Dallas County Living Well Magazine Winter 2014 | Page 18

SIMPLE WAYS TO
MANAGE YOUR STRESS
By Julie Alvira, MD, MBA

Robert Urich once said,

“A healthy outside starts from the inside.”

We all know that at some point or another, stress is going to visit. Crazy work hours, brutal schedules, family,
relationships, and the intensity of life demands require us to adjust and adapt (Cleveland Clinic, 2009). Most of
the time, these stressors lead to negative effects such as the exacerbation of health problems, the deterioration or end of relationships, lack of sleep, tension, anxiety, a decrease in job performance and productivity,
self medication, excessive caffeine ingestion including coffee, pills and energy drinks, less time to enjoy life,
less time to exercise and take of yourself, overeating or eating the wrong food, emotional problems, irritation,
and so many more! The question is, for what? Is it for the pursuit of more money? What good is having more
money if you cannot enjoy life? Remember, money cannot buy happiness or health. It can buy material things
that we can enjoy, but if we are not happy inside or do not have good health, we are not going to enjoy life
to its fullest.

KEYS TO
COMBAT STRESS

Identify stressors. What is the source of stress? Is it a
project, a person, a situation, etc...
Know how your body reacts to stress.

Do you experience headaches, stomach distress, an
increase in heart rate, etc...

TAKE CHARGE!

1

Disconnect for a moment. Let yourself take a
break by getting some fresh air, walking around
or meditating. Nowadays, there is a popular type of
meditation called “Mindfulness Meditation,” which is
widely practiced and simple to do. Simply disconnect
from your current situation, close your eyes, and focus
on your breathing while you clear your mind for at
least 15 minutes to get a hold of yourself. This will help
to sharpen your focus. If you need music, go ahead
and use it, and remember to RELAX. Trust me, when
you step back you will begin to see everything a little
more clearly.

Everyday, more and more successful individuals use
meditation to cope with stress. Here are just a few examples: Rupert Murdoch (CEO, News Corp), Padmasree Warrior (Cisco Systems), Tony Schwartz (CEO, The
Energy Project), Bill Ford (Executive Chairman, Ford
Motor Company), Oprah Winfrey (CEO, Harpo Productions, Inc), Russell Simmons (Co-Founder, Def Jam
Records), among others (Gregoire, 2013).

2

Practice positive self-talk. This discipline can help
keep you calm and control stress. Use positive re-

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NORTH DALLAS Living Well Magazine | WINTER 2014

affirmations like, “I will take one step at a time and I
will complete this work.”

3

Set healthy boundaries within yourself. Know and
understand your limits and build your own toolbox
of techniques to maintain them.

4

Exercise regularly. A lot of people say that the most
underrated antidepressant is exercise. It’s true. If it
has been a while for you, try getting back in the habit.
Exercise offers psychological benefits to counteract
stress. It increases your feeling of control, boosts your
self- esteem, and helps feed your emotional system.
Make time!

5

Start eating right. Improving your diet will lead to a
healthier lifestyle. Make choices to lower saturated
fat, sodium and sugar intake, moderate your amount
of alcohol and caffeine ingestion, get sleep, stop
smoking, etc… By modifying your diet and lifestyle
habits, you are taking care of your heart and your
overall wellbeing (American Heart Association, 2014).

6
7
8
9

Take vacation time away from home and work

Manage your time. You have more of it than you
think. Organize and plan.
Get a hobby. Pick something that you love to do,
or used to love, and get busy!

Suppress feelings of helplessness. Organize, plan,
and prioritize your tasks, then take action. Not everything is in your control, but you can definitely control a lot of things. Look for ways to take action.