Prayer For Stressful Situations

Coping With Stressful Situations

Prayer For Stressful Situations

Sometimes a stressful situation just lasts a moment — getting through a school play audition or making the foul shot that could win the game.

But life also can bring situations that might keep us stressed for a few days, weeks, or months. Even if we're not always thinking about this stress, it can be a background soundtrack playing in our lives.

If you're most people, you've faced these kinds of lasting stressful situations. Feeling unprepared or unhappy about the situation increases the stress. Stressful situations can wear us down over time. Finding ways to deal with them can help us grow strong.

Build Good Coping Skills

How well — or how poorly — we get through a stressful situation depends a lot on us. How we deal with stressful situations makes all the difference.

Here are some steps you can take to cope with a stressful situation.

1. Understand the Situation

  • Take some time to think about the situation you're facing. Try to describe your situation in a sentence or two. What's stressful about this situation for you right now? It can help to write down your thoughts. For example: My family just moved, so I switched to a new school in the middle of the year. The stressful parts are not knowing anyone, missing my old friends, and dealing with all new schoolwork.
  • Notice and name the feelings you have about the situation. Accept your feelings — it's understandable to feel the way you feel, given your situation. It can help to write down your feelings, too. For example: I feel lonely and sad because of missing old friends and my old school. I'm mad that we had to move, especially now. I'm worried about keeping up in math and social studies. I feel left out because I'm the new kid. I guess anyone would feel this way if they were in my situation.
  • Learn more. Learn all you can about the situation you're dealing with. This might include reading about it, talking to others, or finding out what others in your situation have done and what to expect. Learning helps you feel more confident and prepared — plus it reminds you that you're not the only one who has gone through this.

2. Commit to a Positive Attitude

A positive attitude helps stop you from being dragged down by unhappy feelings. A positive attitude also boosts the problem solving that a stressful situation requires.

A positive attitude helps us see the possibilities within a situation, while negative thinking narrows our view.

  • Don't dwell on the negative. Don't get stuck dwelling on negative feelings — or focusing on the bad aspects of your situation for too long. Your power lies in how you react to — and cope with — the situation you're facing. Be aware of any negative thoughts ( “I can't do this”), and replace them with more encouraging words. This is the time to believe in yourself. For example: Others have switched schools before and come through it. I know I can manage this.
  • Notice and appreciate life's good stuff. Be sure to notice some positive things in your life, too. Yes, even now. Each day, think of three things you're grateful for. Gratitude helps fuel a positive attitude and keeps problems — even the big ones — in perspective.

3. Take Action

  • Decide what you can do. Pinpoint which parts of the situation you have the power to change or influence for the better. Think of actions you can take to improve any part of your stressful situation. For example: I can talk to the guy who sits next to me in social studies class. I'll ask if he'll share notes and study with me. That could help me make a new friend — plus catch up in social studies.
  • Get support. Find someone to talk to about your situation. Ask for help or advice. Be with people who believe in you, make you laugh, and help you feel good about yourself. Sometimes just a listening ear helps a lot. It helps you know that someone understands and cares about what you're going through.
  • Care for yourself. Take especially good care of yourself when stress in your life is high. Be sure to eat nutritious foods and minimize junk food. Get daily exercise and sleep. Do something every day that helps you relax — whether it's yoga, a soothing bath, cooking, playing with your pet, taking a walk, listening to music, or playing your guitar.

Stressful situations can test our strength, for sure. Whatever you're facing, it can help to think through the situation, accept the emotions you feel, and keep a positive attitude.

Focus your efforts on what you can influence, get support, and care for yourself.

All these things can help you cope with your situation, lessen the stress, and help you come through feeling strong and confident.

Reviewed by: D'Arcy Lyness, PhD

Date reviewed: October 2016

Источник: //kidshealth.org/en/teens/stress-situations.html

8 Ways to Handle Highly Stressful Situations

Prayer For Stressful Situations

“Sometimes when people are under stress, they hate to think, and it’s the time when they most need to think.” – William J. Clinton, 42nd President of the United States

Truly, there is only one guarantee in this lifetime, and that is there are no guarantees. From the time that you wake up to the time your bed hits the pillow at night, any number of difficult and stressful situations can occur. At the risk of sounding cliché, it is how you respond to these situations that makes all the difference.

It can be difficult to remember the importance of our response when the drastic happens; you’re laid off, the car breaks down, money is tight (sometimes really tight), your job is stressful…any number of these things can happen to any of us. Let us remember to respond quickly and rationally if we should encounter any of these situations.

1. Remember that nothing (and no one) can “make” you feel anything

Your reaction to the situation is just that…your reaction. How you feel about and ultimately deal with a situation is your choice. There is no way to control the actions of others, but you can control how you respond.

One important aspect of this is to understand when a situation is uncontrollable, such as a bad economy, sickness, or something else. When the uncontrollable happens, we must accept it as is.

