Managing Stress - Visiting Nurse Service of New York: Stress Management Tools
Symon also recommends incorporating relaxation techniques. These tools can be very helpful to people coping with long-term stress, such as caregivers, she says.
Pausing to take a few deep breaths slows down the heart and sends a message to the brain that you are calm, which releases hormones to counteract stress. Exercise, such as taking a walk, will also help.
But there's another technique that you might not think of: Do something you find enjoyable. “One of the most important things we remind our clients to do is to make sure they find ways to bring joy into their lives,” she says. “You might get a moment to yourself and think it would be a good time to pay a bill. But instead try to incorporate something that brings you joy. You can’t get rid of the stress, but you can do things that will help to decrease it.” So call a friend, spend time with a grandchild, or find a favorite TV show or movie on Netflix.
