Stress and coping skills

Last week, nutrition and its part in well being was the topic. Nutrition certainly is an important factor in good mental health and well being but its part of the story. A healthy lifestyle, good diet and plenty of exercise is a part of a well being most of us know. For the best emotional well being we have to look at some other aspects of lifestyle and, maybe make some changes.

We all know that stress can have a negative aspect on our mental health and there are some excellent ways of recognising the stressors in our lives and doing something about them. Some things are not so easily examined, or at least not without some professional help. Some of the things that cause stress are not in our immediate environment, like our workload or everyday pressures. They come from things that may have been part of our early life. Negative experiences from when we were younger or ways we learned to deal with problems and other stressful events may not always be the best ways of dealing with a problem. Sometimes negative stressors can cause negative behaviours in a person.

As we grow into adults we learn that things come our way that are always pleasant and we learn to cope. Coping strategies help us in the short term and in the long term and, as along as they aren’t going to be harmful in the long term are worth learning.

Sometimes, we don’t learn the best ways of coping and negative effects come along. It can be hard to unlearn ways we have used to cope with problems all our lives. Seeking professional help is a good way of discovering new approaches. At Retreat South, we understand that there are many factors that can can impact on quality of life. We work with you to turn around those difficulties and to channelling times of difficulty into positive, not negative behaviours.