Stress Management

through Lifestyle
Dr.Suresh Kumar

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 Stress

Stress is a normal response to

dealing with changes and
challenges in daily life

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 Stress
Stress can help you perform better under
pressure, but constant stress can pose
problems for our health

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 Stress and
Hormone

Stress causes the release of

cortisol, the stress hormone, as
well as adrenaline

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 Influence of Stress
Stress influences our

● blood pressure,
● heart rate,
● eating habits,
● sleep patterns,
● blood sugar levels,
● fat metabolism and
● our ability to fight-off illness

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 Long Term Stress
Long term stress can also increase your risk of
heart attack or stroke and contribute to depression.

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 Lifestyle and Stress
The lifestyle actions can help us to reduce or manage the stress in our life.

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 A Healthy Lifestyle
● Eat a healthy diet.
● Exercise regularly.
● Reduce caffeine and sugar.
● Avoid cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs.
● Get enough sleep.
● Take a break.
● Ask for help.
● Try Deep Breathing
● Reframe problems

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 Avoid Stress

● Avoid people who stress out.

● Avoid topics that get upset or cross.
● Don’t argue over, such as religion or politics
● Manage time and plan ahead to avoid the last
minute stress and running behind.

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 Increase ● Regular physical activity is an important
step in reducing stress and improving
Physical health.
Activity ● Physical activity can help regulate our
hormones and offset the negative effects
stress can cause on our body.
● Aim to complete 30 minutes of moderate
physical activity per day on most days of
the week.
● Brisk walking is an excellent way to
increase our physical activity.

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 Think Positively

● Look for the bright side of the

situation.
● Challenges are opportunities for
personal growth.
● Reflect on stressful situations and
learn from your experience.

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 Learn How to Relax and
Have Fun
● Set aside time for self each
day.
● Time to relax, rest and take a
break from all responsibilities.
● Keep sense of humour!
● Connect with others. Spend
time with people who have a
positive impact on life.
● Have lunch or go for a walk
with a friend.
● Do something enjoy every day.
● Listen to music and enjoy.

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 Be Willing to Adapt

● If can't change the situation, change our expectations and our response.
● Be willing to compromise. we may want someone else to change. We will have a better
chance of finding a resolution if we are willing to compromise to a middle ground.
● Look at the big picture. Will it matter in a month? A year? Is it worth getting upset and
stressed?
● Adjust our standards. Perfect may not be possible. Set reasonable standards that can be
achieved and learn to live with "good enough".
● Learn to forgive. Let go of anger and resentment. Accept an imperfect world.
● Don't try to control the uncontrollable. Some things are beyond our control, focus on the
things we can change and the way you react to the situation.

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 Take Charge

● While we may not be able to change the situation, we are in control of how we respond.
● Set a schedule, plan ahead so we are prepared for stressful situations and jobs we need to do.
● Manage our time to fit in what needs to be accomplished.
● Take charge of our environment, find a space that inspires or adapt work space to be positive and encouraging.
● Be more assertive. Take charge of life and make decisions.
● Delegate to others. Have children or family help out with chores and jobs they are capable of to reduce
workload.
● Avoid procrastination. Putting things off only increases the stress later on.
● Find someone to talk to, talking through problems and challenges can alleviate stress associated with the
situation.
● Learn to say "no". Limit yourself to only what we are comfortable with doing.
● Limit and prioritize our "to do" list. Sort out the "must do's" and the "should do's". Deal with important jobs right
away and delay or drop unnecessary tasks.

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 ● Look closely at habits, attitudes and
Identify the Cause excuses.
● Start a stress journal. Ask:
of Stress ○ What causes to feel stressed?
○ How do you feel physically and
emotionally?
○ How do you respond to stress?
○ What do you do to feel better?
○ How do you cope with stress?

