An important first step in the process of better stress management is being aware of the sources of stress in your life and how they affect you. A good way to start is being able to recognize the way that stress affects you. Some common signs that you are stressed may include: unexplained neck or back pain, tension headaches, becoming more forgetful, avoidance of the stressful situation, or constant worrying.

When you recognize that you are feeling stressed, the next step can be to identify the cause or, more likely, causes. Some stressors are extrinsic, meaning they originate from outside of you (such as work stress or the loss of a family member) while others are intrinsic, meaning they originate with you (such as demanding perfection of yourself or trying to live up to some perceived standard). This is an important distinction because you have much more control over intrinsic factors than extrinsic ones. But regardless of the source, identifying signs of stress when they arise gives you a chance to change the physiological response that occurs and to reduce the effect that stress has on your body and on your life.