In small doses, stress can be a good thing.  Stress can give you the push you need, motivate you to do your best and help you to stay focused.  For example, stress is what keeps you on your feet during an important presentation or motivates you to keep studying for a final when you’d rather be hanging with friends.  However, when life’s demands exceed your ability to deal with them, stress can become a burden to your physical and emotional health. 

Stress is your body’s way of responding to any demand.  It comes in both good and bad forms.   The more stress is activated; the harder it is to shut off.  Instead of leveling off after a crisis has passed, your heart rate, blood pressure, and hormones stay elevated.  As a result of these prolonged, repeated high levels of stress, you risk increased heart disease, obesity, depression, memory loss, and anxiety.  It is essential to learn how to deal with stress in a positive way to reduce its negative impact on your body. 

The first step is to recognize stress.  All people react differently. Some people experience physical symptoms such as tension, lower back pain, skin breakouts, or headaches while other experience emotional symptoms such as crying, irritability, depression, or hypersensitivity.   Furthermore, people can experience changes in the way they behave or think.

There are many causes of stress in today’s world!  However, not all people respond to the same things.  Something that’s stressful to you many not faze someone else.  In fact, they may even enjoy it.  Stress is not always caused by negative events or people, but positive ones too- weddings, promotions, or your first varsity game.  Major life events also cause stress – moving to a new town, graduation, a death in the family.  It’s important to realize that the majority of stress is caused by daily events – traffic jams, tests, and arguments with family and friends.  Stress can also be self-generated.  You may be a pessimist, have low self-esteem, be a perfectionist, or have excessive anger – all can contribute to your stress!

Recent research shows that somewhere between 60 to 90 percent of illness is stress-related.  Stress compromises your ability to fight off disease and infection, throws your digestive system out of whack, and can even stunt your growth.

Managing stress is all about taking charge.  You need to take charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems.  Your ultimate goal should be a balanced life.  Here is a list of a few different ways to help with stress management.

            #1.  Avoid Unnecessary Stress.  Learn how to say ‘no.’ Avoid negative people or

people who cause you stress. Avoid hot topics that get you worked up.  Re-evaluate your to-do list.

            #2. Change Your Situation.  Express your emotions – don’t bottle them up!

            Compromise.  Learn to be assertive.  Get a hold on your time management skills.

            #3. Accept The Things That You Can’t Change.  Look for the positive in bad

            situations. Learn to forgive.  Don’t try to control what cannot be controlled. 

            #4. Adapt. Look at the big picture – will it matter in a month? A year?  Change

your standards – perfectionism will kill you.  Look at situations through a different perspective.

Besides getting a handle on your stress management strategies, there are small changes you can make in your life to keep you stress free.  Here are some suggestions:

- Exercise regularly                               - Eat healthy                             - Get enough sleep

- Set aside relaxation time                     - Laugh                                    - Spend time with

- Listen to music                                    - Watch a comedy                       positive people

- Write in your journal                          - Take a long bath                     - Spend time outside

Remember, stress management begins by recognizing what causes you stress.  It isn’t always obvious.  Look closely at your habits, schedule, attitudes, and excuses.  Think about the ways you cope with stress, if your methods are not contributing to your health or sanity, it’s time to kick them to the curb and find new ones.  There are many healthy ways to reduce stress, but they all require change.  You either need to change the situation or change your reaction.  There is no “one size fits all” solution.  Experiment with these different suggestions.  Focus on what keeps you calm and in control. 

For an instant relaxer, try this:

Close your eyes.  Concentrate first on letting the tension flow from you feet.  Do this with each muscle group-lower legs, thighs, slowly working up your body until all muscles are relaxed.  After you have relaxed your body, count slowly from one to ten, and begin to imagine yourself on a private beach by the ocean.  The sun is shining; the sky is bright blue with puffy white clouds.  You feel relaxed and comfortable.  Imagine yourself watching the waves as they roll in and roll out and you become more and more relaxed.  It will take some practice, but at the end of the ten or twenty minutes, you will feel refreshed and relaxed.  Be careful not to fall asleep!