Stressing the Stress Out

Whatever reason one may have, every human being will go through some stress in his life. Be it from work, school, family, illness, or social issues, stress will be stress. Some stress can motivate an individual like for example, it can help you finish a task and beat the deadline. Some, on the other hand, are dangerous to the health and to the mind. Usually, stress means an extreme feeling of anxiety that gives a person an uncomfortable feeling that may last for long or otherwise. Stress can be short-term, which one can experience when you are taking your exam, or it can also be long-term, the kind that one gets when doing his thesis for the entire semester.

Stress, specifically the long-term ones, can lead to illness as severe as heart diseases that may start with sleeping and eating disorders and depression. People who are stressed will experience loss of appetite, sleeplessness or even too much sleep, crying out of nowhere, and headaches. Most of the time, they will feel alarmed, frustrated, and hopeless. Sometimes, one will try to escape stress through prohibited drugs and alcohol which is a bad thing.

It is important that you manage your stress and you do not allow stress to manage you. Everything starts with a positive mindset. You should realize that not everything is under your control and that it is natural that you commit mistakes. But then, even though you cannot control everything, you can still control your reaction to every situation that may stress you. For instance, the results of your exams were not acceptable, instead of crying over it at night, just post it anywhere you can always see it so that you will always be reminded to study better for the next exam.

Managing stress includes having a healthy lifestyle also. This means that you should have enough sleep—not over and most probably not “undersleep.” Most of the time, lack of rest only intensifies stress. Exercise is also an effective stress-reliever. Just some jogging, or weight lifting or just dancing off your butt can help release a hormone called endorphin which makes a person happy. Exercising regularly helps you obtain a fit body and a fit body helps fight stress better than an unfit one. And, of course, eating a well-balanced diet is included.

It is also helpful if you know how to set limits and realistic goals for yourself. This will include setting your priorities and determining which to accomplish first. This way, you will be able to finish one thing at a time and you will also be able to focus on each of the things that you need to accomplish. For instance, you have an exam coming and your organization will be having a huge event the same day. Being a student, it is more important that you concentrate on your exam first and maybe later, after the exam, you can go and help your fellow members on your organization’s event.

You should know when to say “no.” If your plate gets full and you can’t take anything more, just let go and refuse. It is not your obligation to do everything at once. Do not commit to something when you cannot really give your time to it. Aside from stressing yourself out because of it, you will also just disappoint those who have expectations from you.

Learning relaxation and proper breathing techniques can also be a great help in managing stress. Meditation has been proven to be very effective in controlling stress. One should know how to clear his mind with disturbing thoughts.

Again, managing stress starts with one thing—be positive. Not all stress is risky to the health after all. Stress, the short-term one specifically, is actually helpful for our memory. Stress causes more glucose to be delivered to the brain, which makes more energy available to neurons. This will then help enhancement of memory formation and recovery. On the other hand, if stress is prolonged, it can delay the glucose delivery and disrupt memory.

When stress becomes unbearable, it is advisable that you seek for medical attention already. You may choose to see a psychologist or a guidance counselor in your school.