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You Can Manage Stress
By Diana Heacox
Stress is your personal
response to a person, activity, or situation like taking final exams.
Stress shows up in how we feel, act and react. At low levels, stress can improve
our performance by increasing our energy and keeping us attentive and alert.
At high levels, it can result in headaches, upset stomachs, exhaustion, and
an inability to concentrate, and learn. You can learn to manage stress so it
works for you rather than against you. Following are some suggestions for you
to try.
PLAN
 Organize
your responsibilities. Use a daily planner or a calendar. Knowing what
you need to do and planning ahead will keep you from becoming stressed and
anxious.
Don't
over schedule yourself. Look at your calendar and try to balance heavy
and light workdays.
Learn to
say "no". Don't take on additional events in a high-demand week
Prioritize
your responsibilities. Take care of the most pressing ones first. Leave
the fun ones for last, as a reward.
Get
started. Often, there is more stress involved in worrying about an
assignment or activity than doing it. Putting pen to paper or nose to book
can relieve much of your anxiety or stress.
RELAX
Tension has the amazing ability to make you forget everything you have studied
the night before a test.
When you
feel stress building...
- Concentrate in your breathing. Control It until it
becomes slow and easy.
- Relax your body. Close your eyes, start at your toes, and
work your way up. Tell each part of your body to let go of tension, stress
and strain.
- Visualize a quiet, calm place. Use your imagination to
take you there.
Leave
yourself time to do something you enjoy. Call a friend, play with a pet,
or listen to music.
Work off
your stress through exercise. Take a walk, jog, or do aerobics.
Talk to
yourself. Tell yourself that you can handle it; you are capable; you can
do it.
SOCIALIZE
Depend
on your friends and family to support you through demanding times. Talk
about your frustrations and fears. Listen to them when it's their turn to
feel stressed.
Take
time to have fun with family and friends. Too much work and worry
can reduce your productivity.
Since
stress management is a challenge in our daily life, you may want to visit the
following websites for further understanding and action.
101 Ways to Cope with Stress.
Courtesy of the Tripler Regional Medical Center,
Honolulu, Hawaii
To contact Ms. Zea:
· By e-mail: azea@cm.edu.gt
· By phone:2365-0037 or 2365-4817 (ext. 115).
· At her office: SP-2
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