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Rachel Sitler

Hellmers

SCC English Composition II

1 Nov. 2021

Best Strategies for Managing Stress

“According to a new nationwide Gallup poll, 60 percent of adults report being stressed on

the daily”(Sears). The fact that there are so many adults that report feeling stressed is stressful,

and that is just the adult numbers. Now, imagine how stressed a high schooler, or even just a

teenager is; their stress levels are probably pretty high. Whether it be from homework, school in

general, friends, sports, or social life, there are lots of stressed people out there in the world.

There are healthy ways and unhealthy ways that people manage their stress. Sometimes, people

use strategies that may be detrimental to themselves just because it makes them feel relaxed.

There are lots of good strategies to help people cope with their inner demons and stress. These

strategies might be different for every person, which is why there is a plethora of options to

choose from. There are several different strategies in order to manage stress.

I deal with stress on a daily basis. Stress is a big part of my life. There are times I bring

stress on myself when it is not needed, and there are other times when stress is unavoidable. A

lot of the times when I am bringing stress on myself it is either due to procrastination or

worrying about things I cannot control. I am a huge procrastinator, so a lot of times that brings

stress onto me. I worry about getting something done before the due date, meanwhile if I would

have started it in a timely manner, I would not be stressed about getting it done on time. I always

tell myself that I will start something, and then never actually get to it until closer to the due date.

Another way I stress myself out is I worry about things I cannot control. For example, I worry
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about how people would react to a certain task. I cannot control the outcome, but I stress out

about it like I can. There are so many other things that stress me out, but those are just a few

examples. It is important to me that I find ways to manage not only my stress, but hopefully help

someone else find strategies to manage theirs.

Stress can lead to many different health issues, but sleep deprivation is one of them.

Sleep is crucial to daily life, and if people are not getting enough sleep, it could lead to several

problems. Poor sleep can affect many different areas of the brain: memory, judgement, and

mood. The American Physiological Association states that “ chronic sleep deprivation can

contribute to health problems, from obesity and high blood pressure to safety risks while

driving.” If this is the case then lack of sleep can be a serious matter and the fact that stress is

causing sleep deprivation is very detrimental to the human body. Stress levels, more recently

than ever, have been causing sleep deprivation in a lot of adults and teens. There are lots of

adults that experience issues sleeping due to stress, but “many report that their stress increases

when the length and quality of their sleep decreases”(APA). When people do not get enough

sleep, it has been proven that at least 21 percent of people wake up more stressed. APA also

states that “Only 20 percent of adults say the quality of their sleep is very good or excellent.

Thirty-seven percent of adults report fatigue or feeling tired because of stress.” Many adults

report lots of negative effects with no sleeping. A lot of adults who are not getting enough sleep

are because their mind is constantly going, which can also be a stressful situation. Even the

younger generations are experiencing sleep deprivation due to stress. Younger people are even

more likely to have more issues sleeping because of stress than a lot of adults are. People who

are younger tend to feel the effects of sleep deprivation more than adults as well. They would

feel more sluggish running on less hours of sleep, than an adult would running on the same
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amount of sleep. They would have more trouble concentrating and just making it through their

days. Overall, not getting enough sleep can be very detrimental, and every person feels the

effects of sleep deprivation on their bodies.

Yoga is one of the best ways to help relax. When people think of yoga they most of the

time just think of being able to be flexible. Yoga actually uses different breathing techniques

based on the pose. These breathing techniques actually help people relax. People use yoga to

calm down, destress, and be one with their body. Yoga also helps stretch the muscles, leaving

people feeling refreshed. Yoga is not going to work for everyone, but a lot of people enjoy it as a

destressor or even just exercise.

Coping with stress can be very difficult to do, but very important. It is important because

in order to live a healthy, long life people need to be taking care of themselves. One way for

people to do that would be finding ways to cope with their individual stress. There are several

different strategies when it comes to coping with stress. It has been shown that “People cope with

stress in basically two ways. One is a distinction between emotion-focused and problem-focused

styles of coping”(Frey). People who are emotion-focused when it comes to coping with their

stress tend to focus on changing their painful emotions that relate to their stress. Opposingly,

people who are problem-focused when it comes to coping with their stress try to eliminate the

impact of a stressful event. Frey states that “Persons who handle stress from a problem oriented

perspective are less likely to turn to mood altering substances when they are under stress.” Some

people do turn to substances, but if they have a coping strategy of eliminating the impact of the

stressful event, they are less likely to turn to substances. There is also a second way. This way

“distinguishes between control related and escape-related coping styles. Control-related coping

styles include such behaviors as direct action (behavior that the person can carry out alone), help
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seeking (behavior that involves social support), and positive thinking. Escape-related coping

styles include avoidance or resignation (distancing oneself from the stressful event) and alcohol

or drug use”(Frey). It is very important for people struggling to receive the help they need, and

not to turn to anything that could hurt them in the long run. People should not have to turn to

drugs because they can not get the help they need. People need to be able to take care of

themselves and live a happy, healthy lifestyle.

