Getting a Hold on Stress

by Alison Chapman

A couple of weeks ago I travelled to Prague and Germany. It was such an amazing experience, and I learned a tremendous amount about other cultures. Before I left I stressed about completing everything for school and work, on top of being stressed about my trip. When I returned from my trip I became sick. This put me even more behind and added more stress.

I know that because I had a high level of stress, I put my health and well-being at risk. Stress wreaks havoc on your emotional and physical health. It narrows your ability to think clearly, function effectively, and enjoy life. By allowing myself to get stressed, I burned out and I was not able to perform my best at work or school. The stress caused me to be so exhausted that I was barely getting through the days. This is not a healthy way to live.

I needed to come up with a way to manage my stress. The first thing I did to get a hold of my stress was identify what was causing the stress. I knew I was constantly worried about school and work deadlines. But I realized that my procrastination, rather than the actual job and school demands, were what led to deadline stress.

I have looked at some of my habits, attitudes, and excuses. I have to accept responsibility for the role I play in creating or maintaining my stress. If I continue this way, my stress will always be outside of my control.

I learned that I need to find ways to deal with my stress. The goal of managing my stress levels is to bring my mind and body back into balance. By adopting a positive attitude, learning healthier ways to cope, and changing the way I think, I can reduce its hold on my life.