Our journeys of personal growth are often thwarted by random obstacles in the form of stressors. What’s truly important though is the realization that we cannot avoid stressors.. we merely have to learn to deal with them. Here are 7 steps that can help you manage stressors in your life effectively and aid in your personal development.

1. Identify your stressors
Before you manage anything, you need to know what exactly to manage. While identification isn’t easy, it is possible. It involves heightening your awareness of your own actions and surroundings. Accept responsibility for your creation and maintenance of various stressors in your life and take action now to keep them in control. One simple method of identification involves starting a stress journal. Log the cause of your stress, what it made you feel physically and emotionally, how you responded to it, and what you did to reduce its negative effects and make yourself feel better.

2. Take note of your coping strategies
You know that you’re coping unhealthily when you resort to smoking, drinking, using drugs, over / under eating, withdrawing from your social circle, procrastinating and lashing out on others. But you also probably have healthier methods of coping. Perhaps it’s going for a run or swim, relaxing with your family, reading a good book or taking a five-minute recess from your stressor. Identify them, and try to put them to practice more often to attempt eliminating the unhealthy methods of coping.

3.Avoid unnecessary stress
Whether it’s learning to say no, or learning to take control of your environment - stay away from little unnecessary stressors throughout the day. Identify situations that are within your control, take charge of them, and you will automatically feel less stressed.

4. Express your feelings
Often, stress emerges as a response to bottling up all our feelings about a situation. Change it by respectfully expressing and communicating your feelings. Frustration increases when you bottle your feelings, and so do your stress levels. But remember to always be willing to compromise.

5. Adjust yourself
Some stressors just can’t be changed and will be there for a pretty long time. Avoiding it isn’t the way to go. So if you can’t change it, perhaps learning to adapt to it might be a better idea. Reframe the way you look at it and try to view it from a more positive perspective. Sounds easier than it really is, but if you put yourself to it — it works. Your thoughts profoundly impact your overall well-being so adjusting them will automatically affect the way you view and react to the perceived source of stress.

6. Have fun and relax
When you’re all choked up with stress, perhaps taking some time off may seem incredulous. But nurture yourself by allowing play and relaxation. Call a buddy to catch up, go for a massage, window shop, spend time with your partner, have a fun dinner with your family or watch a funny movie - any way to de-stress and relax. Try to keep it consistent by setting aside time to relax or do something you enjoy in your daily schedule and reach out to connect with the people around you

7. Live healthily
You’ll find that your stress-resistance increases when you eat healthily and exercise regularly. While binging on all that chocolate, candy and alcohol might make you feel better - the relief or “high” it provides is merely temporary. A healthy and well-nourished body is much better equipped to deal with stress. Give yourself an energy boost by having breakfast each day and munch something healthy throughout the day. But most importantly — get enough sleep. Sleep does wonders for clearing your mind to ready yourself for the next day.

The awareness that stress is unavoidable, but manageable, is extremely important. So learning to manage stress effectively and take that next step towards achieving a healthy development of personal growth.

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