Does life deserve all this stress?

In everyday life we are subjected to a wide range of pressures. We also have a wide range of resources and strategies for coping with pressure. Sometimes we will cope well and will not feel that the pressure is having any adverse effect upon us. At other times we will have difficulty in dealing with the situation and that is when we may use the term "stress". For the purpose of this introduction, we will use the term "stress" to mean the reaction we have to those pressures which are harmful, unpleasant or disabling. Sometimes we are not able to change our environment to manage stress – this may be the case where we do not have the power to change a situation, or where we are about to give an important performance.

Everyone has stress. We have short-term stress, like getting lost while driving or missing the bus or during exams time, at other times we face long-term stress, such as a life-threatening illness, or divorce.

Both short and long-term stress can have effects on your body. Managing stress effectively, while you are still young can help prevent serious diseases in the future such as heart problems and diabetes.

Health problems associated with stress

Here are warning signs as well as problems associated with stress.

Smoking cigarettes and stress

Some people, especially teenagers, smoke to reduce stress, later it develops into an addiction. But, in fact, they are only adding to their stress, according to a new review of psychological studies. Psychologist Dr Andy Parrott, of the University of East London, says the evidence shows that the apparent relaxant effect of smoking only reflects the reversal of the tension and irritability that develop during nicotine depletion. Far from acting as an aid for mood control, nicotine dependency seems to increase stress. Therefore, the cigarette they are smoking to relieve them of stress may be in fact be causing them the stress!

Some causes of stress

It is important to recognise when stress levels may be going beyond a helpful level. It is important to identify sources of stress if possible and to take steps to address them.

The major cause of stress is CHANGE and FEAR of the unknown

• For example, with exams, the fear of the unknown or unexpected is likely to dominate your thinking. You will probably be asking yourself questions like:

Will I pass?

Do I know enough?

Will I be able to remember everything?

What if they ask something I do not know?

The more you think about these sorts of questions, the more likely you are to be 'stressed out'.

• Stress associated with daily life, the workplace, family responsibilities, parents, traffic, arguments with your spouse and work problems
• Lack of organisation and planning
• Smoking

Here are ways to de-stress (Positive Stress Management):

There are a variety of ways of coping with stress, everyone has individual coping mechanisms. Some techniques of time management may help a person to control stress.

1. Good time management skills are critical for effective stress control. Setting out priorities and planning for your workload, by constructing a weekly timed schedule for your tasks, and checking it faithfully before committing to anything
2. If your physical surroundings (office, desk, kitchen, wardrobe, car) are well-organised, make it a habit to periodically clean out and sort through the messes of paperwork and clutter that accumulate over time. Your mind should be organised too!
3. Psychologists also espouse the virtues of eating correctly to keep your brain "in the zone". Avoid drugs like caffeine - its acts directly on the central nervous system and heightens emotional arousal, it seems an extremely bad idea to fill your system up with a drug that will activate that.
4. Relaxation and meditation; it's important to unwind. Each person has his own way to relax. Some ways include deep breathing, yoga, meditation, and massage therapy. You can also take a few minutes to sit, listen to music, or read a book, talk to your friends to help you work through your stress or write down your thoughts.
5. Visualise success and think positively; always tell yourself "I'm going to do the best I can" and reward yourself when you finish a task. Also, maintaining positive relationships with family and friends will greatly reduce your stress and anxiety.
6. Physical exercise not only promotes overall fitness, but it helps you to manage emotional stress and tension as well. Your body makes certain chemicals, called endorphins, before and after you work out. They relieve stress and improve your mood
7. Sleeping well is a great way to help both your body and mind. Your stress could get worse if you don't get enough sleep. Try to get at least 6 hours of sleep a nigh

Exam stress

It is the rule rather than the exception for students to feel nervous before exams. Many students begin to feel an overwhelming amount of stress during their exams. A little stress can help you stay alert and ready to do your best, but too much stress can cause exhaustion and make you feel miserable. The key to getting through an exam successfully is to find a balance of stress which you can control. In order to use it to your advantage you need to:

1. Learn to accept the physical sensations of stress and label them positively
2. Know at what level you are motivated or paralysed by your stress
3. Bring your stress down to manageable levels.

Test Taking Tips

• On the way to the exam; keep reminding yourself that you have worked consistently all term and that exams are designed to test what you know, they are not designed to fail you!
• Outside the exam room; stop studying an hour before the test. You probably won't learn anything new in an hour, but you might see something you don't know which can cause additional stress and anxiety. Don't talk about the test with other students once you get there. Focus your thoughts on what you are about to do, not on what you have already done.
• Waiting for the exam paper; take a deep breath and relax.
• Finally, during the exam; read the entire test before starting and write down a few notes. This can help jog your memory later as you go through the test. Don't panic if you felt in first few minutes of the exam that you remember nothing of what you have studied - that's called transient amnaesia, and often lasts for few minutes, but later on you will you will recall all the information previously stored in your mind.

The truth about stress

Repeat after me: Work does not give you stress. Feeling bad about work gives you stress.

This means that changing your work hours, your responsibilities, your priorities or your work environment is meaningless, unless it also changes the way you feel at work.

By:

Sherine Diab, Sarah Rabeh and Marian Tanyous

Interviewing Committee

Flying Colours Team