from being overweight, lifting improperly, eating poorly, and not getting enough sleep. Collectively, these types of stress (and many others) will eventually cause problems if we let them.

It should be apparent that there are stressors of some sort everywhere. So, what can we do about it? The first thing to do is find a proper balance between work, family and free time. This may be easier said than done, but time is extremely valuable and can get away very quickly if we allow it.

I often hear people talk about not having enough time in the day to get everything done. I can relate to this, but, the truth of the matter is, we all make time for what's most important in our lives. When the balance between church, family, friends, jobs, exercise, and sleep is no longer in proportion, another area is going to suffer. This will cause stress, which can eventually lead to health problems.

In order to maximize our time, we need to have an objective for what we want to accomplish and what is most important. This will be different for everyone, but if we have specific goals in mind, we can put a plan in place to accomplish them. This will reduce unnecessary stress and anxiety along the way. Time management is a skill, and, just like any skill, it can be learned.

Take a look at a "normal" day in your life, and see what changes could be made to remove and replace unnecessary stress. Most of us don't have to look far. Life is short, live well!