Stress, if not handled properly, can cause many health problems. The most well-known are high blood pressure, bad digestion, and fatigue. But some other effects of stress are the constant worry, the constant feeling of tension, and the inability to focus. And these affect your relationships, if you do not have a comprehensive stress management system.
The result of failing to handle stress in a way that destroys the stress is interference with your relationships. Even if the stress has nothing to do with the relationship. The inner tension that stress causes removes your confidence, so it is harder to talk to people. It distracts you, so people you are involved with feel like you aren't listening to them. And stress prevents you from focusing, which interferes with conversation, remembering anniversaries and birthdays, and not focusing on interacting with your partner.
There are innumerable stress management systems available. You can try individual counseling, group counseling, or education. Most of these programs recommend that you somehow avoid the stress by meditating, repeating little sayings, or actually getting away. But these programs do nothing to eliminate the stress.
A comprehensive stress management system may be just what you need. A comprehensive stress management would consist of:
-a program to attack stress, instead of merely avoiding it;
-a program for improving your health and fitness; and
-a program to teach you how to improve your skills at managing stresses.
The program would be in discrete modules, so you can learn it at your own pace, and refer to specific parts in the future.
This type of program would be able to address the stress you are under, and help you eliminate or reduce the stress, and counteract the bad health effects of stress. If all you do is avoid or delay the stress, then you still have the stress, but now it's probably under worse conditions. So you have lost ground in the fight. Sure, the meditating may have made you feel better. But you will feel even worse when the stress returns,
The comprehensive program outlined in this article strengthens you to resist the stress, instead of just "going to a happy place." It also gives you the tools and skills to attack and eliminate the source of the stress. One thing that most stress management programs fail to teach you is how to improve your skills.
