How to minimize physical effect of stress

Stressful situation sometimes persist despite our best effort to deal with them. Knowing that chronic stress can jeopardize your health, here is what you can do to minimize the adverse impact of stress on your physical wellbeing.

Avoid or Minimize the use of stimulants: In dealing with stressful situation, people often turn to stimulants like coffee or nicotine to keep going. And most smokers increase their smoking in dealing or reacting to stress. However, common stimulants like caffeine and nicotine actually increase the physiological effects of stress by raising heart rate and blood pressure thereby making the person to respond with greater reactivity, exaggerating the physiological consequences of stress.
The best advice is avoid stimulant drugs altogether. Also make a conscious effort to monitor your use of stimulants especially when you are under stress. You'll find it easier to deal with stressors when your nervous system is not already high gear because of nicotine, caffeine, or other stimulants.
Another way to minimize physical effects of stress is regular exercise, particularly aerobic exercise like walking, swimming, or running. Physically fit people are less physiologically reactive to stressors and produce lower levels of stress hormones.
Regular practice of relaxation technique can also go a long way in dealing with stressful situation.