Guest Author - Lisa Shea

Stress headaches are brought on by stress. Of course! The obvious solution is therefore to reduce or eliminate stress from your life, to prevent them from happening.

You may feel this is easier said than done, but methods for handling stress have been practiced since the days of the Greeks and Romans. Yes, modern life may seem stressful. But consider that medieval man would stress every day about being able to find food to live on, to keep the house together if it was on the verge of collapse, and having their family eaten by wolves or wandering bandits. Perhaps in the grand scheme of things we worry about "silly things" in modern times!!

Here are some basic tips to help you get a handle on stress, to prevent stress headaches from forming:

Choose your Battles
As much as we want to control life, there is only a segment of your life that is truly in your control. You can't control what others do, or mother nature. If something is out of your control, accept it. Tell yourself, verbally if required, that "I can't control that" and let it go. Getting yourself angry or stressed by something you can't change is fruitless.

Manage your Reactions
Some people say "I can't help it when I get angry". But you CAN. In fact, ONLY you can. It's inside your own brain. You can choose to get angry, or to let it go. If someone always bugs you, then either find ways to avoid that person, or find a coping method to deal with them. If you allow yourself to be "egged on" by that person, then it is as much your fault as theirs.

Don't Hold In Stress
I'm not saying to punch a person out if you're upset! However, just pretending the stress doesn't exist will never work. Your body will react to the stress even if you try to swallow the anger. Find HEALTHY ways to release it. Go for a walk. Exercise for a while. Go bike riding. Practice yoga or tai-chi. There are millions of options. You only need to choose one.

Set up a Stress Free Environment
Your world helps affect your attitude. If you listen to loud angry music, and have jackhammers going on outside your window, it is going to increase your stress levels. Put serious effort into creating a low stress environment around you. Play soft, quiet music - on headphones if necessary. Clear the clutter around your main living area. Make sure you eat regularly and drink a lot of water. Every little bit helps!

We have an Entire Website on Stress Managment here at BellaOnline - be sure to read through it!