Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

254 Human Relations
The calming effect of smoking a cigarette is more
that of quieting the addictive need than genuine
relaxation.
Methods to Manage Stress
The most effective means of managing excessive
stress is to reduce its sources to the extent possible.
This may require evaluation of the demands
of work, family, and other commitments to prioritize
them. Much excessive stress results not so
much from an individual source but from the
cumulative effects of multiple demands. Sometimes
simply the process of evaluation reveals
potential for change. Though it may not be possible
to eliminate the source of the stress, it often is
possible to mediate, through various techniques,
its ability to cause stress. A key dimension of stress
management is the ability to gain control over the
circumstances of stress, including personal
responses to it.
ACUPUNCTURE
BIOFEEDBACK
COGNITIVE THERAPY
MEDITATION
prayer
VISUALIZATION
EFFECTIVE METHODS FOR STRESS RELIEF
AROMATHERAPY
BREATHING EXERCISES
LABYRINTH
physical exercise
TAI CHI
YOGA
See also ACUTE STRESS DISORDER; ALCOHOLISM; COG-
NITIVE FUNCTION AND DYSFUNCTION; GENERALIZED ANXI-
ETY DISORDER (GAD); MEMORY AND MEMORY
IMPAIRMENT; POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD);
WORKPLACE STRESS.
support groups People who have in common
specific health-care conditions, either as patients
or family members and caregivers, who meet to
provide information and a safe environment for
dialogue about fears, worries, expectations, and
other concerns. Hospitals and health organizations
often maintain support groups, providing meeting
space, structured meeting times, and sometimes a
doctor, nurse, therapist, or other health-care
provider to serve as moderator or host when the
group meets. Other support groups are casual and
may meet in a member’s home or social setting on
either a regular or an ad hoc (as-needed or spontaneous)
basis.
A less traditional though sometimes more accessible
type of support group is one that communicates
through Internet forums and message boards.
Such online venues allow people to share their
comments and questions any time. Some also feature
scheduled presentations from specialists who
provide information and answer questions.
See also PSYCHOTHERAPY; STRESS AND STRESS MAN-
AGEMENT.