Final word on stress

I don't know about you, but all this talk of stress has got me feeling a little tight today. There has been a lot of information shared over the past few days about stress, the causes, the symptoms and also how to reduce the stress we feel in our lives.

The most important things I think I can pass along to you is that...

• no single method of managing stress is the right method - often combining several methods will find your stress fading
  
• remember too that what works for one person, may not work for you
  
• stress can be positive and negative - life is made of both and you cannot eliminate stress from your life completely - you can learn to better manage it
• you are not selfish for taking the time out of your day to manage your needs and calm your body - supporting yourself through a stressful event is a healthy choice - make it for you
• you can re-condition yourself and how you respond to the stressors in your life - when you begin to work on your stress levels, you may find it works for the short-term but soon you are back to your old groove of living stress - when you notice yourself slide back - be gentle with yourself and try again - learning new behavioural strategies to dealing with life takes time and it takes practice
• reward yourself when you have "survived" a stressful event using your strategies that would have had you pulling your hair out in the past - rewarding positive changes will encourage you to keep trying

Stress is a part of living with pain. Its a part of being human. The more you can arm yourself with understanding and strategies to dealing with the stress that comes with your pain, the more you're able to live your life the way you want, not the way pain wants.

What will you do for you, to start taking better care of you?