Handling Stress

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Economic hard times, a tense climate after September 11, and uncertain employment opportunities mean that most of us are fighting some degree of stress, frustration, anger, and even depression. If you've got kids, they're facing some of the same realities. But you are not entirely at the mercy of these emotions. The experts involved with the sites below all agree you're the boss when it comes to reacting to stress.

Stress Management Tools Available Online

Here are some powerful tools to help you deal with stress in the best ways possible:

Stress Management for the Health of It
This page from the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service is part of the National Ag Safety Database. It features information about causes of stress, checklists to help you determine personal causes of stress and a healthstyle quiz. Stress Management — Taking Charge is the companion page featuring keys to reducing stress and producing a plan of action. Both pages include study questions with answers.

Recognizing Signs and Symptoms of Stress
This page from the Cleveland Clinic describes stress, its symptoms, and some stress reducers.

Helping Children Deal with Stress

The KidsHealth website, sponsored by the non-profit Nemours Foundation, is a tremendous resource for any parent, and their timely articles on kids and stress are the best.

• "Childhood Stress" is for parents. Find out how to recognize the signs of stress in children, and how to reduce their stress levels.
• "The Story on Stress" is a story and site for your kids. The site is interactive, and deals with many topics that interest children.
• "Stress" is an article for Teens. It speaks their language, and tries to put stress in perspective. A caution: this site also deals with many other teenage mental and physical health issues, so make sure you want your kids visiting this site.

When Things Get Really Tough

Illness, disaster, loss of a loved one, or changes in employment heighten stress tremendously. The following resources may help you deal with issues related to traumatic stress.

Managing Traumatic Stress
This site was developed by the American Psychological Association, and is a thorough, very thoughtful look at what happens to us after a disaster or other traumatic event. Topics include why some people respond differently to traumatic events.

Grief & Loss
This site from AARP offers a number of resources and online support opportunities for persons of all ages who are suffering loss and grieving. The extensive material includes a wide range of resources, including sections to address the specific needs of spouses and partners, children, siblings, friends and others, for example.

Stress at Work is a 32-page booklet produced by the National Institute of Safety and Health, part of the CDC. It provides an overview of issues related to stress on the job and insights in to coping with it.

Please note: This information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your health care provider.

Prepared for Corning Credit Union by Remar Sutton & Associates, December 2002. Reviewed and updated March 2007. All rights reserved.