Stress is a small word for a sometimes huge feeling produced by our body. When life makes demands or threats that we
feel like we cannot overcome, we freak out and worry about them to a point that destroys our mental and physical health. Most of the time, the more demands life makes of us, the more stress we experience. Some people experience more stress than others as well as some people are better at dealing with it than others. I am one that does not deal with it well. I think what really makes a difference is the amount of demands life makes. I remember during my sophomore year in high school, I was super stressed out because of all of my extracurricular activities I was involved in and the guy sitting next to me in English noticed my distress. He began to ask me what was wrong and then started telling me all of the reasons he was stressed, almost like it was a competition. I think that is what society does; they challenge everything like it is a competition and makes you feel inferior, which doesn't help with your current stress problem. They try make themselves feel better and deal with their stress by comparing all of their tasks (no matter how minor) to other's tasks, even if they have never been in the other person's position. At least, that is what I have noticed. So how should we deal with it in an effective way? Elly Prior, author of
10 tips to relieve stress, says to "Take time off for 'earthing.'" Go take a walk in the park, or a trail like I did today, and do absolutely nothing (or if you need to move, explore your surroundings). It really clears your mind and lets you escape, which enables you to make better decisions later.
According to Elizabeth Scott, a stress management expert and author of
Stress Relievers, another way to reduce stress is to "Get More Laughter In Your Life." I tend to think I'm funny looking already so this is no problem for me (on the left).
"The physical act of laughing releases tension and brings positive physiological changes." So if you haven't laughed today yet, there you go. Additionally, Ms. Scott talks about my favorite way to reduce stress: writing in my journal. I haven't recently because life is good, but last semester was a different story. It helped me figure out what things caused the stress and how to deal with them. Once I had multiple entries, I could go back through them and recognize my stress patterns, how I felt, and how I reacted. Don't knock it until you try it!