There is a big difference, however, between accepting the situation and giving up. Acceptance is important, but so is coping effectively. In choosing to be effective in how we react, we significantly reduce stress.

Remember this and utilize some of the pointers that follow.

2. Replace attitude with gratitude

The attitude that we have towards stressful situations has a definitive effect – positive or negative. A negative attitude is often the automatic, default mechanism that can have an adverse effect on our mental, physical and even spiritual wellbeing.

Instead, consciously attempt to replace this negative, default reaction with gratitude. For example, when you find yourself backed up in traffic, change your perspective.

Think about things to be appreciative for – family, friends, work, health, faith, or something else. Look around for things in nature to admire and appreciate – trees, sunshine, or a pleasant view.

When you make a conscious attempt to place gratitude ahead of negativity, you’ll find your attitude changing.

In the midst of a busy, hectic, stressful day, it is very easy to forget about taking care of your emotional and physical wellbeing. When your boss is acting a dictator or you are late on a project, it’s very tempting to allow this negativity to take over your day.

Instead, try to use the down time at work to relax and rejuvenate. When you have a break, take a few minutes to step away from everything and let go. Do some breathing exercises, read, or send a quick text to a loved one.

Spend your lunch time doing something enjoyable and forget about the negative that happened before. Remember, relaxation doesn’t require a significant amount of time.

It’s what you do with this time that ultimately makes the big difference in your mindset.

4. See the big picture

When you are running late, forget something, or something else unexpected happens, it is ly to be of little consequence. However, your “fight or flight” response hardwired into your brain will release stress hormones that makes this event seem much more significant than it actually is.

Remember to evaluate the stressful situation from an overall, rational perspective. Ask yourself “Will this situation really matter in the long-term?” or “How important is this to my life? Is it really more important than my mental and physical wellbeing?” Most times, the answer will be no. If this is the case, simply move on and adjust accordingly. It’s not worth your time and energy.

5. Learn some “stress stoppers.”

As mentioned, encountering stressful situations has a big effect on your mind and body. The American Heart Association recommends these “stress stoppers” for different situations.

– Count to 10 before you speak.

– Take three to five deep breaths.

– Walk away from the stressful situation, and handle it later.

– Go for a walk.

– Don’t be afraid to say “I’m sorry” if you made a mistake.

– Set your watch five to 10 minutes ahead to avoid the stress of being late.

– Break down big problems into smaller parts. For example, answer one letter of phone call per day, instead of dealing with everything at one time.

– Drive in the slow lane or avoid busy roads to help you stay calm while driving.

– Smell a rose, hug a loved one or smile at your neighbor.

– Consider meditation or prayer to break a negative cycle.

6. Positive self-talk

We all talk to ourselves throughout the day. Most of this talk is internal and will vary in accordance with the situation encountered. The default reaction when we encounter a difficult situation, task, or event sometimes leads to negative self-talk. This negative self-talk only serves to increase stress and makes resolution of the problem more difficult.

Instead, practice using positive self-talk to calm down and control stress. Here are some examples:

“I can’t do this…” becomes “I’ll do the best I can.”

“I hate it when this happens…” becomes “I can easily handle this; I just need to think…”

“Nothing is going right today…” becomes “I’ll just take it step-by-step…”

The important thing to remember is to practice this transition. You can ly expect some internal resistance to a change in mindset, but you will see a positive change if you persevere.

7. Take one step at a time

When I was in graduate school studying for my Master’s degree, I was often overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work to be done. When one research paper was complete, there was another one right around the corner. Then an exam…then a group project…and so on. But the focus was not on the next paper or exam; it was on finishing and just being done with it all.

It was a tremendously stressful time, and an advisor offered some advice: “Remember this corny adage: ‘How does a marathon runner finish a race? One mile at a time.’” Marathon runners are in tremendous shape, practice year-round, and have tremendous self-discipline. Even so, a marathon runner can experience excruciating pains and difficulties in finishing a 26-mile race.

Sometimes we need a small shift in mindset. Too often, when faced with a difficult task we jump to the finish instead of facing one obstacle at a time. It’s much easier to narrow our focus, complete one task, and then tackle the next one.

8. Ask for help

With all of the tips, hints, and advice about dealing with stressful situations, this one may be the most important. Depending on the scale and longevity of the stress encountered, it may become necessary to ask for help.

It is important to understand that there is no shame in asking for help. Please don’t allow pride, discouragement, or stubbornness to     dissuade you from seeking assistance, of whatever kind, when it’s needed. There are people who love and care for you unconditionally, and are there for you no matter the situation.

Your friends and loved ones don’t care what the problem is or its magnitude; all they care about is helping you to see it through. Sometimes, we need to allow the good people in our life show how much they care for us.

Join the discussion:  How do you handle highly stressful situations?  Add your favorite tips and advice in the comments below!

Источник: //www.powerofpositivity.com/8-ways-handle-highly-stressful-situations/

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