What is stress?
Stress or Distress
Sources and Symptoms of Stress
The ABC's of Stress Symptoms
Handling Stress
Resources

Each person reacts to stress in different ways, but the most common include any of the following:

Sweaty palms
Queasy stomach
Diarrhea
Constipation
Sleeplessness
Muscle twitches
Headaches
Skin problems
Chest pain
Sexual problems (such as impotence)
Baldness (decreased blood flow to the scalp)

What is stress? (back to top)

• Stress is anything that physically, emotionally, and psychologically, pressures you.
  
• Any effort on your part whether its trying out for the basketball team, preparing for an upcoming exam, establishing an outline for a paper, requires some degree of stress.
  
• Stress is an everyday part of many of our lives.
  
• Without some stress in our lives, they would seem boring and dull.
  
• Stress can be both positive and negative. In that while it is difficult to handle at one time, at moderate doses, it can be a motivator and contribute to our happiness and success at another time.
  
• Stress is not only desirable but essential to life. Whether your stressful situation is the result of a major life change or the effects of minor everyday hassles, it is how you respond to it that determines if it is harmful.

Stress or distress? (back to top)

There is a type of stress that can be harmful. Distress can be defined as: continual stress that requires you to constantly readjust and adapt; too subject to great strain or difficulties. For example, having a major that your do not like can produce feelings of frustration, defeat, and discouragement. If these symptoms last long enough, they can result in fatigue, exhaustion and even physical or mental breakdown.

The healthiest way to avoid distress is to seek work or tasks that you are
(1) capable of doing,
(2) you really enjoy,
(3) other people appreciate.

In addition, have available places that will allow you to participate in activities that you enjoy and help you to relax. Your friends, family, peers, and school can be positive resources for challenging good stress or harmful distress.

Sources and Symptoms of Stress (back to top)

There are four primary sources of stress:

1. The Environment-examples include noise, pollution, traffic and crowding, and the weather.
   
2. Physiological-examples include illness, injuries, hormonal fluctuations, and inadequate sleep or nutrition.
   
3. Your Thoughts-the way you think affects how you respond. Negative self-talk, catastrophizing, and perfectionism all contribute to increased stress.
   
4. Social Stressors-examples include financial problems, work demands, social events, and losing a loved one.

Symptoms of stress appear in many forms. Some symptoms only impact the person who is directly experiencing stress, while other symptoms may have an impact on our relationships with others. Perhaps you experience some of the examples below when your stress levels are elevated.

The ABC’s of Stress Symptoms:(back to top)

A Anxiety, apprehension, additions, arguments, apathy, abuse
B Boredom, backbiting, backache, blues, blahs
C colds, canker sores, claustrophobia, compulsiveness, crying spells, cynicism, claming up, conflict, confusion
D drinking, drugs, depression, diarrhea, divorce, distrust, defensiveness,
E edginess, emptiness, eating problems
F fear, forgetfulness, flu, fatigue, frustration, flush
G guilt, gas, grudges
H hopelessness, heart attack, high blood pressure, headaches
I indigestion, insomnia, irritability, irrational thoughts, indecision, intolerance
J Judgmental, joylessness, jitters
K know-it-all attitude, knots in stomach or back
L Loneliness, lowered libido, lethargy, lashing out, lack of concentration
M muscles twitches, martyrdom, mood swings
N nagging, negative attitude, nightmares, nervousness, needing to prove something
O orneriness, out of touch, out of control
P panic, pounding heart, put downs, poor judgment, pushing too hard
Q quiet, quick to take offense, questioning
R rudeness, rash (skin), resentment, righteous indignation
S sulking, stewing, spiritual void, self-recriminations, smoking more, strained relationships, suicide thoughts
T temper tantrums, too much to do, tension, trouble setting priorities
U unhappiness, unforgiving spirit, uncertainty, unproductive approach to work, unrealistic expectations, ulcers
V volatile, vague aches & pains, values confusion
W weight gain/loss, whirling mind, worrying, wasting time
X x-tra pounds, x-travagant living
Y yelling, yawns, yah-buts
Z zillions of things undone, zero energy

Taken from 1994 Whole Person Press 210 W. Michigan Duluth MN 55802 800-247-6789

Handling Stress (back to top)

Stress is a part of living and may never be eliminated from your life. However, you do have the ability to better manage and react to the stress that occurs in your life. When stress becomes overwhelming and hard to handle, there are healthy resources that can help you deal with it. Here are some techniques for alleviating stress:

Relaxation Techniques
Deep Breathing
Taking a Walk
Exercising
Backwards Counting
Imagery
Meditation
Positive Self-Talk
Listening to Relaxing Music
Talking to Someone
Have a good cry
Have a massage
Take up a new hobby

Other suggestions on how to live with stress:

Learn to accept what you cannot change - if your have no control in a situation, learn to do what you can to change it and accept that things are the way they are. Sometimes changing your environment or changing the way you think about the problem will help reduce the stress.

Avoid self-medication - Although there are many drugs available that camouflage or attempt to ward off psychological pain, they are temporary relief and do not help you adjust to the stress yourself. Avoid drinking and drug use and cut down or eliminate caffeine and nicotine.

Take care of yourself – set a regular sleep schedule, eat regular meals and healthier food, exercise on a regular basis even if for 20 minutes

Balance work and recreation -Have available time for recreation to help relax your mind.

Do something for others - Sometimes when you are distressed, you spend the majority of your time and energy concentrating on yourself and the stressful situation. Doing something for someone else can help to get the focus from yourself.

Take one thing at a time - Learn to prioritize things in your life. Attempting to tackle all the tasks in your life can be defeating.

Give in once in a while - If you notice that other people are the source of your stress, try giving in instead of fighting and insisting that you are always right. Perhaps others will begin to give in, too.

Make yourself available - If your life feels dull and boring, get involved. Isolation and withdrawal for friends and/or new friends will make you more frustrated.

Everything in balance – work your body, mind and spirit each day, take care of yourself and others, be mindful of yourself and the world around you.

Talk to someone – sometimes just hearing yourself think out loud can reduce stress or help you find a solution or a plan of action.

Resources: (back to top)

BVU:
Kelly Mattis, Director of Counseling Services
Phone 1226
mattisk@bvu.edu

Ken Meissner, University Chaplain
Phone: 2111
meissnerk@bvu.edu