stress | Dr. Ivan Misner®

It is good to have a plan to address your personal stress and then execute on that plan. Here are a few things that you might want to consider to tackle your personal stress. It’s unlikely that every one of these suggestions will resonate with you – but try most of them on for size. See how they help you and your particular life situation. If you’re feeling stressed out, look over this list and try some of these techniques. They’ll make a difference in your health.

Meditate. This is a tried and true standard to manage your personal stress. I’m not always great at doing “traditional” meditation regularly but I do practice it. There are other ways to meditate. I generally take 15-20 minutes every day in a steam shower. I definitely use this time to meditate almost every day.

Breathing. This obviously goes hand-in-hand with meditation. However, it is also useful when you find yourself in a stressful situation. When we are in a “fight or flight” scenario our brain goes into overdrive and we tend to do short, shallow breathing. To deal with personal stress, we should take long, deep breaths.

Exercise. Walking, running, weight lifting, Yoga, Cycling, martial arts – whatever you’ll do regularly is what you should be out there doing. This is a big personal stress reliever for many people. For me – not so much. I do it for my health, not because it relieves stress. That said, it’s obviously good for various reasons.

Mental Health Day. This one is my favorite personal stress management tool. It’s also something that I have done pretty consistently for many years. One day a week, I try to take a “mental health day.” That is, I fully and completely relax. How I relax may be different than how you relax. For me, it’s about staying home and doing what recharges my batteries. It might be watching movies or shows on my DVR or hanging out in the pool. But the bottom line is that I relax and I definitely do not leave the house. It took a few years for my family to understand my need to do this one but, seeing how I was much nicer when I could get one of these each week – made it easier.