Stress Management

Today's lifestyle is fast paced and filled with pressures and stress of all kinds. For many, the motto "work hard, play hard" equates to long days and nights filled with work, study, recreation, and one's daily chores. The sheer busyness of life, as well as specific events, can cause stress and pressure. When we are able to accomplish a reasonable amount and still feel healthy and happy with enough time for relaxation and play activities we know the stress is being managed effectively. Unfortunately, symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, procrastination, headaches, stomach distress, social anxiety, difficulty concentrating, inability to relax, and excessive worrying are some of the signs that stress may be getting the better of you. The good news is there are many effective ways to cope with stress. Simply structuring your time so that you don't overload yourself and are careful to create balance between work and recreation can go a long way towards minimizing stress. Unfortunately, there are other external stressors for which we cannot control the nature, intensity, and number. However, we are capable of managing our reactions to these stressors. Developing valuable coping skills for dealing with stress will enable you to retain control over how these pressures effect you internally, both physiologically and psychologically. When you have developed the skills for successful stress management you will minimize and/or eliminate the disruptive and distressing symptoms discussed above.

Effective coping strategies for stress can be broken down into three categories: physical/lifestyle, emotional, and cognitive. Within each category there are several techniques and strategies for managing stress. It may take some time and experimentation to find the ways that work best for you. And remember: always get a thorough physical if you are experiencing any physical manifestations of stress in order to rule out any medical factors or causes.

In the physical/lifestyle category, one of the key strategies for combating the negative effects of stress is relaxation. Including in your daily life one or more relaxation techniques can have a significant overall impact on your stress level. Common relaxation techniques that can be done on your own include abdominal breathing, meditation, visualization, and progressive muscle relaxation. Deep breathing has been proven to have significant benefits on physical and mental health, and best of all it can be done almost anywhere and anytime, and be effective even when you only do it for 20 minutes per day.

ABDOMINAL BREATHING EXERCISE

Find a comfortable spot to sit down and lightly rest your hands on your abdomen. Try to clear your mind and focus only on your breathing. Take deep breaths that reach to the lowest part of your diaphragm (your abdomen will expand and contract if you are doing it properly). Once you inhale, pause, and then exhale slowly letting go of all bodily tension and distracting thoughts. Continue this breathing exercise for at least 10 minutes twice a day and try to do it at the same times each day.

Meditation is another relaxation technique, and there are different types to choose from. An abundance of books, audio and videotapes, and classes are available to help you find and learn the right type of meditation for you. These same sources can also teach you how to do progressive muscle relaxation. Regular exercise is another physical/lifestyle strategy of which there are many options, such as classes, gyms, walking or running, sports, swimming, and bike riding. Try visiting the Wooden Center to see the facilities and find out about classes offered. Or if you prefer, try something on your own or with an off campus group. Other physical strategies include downtime, proper sleep and diet.

Included in the category of emotional strategies for stress management are social support, feelings work, and self-nurturing. Social support means making sure you have interpersonal connections that are supportive, stimulating, and fun. These are those special people in your life with whom you can share feelings, cry and laugh. Another important component of a healthy emotional life is identification and expression of feelings. This means taking time out every day to tune in to how you feel; if you have trouble naming your feelings try using a feelings chart or list. Once you have identified how you feel it is equally important to find ways to EXPRESS those feelings. Repressing or "bottling up" your feelings can actually cause more tension and stress! Some ways of expressing feelings include telling someone, journaling, drawing, writing a song, crying, smiling, and if you are angry try hitting a pillow or a vigorous workout.

Another emotional strategy for stress management is self nurturing. Make a list of the things that make you feel good and include one or two in your daily life. What feels nurturing is an individual thing so spend some time thinking about your specific preferences. Some ideas to get you started include bubble baths, dining out, your favorite food, treating yourself to the sauna/steam room, playing with pets, and a trip to the beach. Another helpful element to stress management that can be considered part of this category is spirituality. For many, connecting through prayer, religious services, or other means to one's sense or spirituality increases a sense of well-being and calmness.

Cognitive strategies to coping with stress center on countering negative thought processes. Typical patterns of negative thinking involve worrying ("what if"), criticizing ("I'm so"), helplessness ("I can't"), and perfectionism ("I must"). Counter these automatic negative thoughts by challenging them (are these thoughts really valid in the current moment or situation) and by replacing them with positive affirmations (e.g. "I can"). Come up with your own affirmations (simple and short work best) or buy one of the many books available with daily affirmations. If you have difficulty stopping your negative thoughts then try distracting yourself for awhile by engaging your mind with something else such as reading, going to a movie, or calling someone to talk about them.

If you find yourself thinking "all this relaxation and self nurturing are going to get in the way of accomplishing my goals", you need to adjust your thinking. While it is true that optimal performance calls for some tension, too much tension decreases optimal performance. Becoming able to fine tune one's tension level to remain relatively relaxed in the face of external pressures is the process that stress management addresses.

If you try these strategies and find they are not sufficiently reducing your stress you may want to try working with an individual counselor at CAPS or sign up for one of the many groups and workshops offered in our Stress Clinic Refer to the current schedule to see what is offered that specifically targets your issues.