By Scott Fisher MS, RD
Let's face it, dealing with stress is a part of everyday life. From traffic jams to financial concerns to relationship issues to mid-term exams, we are routinely bombarded with situations that can cause us to feel "stressed out". While many of these stress-inducing situations are unavoidable, the good news is that there are strategies we can all use to help us effectively deal with the stressful situations in our lives.
The first thing we need to understand is that stress is simply a reaction. It's the way your body and mind react to any situation that is threatening, challenging, or even exciting and new. Stress can be positive if it provides you the energy and motivation to meet your challenges, solve your problems and reach your goals. Unfortunately, stress that's not effectively dealt with can lead to problems like depression, fatigue, headaches, and a general lack of ability to function at your best. To help you to be your best in a world where stressful situations are inevitable, consider the following tips for effective stress management:
1. Identify the source. Try to figure out what it is that makes you feel stressed out. Can you eliminate the root cause? Sometimes it's that simple. For instance, if there is constant stress about money in your life can you find a simple way to make extra income or to cut back on expenses by creating a budget and sticking to it? Sometimes the cause of stress can't always be eliminated, but once identified we can develop constructive ways to cope with the situation. For example, we can't ask a professor to stop assigning projects and giving those stressful tests. However, we can figure out what it is about those projects and tests that make us stressed and change our approach to dealing with them. Perhaps you're a chronic procrastinator and never leave appropriate time to get those projects done or to study properly for a test. That would make anyone stressed out. The simple solution is to develop better study and work habits.
2. Manage your time. "I don't have enough time." It's become a universal excuse and a very common cause of stress. In reality, most of us do have enough time to accomplish the important things in our daily lives. We just don't do a very good job at effectively managing our time. If you find this is an issue for you, try the following: over the course of three days, write down how you are spending your time. How many hours each day are devoted to unproductive activities like watching TV or playing video games? Could you make better use of that time? Don't deny yourself the opportunity for rest and relaxation, but understand that watching TV or playing video games for more than an hour or two each day is a probably excessive. Additional strategies for more effective time management include using a daily planner or PDA, making a list of things you need to accomplish each day and prioritizing that list.
3.Keep yourself healthy. It's a well known fact that healthy individuals are better able to manage stress in their lives compared to people who don't follow healthy lifestyles. It's also an accepted fact that being sick and feeling unhealthy are a common source of stress. Two things that everyone can do in the interest of better health are to eat a healthy, balanced diet and to get regular exercise. A healthy diet which is low in fat, high in fiber and provides plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables can help keep your cholesterol and blood pressure at healthy levels and reduce your risk for heart disease and cancer. A health diet is also crucial to the attainment and maintenance of a healthy body weight. Regular exercise can also go a long way to improve health and help us to achieve a healthy body weight. Exercising just three days per week for twenty minutes each time is all it takes to reap the benefits. Cardiovascular exercises like walking, jogging, cycling and using the stairmaster provide the most benefit to health.
4. Have an outlet. Everyone needs some positive and constructive outlets to relieve the anxiety and tension often associated with stress. Drinking alcohol, using drugs, sleeping more or eating to make yourself feel better will not make your problems go away and may be a sign of more serious issues. Some constructive ways to offload that stress include working out, sharing your problems with a friend or family member, or even helping others through charitable acts like volunteering your time at a local shelter or soup kitchen.
5. Don't hesitate to ask for help. Sometimes despite your best efforts to eliminate or reduce the stress in your life you can still feel overwhelmed. We may even feel trapped heading down a path of destructive behaviors like reliance on drinking alcohol or isolation from friends and family. In these instances it can be beneficial to seek the help of a professional. Very often the problems that seem insurmountable are easily solved with guidance from an expert. If you're feeling the need for some guidance from a professional or even if you have a basic question about stress, you can always consult the experts at the Counseling Center on campus by stopping by or contacting them at x2174.
