Do you have healthy stress management techniques? Unfortunately, many of us have trouble dealing with everyday stress in healthy ways. This often leads to self-medication, which turns into an addiction. Subsequently, if you reach for cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs to help you manage stress, or if you love someone who struggles, Red Oak Recovery® in North Carolina can help. To learn about your treatment options at our men’s rehab program, contact Red Oak Recovery® today at 866.457.7590.
Common Causes of Stress
Stress is defined as an outside factor that causes physical or mental tension. For most of us, many things contribute to stress, including:
- Things that happen at work
- People we have to work with
- Finances
- Relationship woes
- Politics
- Health issues
- Family drama
This is just a small sampling of the people and situations that cause us daily stress. Mostly, we feel irritated and then move on. Sometimes, however, a combination of stressful situations becomes too much, and we feel overwhelmed. When this happens, we may be tempted to self-medicate to help ourselves forget or to cope. Self-medicating only exacerbates the problem, however, and we end up in worse shape than we started.
Fortunately, there are healthy stress management techniques that won’t leave you feeling panicky and depleted. At Red Oak Recovery®, we introduce you to the many healthy ways it’s possible to deal with stress and anxiety in your life. Accordingly, you’ll learn to feel the uncomfortable sensations and then let them go without acting on them in haste. This is one of the first steps to a solid drug and alcohol treatment program in North Carolina.
Stress Management Techniques
Healthy stress management techniques are vital to keeping anxiety at bay. At Red Oak Recovery®, we help you find safe, effective alternatives to self-medication. for instance, we suggest options such as:
Building Up Your Mind and Body
One of the most important ways you can prep your mind and body against the negative impact of stress is to go on the defensive. Build yourself up through a healthy diet, daily exercise, and adequate sleep. Generally, this will strengthen your body and help you feel mentally alert. It’s easier to let things go when you feel strong and have a positive mindset.
Learning to Relax
Many people find it valuable to do yoga or practice meditation to relax, but relaxation means different things to different people. Maybe walking or jogging relaxes you. Maybe doing arts and crafts helps you decompress. Possibly, it’s volunteering at your local animal shelter that makes you feel good. Find what you enjoy doing — what makes you feel mellow and calm — and then devote time each day to doing it.
Practicing Acceptance
The world is always going to include difficult people. Learn to recognize and accept things that are out of your control. You can’t control what a coworker says or how it makes you feel, but you can control how you react to it. Accordingly, you can fire back, or you can choose to walk away. You can offer to listen if your coworker is having a bad day, or you can choose to calmly express your disagreement and move on. To summarize, you don’t have to let others the actions of others dictate your reactions.
Reach Out for Help
If stress is getting you down, and you feel like you need help, Red Oak Recovery® is waiting. We offer a wide array of treatment programs, including:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Yoga therapy
- Relapse prevention therapy
- Meditation therapy
Contact us today at 866.457.7590 for more information on programs we offer that will teach you stress management techniques for life.