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 Lifestyle for Effective Stress
Management

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 Exercise

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 Reading books and
articles

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 Sleep Well

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 Eat Well

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 Avoid drugs

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 Avoid alcohol

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 Walk in outdoors

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 Take a bath

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 Listen to music

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 Watch a TV show

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 Sitting quietly

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 Vent out

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 Work Life Balance

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 Medidate

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 Yoga

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 Spend time in nature

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 Have lunch with Friends

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 Watch Movie

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 Learn Sports and
Games

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 New Hobbies

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 Fun trip

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 4 A’s of stress management

While stress is an automatic response from our nervous system, some

stressors arise at predictable times: our commute to work, a meeting with
boss, or family gatherings, for example. When handling such predictable
stressors, we can either change the situation or change our reaction.
When deciding which option to choose in any given scenario, it’s helpful to
think of the four A’s: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept.

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 The four A’s

Avoid, Alter, Adapt &

Accept

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 Avoid unnecessary
stress

It’s not healthy to avoid a stressful

situation that needs to be addressed, but
we may be surprised by the number of
stressors in our life that can be eliminate.

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 I. Avoid unnecessary
stress
● Learn how to say “no.”
● Avoid people who stress out.
● Take control of environment.
● Pare down to-do list.

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 II.Alter the situation
If can’t avoid a stressful situation, try to
alter it. Often, this involves changing the
way we communicate and operate in our
daily life.

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 II.Alter the
situation

1. Express your feelings

instead of bottling them
up.
2. Be willing to
compromise.
3. Create a balanced
schedule.

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 III.Adapt to the
stressor
If can’t change the stressor,
change yourself. We can
adapt to stressful situations
and regain our sense of
control by changing our
expectations and attitude.

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 III.Adapt to the
stressor
1. Reframe problems.
2. Look at the big picture.
3. Adjust your standards.
4. Practice gratitude.

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 IV. Accept the things
you can’t change
Some sources of stress are unavoidable.
We can’t prevent or change stressors
such as the death of a loved one, a
serious illness, or a national recession. In
such cases, the best way to cope with
stress is to accept things as they are.
Acceptance may be difficult, but in the
long run, it’s easier than railing against a
situation we can’t change.

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 IV. Accept the things you
can’t change
1. Don’t try to control the uncontrollable.
2. Look for the upside.
3. Learn to forgive.
4. Share feelings.

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 Reframing
NEGATIVE OUTLOOK POSITIVE REFRAME
stubborn determined
stingy thrifty
bossy a leader
loud uninhibited
shy quiet
picky attends to details
won't follow rules creative/innovative
talks too much outgoing

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 About
● Dr.Suresh Kumar Murugesan is a
passionate teacher, researcher and
Mental Health Practitioner from
Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
● He is very keen in learning new
research studies in behavioural
Sciences and open to learn.
● His ultimate aim is to make the
learners as creator rather than
consumers of
information/knowledge
● His area of specializations are
Psychotherapy, Positive
Psychology, Education Psychology,
Cognitive Psychology, Cyber
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 Contact
Suresh Kumar Murugesan
sureshkumar800@yahoo.com

7, Vivekananda Street,
New Vilangudi,
Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India

+91 9750 406463

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 References
1. https://www.depressioncenter.org/toolkit/i-want-stay-mentally-healthy/lifestyle-strategies-and-stress-
management#:~:text=Regular%20physical%20activity%20such%20as,build%20up%20to%20it%20gradually.
2. https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/physical-activity/reduce-manage-stress
3. https://counseling.oregonstate.edu/main/lifestyle-changes-more-effective-stress-management
4. https://www.verywellmind.com/healthy-lifestyle-habits-for-stress-relief-3144693
5. https://www.fairview.org/patient-education/85169
6. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.htm
7. https://alphacarecms.magellanhealth.com/media/443371/efw_coping_with_stress_through_lifestyle_management.pdf
8. https://nasdonline.org/213/d000011/preventing-stress-through-a-healthy-lifestyle.html
9. https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management
10. https://www.eatright.org/health/wellness/preventing-illness/lifestyle-and-managing-stress

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