Families and Stress - Coping Skills for Living with Stress and Anxiety

Families and Stress - coping skills for living with stress and anxiety

Is stress always bad?

No! In fact, a little bit of stress is good. Most of us couldn't push ourselves to do well at things -- sports, music, dance, work, and school -- without feeling the pressure of competition. Without the stress of deadlines, most of us also wouldn't be able to finish projects or get to work on time.

If stress is so normal, why do I feel so bad?

With all the things that happen on a daily basis in our lives, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Things that you can't control are often the most frustrating. You can also feel bad when you put pressure on yourself -- like to getting good grades or to get promoted at work. A common reaction to stress is to criticize yourself. You may even get so upset that things don't seem fun anymore and life looks pretty grim. When this happens it's easy to think there's nothing you can do to change things. But you can!

Things that don't help you deal with stress

There are safe and unsafe ways to deal with stress. It is dangerous to try