Health Care: Tips for Coping With Stress

• Talk it out. Talking with a level-headed person you can trust often helps you understand yourself and may help find a solution to your problem.
  
• Get away for a while. Changing surroundings allows you to see the problem from a different angle.
  
• Take one step at a time. Taking the problem step-by-step removes the feeling of being overwhelmed, and proves it can be done.
  
• Take constructive action. Doing so eliminates the source of stress.
  
• Give in occasionally. Admit that you can be wrong.
  
• Develop a regular routine of exercise. Walk whenever you get the chance - at work, school or for personal errands. Count this as part of your regular exercise.
  
• Give yourself a pat on the back for the things you do well. As you value yourself, you have a head start on being valued by others.
  
• Recognizing the virtues of others helps you to see your own.
  
• Do something for someone else. It shifts attention away from you and lifts your spirits.
  
• Shift gears. Go to a movie, shoot baskets, read a book, meditate, take a trip, take a hot bath, laugh, laugh, laugh!