4 ways to deal with stress

Quite often, you will hear persons boast about the wonderful things they have accomplished. You'll hear them hail themselves as survivors, champions, and conquerers. Usually their moment of gloating ends with 'I'm just too blessed to be stressed'. Truth be told, this highly claimed declaration is a fib.

Consultant on stress, Dr James Mills, wants to remind us that stress is real and how you can deal with it.

According to the stress guru, the knowledge of some members of the medical fraternity on stress, is similar to that of the layperson because of the limited teaching about stress. But getting treatment for your stress begins with you.

Here is Mills' advice for you.

1 Identify the source of your stress. Knowing what causes you stress is important in helping to device methods to resolve it. You may have more than one causal agent and you need to identify them all.

2 Know the type of stress. There are two types of stress, acute and chronic, with the former being the most common. Acute stress comes from the pressures of past and future demands in your life, and occurs over short a period. Chronic stress on the other hand, can destroy lives and last for years.

3 Get a support team. A support team is extremely beneficial when you're stressed. It could be your family or friends. Having someone to talk to when you have a nervous tension can help to relax you. But, be mindful that the team will not solve all your problems. This is when you seek professional help.

4 Be open minded. When meeting with a stress consultant, you must have an open mind. Do not be afraid to talk about issues you may consider private. This is the only way he/she will be able to properly help you.