Last month, I discussed how constant stress could be harmful to your health. Now, in the second part of this series, I will address how to manage and cope with stress, including ways to alleviate its effects – especially while traveling.

Stress develops when the demands in your life exceed your ability to cope with them. External stressors include adverse physical conditions, such as cold and heat, and psychological environments, such as poor working conditions and abusive relationships. Internal stressors can likewise be physical, such as infections or disease, or psychological, such as intense worrying about a harmful event that may or may not happen.

Stressors can be short term (acute) or long term (chronic). Common acute stressors include noise, crowding, danger or imagining a dangerous event. Usually once the acute threat has passed, the fight-or-flight response deactivates and the levels of stress hormones return to normal. Chronic stress includes ongoing stressful situations during which the urge to act (fight or flight) must be suppressed. The stress then becomes chronic. Some common chronic stressors include persistent financial worries, high-pressure work environments and long-term relationship problems.

You can manage stress, though, by changing your environment or learning how to cope with its demands.

Adjust your attitude. According to research, you can cope with stress better by focusing on three elements: challenge, control and commitment. Try to interpret stressful situations as challenges, not threats. Determine what you can control; sometimes the only thing you will be able to control in a stressful situation is your response. Make a commitment to be good to yourself by eating healthy, thinking positively and maintaining relationships with the people you care about. In many cases, you can reduce the amount of stress in your life simply by choosing to look at situations in a more positive way. Positive people are less stressed individuals.

Learn to problem-solve. Experts say the key to reducing stress is to think through difficult situations systematically. Break problems down into smaller pieces to make them less overwhelming. Focus on problems that really need your attention and ignore the rest. Know your limits and learn to be flexible. Be realistic about your choices.

Learn to communicate. Keeping stress inside only increases its negative impact. Find someone safe to talk to about your worries. If you have a chronic medical condition, participate in a support group.

Get regular exercise. Exercise helps to protect the cardiovascular and immune systems from the consequences of stressful events. Whether it is walking, swimming or another form of exercise, find time to do the activity on a regular basis.

Control your diet and sleep habits. It’s difficult, but if you stick to a well-balanced, nutritious, low-caffeine diet and get a good night’s sleep, you will have more energy to cope with stress. Avoid alcohol and nicotine. When you’re tired, you’re more susceptible to stress-related ailments.

Learn deep-breathing exercises and meditation. During stressful situations, your breathing becomes shallow and rapid. Taking a deep breath is an automatic and effective technique for winding down. Deep-breathing exercises consciously intensify this natural physiological reaction and can be very useful during a stressful situation or for maintaining a relaxed state during the day.

Indulge in massage therapy. Massage is believed to slow down the heart rate and relax the body. Rather than causing drowsiness, massage actually increases alertness. Massage therapies include Swedish massage, which uses muscle manipulation; shiatsu and its application of intense pressure to parts of the body; and reflexology, which manipulates acupuncture points in the hands and the feet.

Stress management requires continuous practice as you go through life and deal with change. Change often occurs unexpectedly. Even if you take everyday frustrations in stride, your stress response can still surge when you find yourself dealing with something big, such as illness, job loss or bereavement.
Your body’s fight-or-flight reaction has strong biological roots. It is there for self-preservation, even if it is not much help in a demanding job or a stormy relationship. If stress is getting the better of you, and you fear its long-term effects, don’t be afraid to seek professional help. A psychologist or psychiatrist can evaluate what blend of psychotherapy and/or medication might be best for you. You may not find a quick or permanent fix, but in time you will be able to recognize the signs that pressure is building and learn the ways to lighten the load. For more information, visit www.nih.gov.

Travel Tips
Accept the stress of travel — crowded airplanes, bad weather, unexpected delays and so on. Form a mental plan for remaining calm and dealing with the stressors.
Give yourself enough time. Knowing that you have adequate time to deal with unexpected occurrences can help prevent anxiety and stress.
Make a contingency plan.
Consider checking your luggage. Everyone fears losing his or her luggage, but the freedom of movement you gain during your journey is sometimes worth the risk.
Treat yourself to something special to lift your mood and take your mind off of the stresses of travel. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast on departure day. Take advantage of the airport facilities to keep you relaxed and as comfortable as possible. Consider a back or neck massage at an airport spa.