Buen Amigo: Stress and Management (Part 4 of 4)

There’s so many ways and methods people do to cope and reduce stress.
These methods include meditations, yoga and even shopping.

To some people, smoking and drinking is also their way of coping with stress.
But is it really effective?

Think about it, why do we need to cope and reduce stress?

It’s for our health and people around us.

But when you smoke or drink, are you improving your health or are you making it worst?
Smoking does not only affect you, but also people around you.

1. Second-hand smoke contains all the same cancer-causing, toxic chemicals that the smoker inhales, but at greater levels.
Tests on tobacco smoke found that side-stream smoke has more tar and other cancer causing chemicals than mainstream smoke.

2. Second-hand smoke contaminants that lurk in household dust and on furniture can expose children to levels that are equivalent to several hours of active smoking.

3. As little as 30 minutes of exposure to second-hand smoke can damage a non-smoker's heart and increases the risk of heart disease by 30%.

4. Several studies have indicated that secondary smoke can cause lung cancer in non-smoking spouses of heavy smokers as well as in non-smokers exposed to smoking in the workplace.

Aren’t all these reasons enough for you not to smoke?

Other than smoking, in fact there are many unhealthy ways that people often misuse as a method to reduce stress.

These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more damage in the long run.

Some of these unhealthy ways includes:

1.Smoking
2.Self-medicating with alcohol or drugs
3.Using sleeping pills or tranquilizers to relax
4.Overeating or eating too little
5.Sleeping too much
6.Procrastinating
7.Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities
8.Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems

Learn positive ways to deal with stress

There are many healthy ways to reduce stress or cope with its effects, but they all require change.
You can either change the situation or change your reaction.
When deciding which option to choose, it’s helpful to think of the four As: avoid, alter, accept, or adapt.

Since everyone has a unique response to stress, there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to managing it.
No single method works for everyone or every situation, so experiment with different techniques and strategies.

Focus on what makes you feel calm and in control. =)

That’s all folks for my 4 long post regarding Stress and Management.