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How to Deal With Stress Associated With Relationships

Guest articles > How to Deal With Stress Associated With Relationships

by: Adrienne Carlson

No human being is an island, and this is why we form relationships, some through the ties of blood and others through choice. We are given families and allowed to choose our friends and partners. And no matter how good a relationship is, there are times when it is stressful to deal with the ups and downs that it entails. You may have had a falling out with your best friend or been dumped by your boyfriend, and stress is an inevitable part of such situations. But when you know how to deal with it, you prevent it from affecting your health adversely. In any stressful relationship situation, ask yourself the following questions:

• What’s the worst that could happen? If you feel down and out because of a fight or a breakup, don’t add to your misery by stressing yourself out and imagining scenarios that make you feel worse. Instead, ask yourself what’s the worst that could happen, and you’ll be surprised at the answer. Yes, you may cry for a few days and feel miserable, but then you will get over it. Time heals all wounds, so just give yourself time to forget and move on. In the meantime, keep yourself busy and throw yourself into other activities so that you have no time to grieve.
• Will crying make it any better? If you feel that crying is therapeutic and will rid you of that hard knot in your chest, go ahead and bawl your heart out. But if it makes you feel worse, then try and control yourself. Get out in public where it is harder for you to cry, or work harder and for longer hours till you’re mentally in a better place. Either way, crying works only when it helps you heal and move on. If not, it just causes additional stress.
• Can I do anything to solve the problem? If you think that an apology or a change of attitude on your part will help resolve the issue, go ahead and make amends. If your ego is preventing you from doing so, remember that the stress caused by friction in a relationship has worse after-effects and is detrimental to your health. So if you know that you can do something to make the situation better, do so instead of nursing a false sense of pride.
• Am I dealing with this rationally? Think the situation over and ask yourself if you are being mature and taking rational decisions. When you don’t speak without thinking, when you give yourself time to think things through and deal with situations more with your head than your heart, you save yourself from a great deal of stress. Admittedly it’s not easy to be rational all the time, but when you make a conscious decision to do so, you get used to it.

Relationships are not easy even in the best of times, and the best way to deal with the stress they bring is to be prepared for any eventuality and accept that they are a natural part of any relationship. With acceptance, you reduce stress and the negative effect it has on your mental and physical health.

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of physical therapist assistant schools. Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne_carlson83@yahoo.com .

Contributor: Adrienne Carlson

Published here on: 13-Dec-09

Classification: Stress, Relationships

Website: http://www.physicaltherapyassistantschools.org/

MSWord: How to Deal With Stress Associated With Relationships.doc