Learn To Cope With Stress - Making Treatment Work For You: Mental Health

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Learn to cope with stress

Reducing stress can help control symptoms of anxiety. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that stress-management techniques may even boost the effectiveness of therapy. There are many ways to reduce stress, including meditation, massage, and muscle relaxation. Listening to music and exercising are also effective stress-busters. Different methods work well for different people. What's important is that you find the method or combination of methods that works for you — and that you use it regularly.

When anxiety is related to a traumatic event in the news, one of the most important things you can to do is tune it out. In the weeks following the terrorist attacks in September 2001 and Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, the media were saturated with replays and updates of the tragedies. While the events naturally caused feelings of anxiety in many people, dwelling on the news made some people feel helpless and fearful. If an event dominates your thoughts or causes extreme upset or panic, it's time to turn off the TV and put down the newspaper. Limiting exposure to traumatic news is especially important for children, who have less experience with putting problems into perspective.

Last updated:	September 05, 2008