Stress is hard to avoid. People can try to avoid or reduce stress by “planning ahead,

deciding which tasks to do first, and preparing for events that may be stressful. Some ways to

manage stress would be noticing when feeling stressed, taking time to relax, getting active and

eating healthy, and talking to friends and family”(MyHealthFinder). While there are some good

effects of stress, a lot of stress can lead to health problems which is why people should use the

strategies to prevent or reduce stress. There is short-term stress and long-term. An example of

short-term stress would be having an argument with someone. An example of long-term stress

would be having problems at work, or having problems with money. If people find a way to

manage their stress then they can have a healthier lifestyle. Some benefits of managing stress

would help “getting better sleep, controlling weight, getting sick less often, being in a better

mood”(MyHealthFinder), and having better relationships with people. It is important to know

when stress might occur in one’s life. Plan ahead and prepare for when feeling stressed might

occur. Think about how time is going to be used and what events are going to happen. How

might one respond to any situation? If the person’s prepared about the stress they might feel, then

they might have less stress come the end of the time. They might think about what they might

say or different ways the conversation might go. It is important to plan ahead so hopefully less

stress occurs. It helps to relax. Get breathing under control and help relax oneself. Relax muscles
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too, that will always help. Some ways people use to relax themselves might be exercise,

listening, producing, or performing music, reading, some people cry and let it out, driving,

art(drawing), and sleeping. All people are different and they all have different coping strategies.

Something that works for someone might not work for another person. Coping mechanisms are

important because they help deal with and manage stress. These coping mechanisms might help

someone escape their stress, but at the same time, it might help someone reduce and take care of

their stress. There are a plethora of coping mechanisms to choose from and it is important to find

one. Since there are so many, people need to find the one that works best for them. Each thing

works for a specific person.

Stress is unavoidable. Studies have shown that “It can be so damaging to our well-being

that one in three of these people had been left feeling suicidal, and one in six had

self-harmed”(Thomson). A lot of people find themselves dealing with extreme circumstances

when stressed. “73% of people say that stress affects their mental health and 77% of people say

their stress affects their physical health”(Patterson). The fact that stress affects this many people

in these extreme circumstances is astonishing. People should start considering maybe talking to

their doctors about how stress affects them. If stress is affecting their health(does not matter if it

is physical or mental) they should get help. People do not wait to go to the doctor if they break a

bone or are sick, so there is no reason they should wait if their stress is affecting their health.

People need to realize their health should be their priority.

There are several people that even turn to drugs and alcohol for “relaxation”. Those

substances may help people feel relaxed for the moment, but what happens when the effects wear

off? When the substances start to wear off, people typically do more because they want to

continue to stay relaxed. What people tend to not realize is, by doing this, they are starting to
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become an addict. When people become addicts they are addicted to whatever it may be that they

are using. If someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol, it can and will lead to side effects. People

can cause severe health issues if they are addicted to substances. If people are addicted and do

not get help for it, they could be slowly killing themselves. Drugs and alcohol abuse and

addiction can ultimately lead to death. It is important for people to get the help they need, in

order to keep them safe, healthy, and alive.

There are several methods to relieve stress. To the left there is a chart showing different

ways people of all ages relieve

stress. As shown, there are many

different ways to relieve stress.

MayoClinic also has a good strategy

to help people relieve their stress.

MayoClinic gives stress relief

options like the 4 A’s: Avoid, Alter,

Accept and Adapt. When it says to

avoid it means to just simply avoid

your stress. Believe it or not, there

are actually several ways to avoid

stress. In order to avoid stress, people need to take control of their surroundings, learning to say

no, and ditching parts of their lists. When it states learn to say it means people have lots of

responsibilities and they do not need to be taking other people’s tasks or life matters. When

MayoClinic says that people need to scratch things off their list, they mean that some tasks have

bigger priorities than others. On the days when people seem a little more hectic and stressed out,
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they should scratch off the tasks that have less priority and that can be done on another day.

People need to do things in order to ease the stress on themselves. An example of this would be

if they are constantly in traffic and worried about being late to work; start leaving earlier and take

the long way. The next step is to alter. “One of the most helpful things you can do during times

of stress is to take inventory, then attempt to change your situation for the better”(MayoClinic).

When trying the alter technique, MayoClinic states people can respectfully ask others to change

their behavior, communicate their feelings openly, manage their time better, and state their limits

in advance. It is okay to ask someone to change their behavior if it is stressing an individual out;

however, they should be willing and ready to adjust their behavior too, if needed. When asking

someone to adjust their behavior, there is a way to go about it, and the way is not to be rude

when asking. An example would be if there is a group of friends and one friend is always the

target of the joke. The one who is being targeted can and should ask to not be the target anymore

nicely, and the rest of the group should respect it. People should also be willing to communicate

their feelings efficiently and openly. If people do not know how someone is feeling, how are they

supposed to know how to act? For example if someone is stressed out and they also have a

headache, but their friends are being really loud and obnoxious. If that person does not

