10 Ways to Build Stress Resistance

Stress ResistancePeople react differently to stress in their lives, and the key is to find what works for you. These are some ideas that you can use to develop your own personal approach to building resistance to stress and dealing with traumatic and difficult situations in your life. Your truly intrinsic freedom that can never be taken from you, is your freedom to choose your response to any situation. The more you exercise this freedom, the stronger and more resistant to stress you will be.

Here are 10 suggestions to help you exercise that freedom and build stress resistance:

2. Avoid seeing crisis as insurmountable problems. You cannot change what happens to you, but you can change how you interpret and respond. You will not be able to avoid highly stressful events, but you can look beyond the present with positive hope for the future. In other words, do not make mountains out of molehills! The more you practice having this positive outlook, the more you look for the hope and the positive in all events, but especially stressful ones, the easier it will become and the better you will be able to handle any difficult situation.

3. Change is a part of life. Accepting circumstances that cannot be changed can help you focus on circumstances that you can change.

4. Move toward your goals. Make some realistic goals and work toward them by doing something everyday that will help you accomplish your goals. So, instead of focusing on the impossible, you are always moving toward things that you can accomplish.

5. Take action. Act on difficult situations as much as you can, rather than using avoidance and the wishful "if I ignore it, maybe it will go away" approach to problem solving.

6. Look for opportunities of self discovery. Often during difficult situations, people discover things about themselves, and can come through their struggles a better, stronger person than before. Give yourself a chance to discover this about yourself, and to grow and build strength and resilience.

7. Develop a positive view of yourself. Confidence in yourself and your ability to handle stressful situations goes a long way toward making it a reality.

8. Mind your perspective. There is always more than one way to look at any given situation. Try to keep things in perspective with the bigger picture, look for the positive, and do not blow things out of proportion.

9. Be optimistic. Keep a hopeful outlook and focus on good things happening and not filling up with worry.

10. Take care of yourself. Pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Take time to relax and be sure to get enough sleep. Eat healthy meals, three times a day and take some time out for exercise.
Building stress resistance and taking care of yourself will help keep you from the pitfalls and pain of chronic stress. Following your own individual plan for coping with stress, self care, and stress resistance can make all the difference in the world in your ability to help your special child, and making a happy home for your family. And isn't that what this is all about?

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