Let’s Talk About Stress and Dating by Vivienne Diane Neal

As humans, we cannot survive without stress, no more than we can survive without each other. Stress is necessary because it helps us to cope with every day life's situations. However, when it comes to dating, the tension can become more overwhelming, especially during the holidays.

When you meet someone for the first time, you may be under extreme pressure to be on your best behavior because you want to make a good impression, especially if you are interested in pursuing a romantic relationship. But first you must get to know that individual, date him or her for a period of time and then try to create and maintain a healthy and fun experience, which can add more strain to an already demanding courtship.

Stress is the pressures, strains or changes placed on the body, which can affect your physical, mental and emotional well-being. However, too much stress can seriously affect your psychological and spiritual well-being if you do not know how to handle or cope with these types of demands. When you are under too much stress, it is important to recognize it and do something about it. Unmanageable tension can lead to illnesses and chronic diseases. Nevertheless, you can improve your resistance to too much worry by learning how to manage and control your life during the dating phase.

It is important to remember there are some occurrences in life that are just out of your control. There are many experiences in life you can learn to handle by identifying the stressors: actions that make you feel anxious and concerned. Here are some recommended ways to deal with stress, which will enable you and your mate to have an extraordinary love life.

Eat a well-balanced meal. When you are under additional stress, make certain you eat more foods high in the B Vitamins, Vitamin C, Magnesium and Zinc. These foods would include whole grains, dark green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, nuts, legumes and lean meats, respectively.

When you and your mate are angry, nervous or upset with each other, try physical activities such as walking, jogging, exercising, bike riding, skating or dancing.

Share your anxieties with each other and with friends, relatives or other couples by talking about your concerns or worries.

Know your limitations. Enlist the assistance of others if you find your relationship to difficult to handle.

Have some fun. All work and no play will put your relationship on edge.

Plan a schedule as to when you and your companion will be together just for romance. Not everything can be important at the same time.

Avoid self-medication. Even though you can use drugs to relieve stress temporarily, drugs will never remove the condition that causes the strain in the first place. In fact, some medications may become habit forming, create more problems and destroy a relationship; pills should only be taken on the advice of your physician.