communicate how they are feeling to their friends, then the friends are never going to know that

they should quiet down and maybe offer some help to their other friend. Another strategy was to

manage time better. If people would get a better grip on managing their time they would get alot

more done, and maybe even be less stressed out. People should plan out their days and how

much time they expect a certain task to take. One way to do this would be to lump together the

little tasks. People need to make sure they state their personal limits in advance. If they cannot do

something then they should communicate that. Next is to accept. People need to accept things the
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way they are, especially because sometimes that is the only option. “Talking with someone,

forgiveness, positive self-talk, and learning from mistakes(MayoClinic), can all help people to

accept what may be happening around them. Talking with someone can always help. Whether it

be ranting, feeling stressed or upset, or even just needing to talk, talking with someone can help

significantly. Every person in this world should have at least one person they can talk to if

needed. Sometimes it is a parent, a friend, a teacher, or even just any trusted person in someone’s

life. Forgiveness is also key. People are not required to forgive others, but in some circumstances

it certainly helps. Sometimes people do things unintentionally, and people need to be able to

forgive. Practice positive self-talk. If people talk down on themselves, it certainly is going to

help them feel better. Negative self-talk is like a ripple effect, or as MayoClinic states “One

negative thought can lead to another, and soon you've created a mental avalanche.” If people

only talk bad about themselves they will eventually believe that they are not worthy of anything

and they will not make it through their obstacles. Learning from mistakes is also very important

for people to do. If people learn from their mistakes, they will not make the same mistake twice.

There is something called a “teachable moment”. Teachable moments are when a good

opportunity presents itself, in order for someone to learn from their mistakes, specifically in

aspects of their lives. The final part of the 4 A’s is adapt. MayoClinic says that when people

adapt they should “adjust their standards, practice thought stopping, reframe the issue, adopt a

mantra, create an assets column, and look at the big picture. People need to be aware of their

expectations, are they unreasonable? If people would just take a look at their expectations and

come to think if they are reasonable or not, they could adjust their standards and maybe be less

stressed out. People should practice thought-stopping. Thought-stopping simply means if people

are having bad thoughts they should just think about something else. People that are having
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gloomy or upsetting thoughts should shift their focus and thoughts on something else. Refraining

the issue also may help someone’s situation. Take a new viewpoint on things; people should

sometimes try looking at things differently. Adopting a mantra can always help. If people would

tell themselves “I can handle this” or “I will get through this”, they may have more success and

less stress. People should also look into an assets column. If people make and use an assets

column, then they are able to look upon it when they are stressed, and maybe it will help them

calm down or cheer them up. Finally people should look at the big picture. A lot of times people

stress about things that do not matter in the grand scheme of life. Take some time and look at the

big picture.

Overall, there are many ways people can choose to manage their stress. They can and

should find the way that works for them the best. As I stated at the beginning, I struggle with my

own stress. Some of it is self-inflicted but other times I cannot escape it. It has been important to

me to be able to find ways to cope with my own stress. I like to go on long walks, listen to

music, or even just relax or sleep. Everyone should find something that works for them. It is

important for people to get the help they need, especially if their stress has gotten to the point

where they cannot handle it anymore. Stress is stressful, but there is a way out. People are there

for each other, they just need to realize that. It is important for people to put their health first and

get the help they need, and if they do not need help per say, find ways to cope with stress.
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Work Cited

Brad Brenner, Ph.D. “Survey Results Reveal High Levels of Stress and Popular Ways to

Relieve It.” Therapy Group of DC, Therapy Group of DC, 27 Apr. 2021,

https://therapygroupdc.com/therapist-dc-blog/survey-results-reveals-high-levels-str

ess-popular-ways-relieve/.

Frey, Rebecca J. "Stress Management/Reduction." Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, edited

by Jacqueline L. Longe, Gale, 6th edition, 2020. Credo Reference,

http://sinclair.ohionet.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry

/galegm/stress_management_reduction/0?institutionId=6043. Accessed 25 Oct.

2021.

“Manage Stress.” Manage Stress - MyHealthfinder,

https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/topics/health-conditions/heart-health/manage-stre

ss.
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Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research,

https://www.mayoclinic.org/.

Patterson, Eric. “Stress Facts, Statistics and Trends: The Recovery Village.” The Recovery

Village Drug and Alcohol Rehab, 5 Aug. 2021,

https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/stress/related/stress-statistics/.

Searing, Linda. “60 Percent of U.S. Adults Are Feeling Daily Stress and Worry, New

Gallup Poll Shows.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 20 Apr. 2020,

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/60-percent-of-us-adults-are-feeling-daily-s

tress-and-worry-new-gallup-poll-shows/2020/04/17/13ce9d8a-7ffd-11ea-a3ee-13e1

ae0a3571_story.html.

Thomson, Helen. “The Secrets of Stress-Free Living.” New Scientist, vol. 245, no. 3270,

Feb. 2020, pp. 34–38. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/s0262-4079(20)30410-3. Accessed

25 Oct. 2021.