Introduction
Stress is something that is part of our everyday lives. Everyone goes through stress including babies, toddlers, children, teenagers, young adults, and adults! However, for adults, stress is more intense and more difficult to deal with because they have more responsibility. They stress about school, work, their children, their spouse, their home, and other important things that they include in their lives. Unfortunately, not many people know how to handle their stress very well or at all. Some people eat, drink, take pills, withdraw from friends and family, or smoke and those are the negative ways to get rid of stress; you can put your life at risk depending on how often you're partaking in unhealthy habits to try to take the stress away. Fortunately, with a single search on the internet adults can find many ways to reduce their stress.
In children and adolescents, their stressors usually come from the exposure to violence, abuse (sexual, physical, emotional, or neglect), and divorce/marital conflict. (Schneiderman, Ironson, & Seigel, 2008). People who have survived childhood sexual abuse have higher levels of distress and psychological disruption. There are very basic ways to reduce stress and anxiety in children. One of the best things to do is to focus on the positives. Children who are going through stress can fill their heads with negative thoughts and criticisms about themselves (Przeworksi, 2013). Parents should help their children acknowledge their positive traits and attributes and to think positively of the situation they're in. It also helps to schedule relaxation activities. As we all know, children definitely need some time to relax and be kids. It is important to ensure children that the activities they're engaging in is purely for fun and not a competition (Przeworksi, 2013). There are many resources to help get children out of the house to clear their minds from whatever is stressing them. We should also remember that children do stress and ignoring it because they are just children can lead to negative long term effects.
Stress in adults
We all respond to our stress differently, so there's not just one way to tackle the issue, there are many! Stress is the second most frequent health issue that has impacted one third of people who are employed (Varvogli & Darviri, 2011). Most people stress about work, or their employment status. The reason for that is because in order to survive you have to have the means to survive, which means you will need a job that will keep your means flowing consistently. One technique that is used to reduce stress is called Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). It is a technique that is used for reducing stress and anxiety by alternately tensing and relaxing your muscles (Varvogli & Darviri, 2011). The relaxation is used to reduce pain or pain perception, as well as create a pleasurable mental state of mind. If an individual is going to try Progressive Muscle Relaxation, they should be taught by a trained professional, manual, or audio to learn how to increasingly relax major muscles. There is also Diaphragmatic Breathing which is deep breathing that is done by contracting your diaphragm and it's used as a means of relaxation. Diaphragmatic Breathing is a technique that is common among different yoga traditions and is now part of relaxation activities. Deep breathing has been used to successfully decrease sleepiness that is linked to haemopoietic stem cell transplantation patients and reduce the anxiety and asthma symptoms of children with asthma which proves that slow-breathing techniques have a notable effect on the development of the hemodynamic changes that occur during stressful assingments (Varvogli & Darviri, 2011).
Conclusion
It is very normal for us, as humans, to stress over many different things. However, it's important to know that there are ways that you can reduce stress and there are many resources out there that can help you figure out which activities are appropriate to help you reduce stress. It's also important to do research and understand why stressing too much can cause harm to your body, mentally and physically. Stress can be extremely fatal and that's why stress management is important because our health is an essential part of our lives and we want to make sure that our health is always in proper condition.
Works Cited
Varvogli, L. & Darviri, C. (2011). Stress management techniques: evidence-based procedures
that reduce stress and promote health. Health Science Journal, 5(2), 74-89.
Schneiderman, N., Ironson, G., & Siegel, D. S. (2008). Stress and health: psychological,
behavioral, and biological determinants. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1(1), 607-628.
Przeworski, A. (2013). 12 tips to reduce your child's stress and anxiety. Psychology Today.
Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-worry-mom/201302/12-tips-reduce-your-childs-stress-and-anxiety
