Vicki Doe Fitness

  • Resources
  • Events
  • Subscribe
  • Log In
  • Your Profile
  • Cart
  • Home
    • Who We Are
    • Our Company
    • Services
    • Our Team
  • Blog
  • Train
    • VDF Academy
    • Bootcamp
    • Coach App
  • Podcast
    • About the Show
    • Vicki Haywood Doe, PhD, ACSM-EP
    • Virginia Dee Banks, MD,MBA
  • Multimedia
    • VDF Exercise Tips
    • Podcast
    • Healthy TV
    • Healthy Kitchen TV
    • Healthy News
  • The Experts
  • Contact
  • Vicki Doe Fitness STORE
  • Join
  • Login
  • Your Profile
  • Cart

Want the inside scoop? Join our community. Stay connected

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Are you managing your stress?

April 7, 2015 by Vicki Doe

By Brandon Pollock PhD, ACSM-EP-C

Stressed Yelling Man At Desk With Pens, Coffee, Glasses and Clock Flying Up in the Air.

The weather is finally turning nice and summer is right around the corner, there is no reason to be stressed. Unfortunately for certain people stress is inevitable, and every day they must find a way to cope with it. Stress has become a popular term in today’s society, and many different cultures have now adopted this word into their everyday language. In general, stress is the process by which one responds to an environmental demand perceived as threatening. This response may be physical, behavioral, psychological, or a combination of more than one of these. Research has shown that biological and psychological damage; possibly even death may occur if a person is unable to cope with stress and restore proper homeostasis after exposure to a stressor. Stress management is a critical component of living a healthy lifestyle.

Do you have excessive stress?

Before you can manage stress, you need to be aware of its existence. Here are some signs that you may be experiencing excessive stress:

  • Frequent headaches, jaw clenching, or pain
  • Grinding teeth
  • Stuttering
  • Neck ache or back pain
  • Frequent sweating
  • Dry mouth
  • Constipation or diarrhea
  • Sudden attacks of panic

Manage your stress with exercise and coping techniques

For quite some time exercise has been promoted as a possible method for reducing stress. Stress can be alleviated through aerobic activities such as walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming. The high rate of oxygen consumption and repetitive large muscle movements promote stress-reducing benefits. More details on the positive effects exercise has on mental health can be found in my previous blog Exercise and Mental Health.  In addition to exercise, coping is another technique used to alleviate, eliminate, and manage stress. There are several strategies for coping/ managing stress. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), cognitive and behavioral approaches are both important for decreasing the negative impact of stress.

Coping activities are geared toward decreasing a person’s concern of a discrepancy. Methods of coping with stress can be separated into two categories, problem-focused and emotion-focused. Depending on the situation, a person will be more inclined to engage in problem-focused or emotion –focused coping, but both are necessary and sometimes used in combination with one another.

Problem-focused coping involves a person attempting to reduce the demands of a stressful situation or expand their resources to deal with the situation. This method of coping may include seeking out information, asking a friend or professional for advice on how to handle the problem, or drawing from previous experience or knowledge. Quitting a stressful job, negotiating an extension on a deadline, or learning a new skill are some examples of problem-focused coping.

Emotion-focused coping is when a person attempts to control or manage the emotional response to a stressful event. Emotion-focused coping can include seeking emotional support from friends and family, engaging in sports, or watching television. People tend to use emotion-focused coping more when they believe that the stressful circumstances they are facing are not fixable.

Stress is a variable condition across individuals and perception of a stressful situation is completely unique to each individual. Stress can yield adverse physical, behavioral, and psychological effects and long-term chronic stressors can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancer. Stress cannot be cured, but healthy stress management techniques such as exercise and problem-focused/ emotion-focused coping can greatly help improve upon symptoms of stress.

Article’s Resources

Liguori, Gary, & American College of Sports Medicine. (2014). ACSM's resources for the health fitness

specialist (1st ed.). Indianapolis, IN

Linden W. Stress Management: From Basic Science to Better Practice. Thousand Oaks (CA): Sage

Publications; 2005.

Philadelphia: American College of Sports Medicine ;Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams &

Wilkins.

Mohr, D. C. (2007). Stress and multiple sclerosis. J Neurol, 254 Suppl 2, II65-68. doi: 10.1007/s00415-

007-2015-4

Rout, Usha, & Rout, Jaya K. (2002). Stress management for primary health care professionals. New York:

Kluwer Academic/Plenum.

Sarafino, Edward P. (2008). Health psychology : biopsychosocial interactions (6th ed.). Hoboken, N.J.:

John Wiley & Sons.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Related

© Copyright 2014-2024 Vicki Doe Fitness · Haywood Doe Consulting Co.,LLC· DBA Vicki Doe Fitness· All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: Ask the Experts Tagged With: Brandon Pollock, constipation, coping, diarrhea, emotion-focused, exercise, frequent sweating, grinding teeth, problem-focused, stress, sudden attacks of panic, Vicki Doe Fitness

  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

Check out our Vicki Doe Fitness STORE

Screenshot

FREE Download- Herbs and Spices Cheatsheet

20 Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Under 15 mins.

Train

Events

Year-2025

May 2025
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Apr    

Get in touch. Leave a message.

VDF Podcast-Archives

“It’s All About Health & Fitness” Podcast-Apple Podcast

“It’s All About Health & Fitness” Podcast-TuneIn

“It’s All About Health & Fitness”- Podcast-Pandora

“It’s All About Health & Fitness” Podcast-Stitcher

Listen to Stitcher

“It’s All About Health & Fitness’ Podcast-Spotify

Premium Podcast Member-Members Only

Latest VDF Exercise Tips

Hypertension: Cardio endurance exercises

Osteoporosis: Weight-bearing exercises

Diabetes: Cardio exercises

VIEW Most Trusted Resources

Resources for Healthy Living!

Check out ShareASale

Check out Yoga Download.com

Check out Layla Sleep Inc

Check out Just Natural Products

Check out The Wright Stuff-Home Health Care Products

WrightStuff.biz

Check out MHR Brands

CBD for skin

Check out AliveCor.com

Shop AliveCor.com

Check out Triathlete Sports

Check out-ECO Friendly Lunchbox.com

Check out Heartsmart.com

Check out myLabBox, Inc.

Check out AliveCor

Check out YogaDownload.com

Check out Art of Tea

Check out Filtered Water-The Water Store

Drink Responsibly, Filter Water NOw

Check out Triathlete Sports

Check out Layla Sleep Inc.

Check out FilterWater.com The Water Store

Drink Responsibly. Water Filters

Check out Heartsmart.com

Check out Yoga Download.com

Check out Art of Tea

Our M?nuka honey is 100% pure, sourced directly from New Zealand with an MGO 550+ rating.

Check out myLab Box, Inc.

Check out ECO Friendly Lunchbox.com

We've updated the Spring Guide and ECOlunchbox is highlighted :)

Check out The Wright Stuff- Home Health Care Products

ArthritisSupplies.com

Check out Just Natural Products

Check out MHR Brands

Check out ShareASale

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Home· VDFpodcast· VDF.TV· Subscribe · Support ·About us· Contact us

 

© Copyright 2024 Vicki Doe Fitness · Haywood Doe Consulting Co.,LLC· DBA Vicki Doe Fitness· All Rights Reserved

· Terms of Service and Privacy Guidelines·

Consult with a physician or medical healthcare provider for medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment. The material on the Vicki Doe Fitness website is for informational purposes only.