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Quick
stress buster Learn
the "Relaxation Response"
CD
Lending Library Relaxation
CDs available Are
you stressed? Borrow a relaxation CD from the Health and Wellness
Center's lending library.
Helpful
Web Resources:
Stress
Assess®
Identify
your stressors through the University of Wisconsin's self-assessment
tool.
Desk
exercises
Decrease
stress and tension at the computer! Sponsored by Aetna's
InteliHealth
Resources
on Campus:
Counseling
Center
Offers
stress management and relaxation workshops
A
Place to Talk (APTT)
Provides
peer counseling, sponsors Relaxation Fair
O'Connor
Recreation Center Exercise to
decrease stress! Sign up for yoga, fitness classes
Office
of Health Education and WellnessOffers
assistance with stress and time management
Campus
Ministries
Stressbusters Stressbusters are teams of JHU undergraduate and graduate students trained to give free five-minute back rubs to students and staff at campus events, meetings and wherever else the stressed gather. Stressbusters is an ongoing stress-reduction program of the Office of Health Education and Wellness.
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| Stress
is a fact of our modern lives, at times overwhelming us and
hindering our well-being. Research
has shown that some stress actually improves our performance, but
prolonged stress can lead to a number of health problems. |
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What happens to my
body when I am stressed? |
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Acutely,
physical symptoms of stress are caused by the body’s
physiologic “fight or flight” mechanism which gets activated
in response to a perceived danger. The body is flooded with
circulating stress hormones including cortisol and adrenaline
which affect every organ. Symptoms
include
-
increased heart
rate
-
increased respiratory
rate
-
increased muscle
tension
-
increased blood
pressure
-
increased secretion of
insulin
-
increased blood flow to the brain, lungs, heart, and
muscles
-
decreased blood flow to the skin and digestive
tract
-
decreased
immune response
-
decreased
libido
This biologic mechanism works well in the short run, when
it is followed by a relaxation phase in which the stress
hormones return to normal.
Problems develop when stress results in a persistent
activation of this system.
Over time, stress can make you sick.
What
happens if I am chronically stressed?
Chronic stress
can cause increased susceptibility to infection, sleep
disturbances, headaches and muscle pain, gastrointestinal
problems, allergy-like reactions, sexual dysfunction, memory and
concentration impairment, as well as depression and anxiety.
Long term health effects include heart disease, stroke, and
diabetes.
To escape the
effects of stress, people often resort to unhealthy behaviors
like drug and alcohol abuse, cigarette smoking, abnormal eating
patterns, or increased sedentary activity like watching TV.
Prepared
by Allegra Hamman, CRNP |
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Ways
to reduce stress:
1.
Identify your stressors and get rid of any you can, even small
ones.
Also, find ways to add pleasurable activities to your
day. Take
breaks.
2.
Make
healthy lifestyle choices. Eat a balanced diet. Get
adequate sleep. Exercise
regularly. Maintain
social supports.
3.
Try
a relaxation technique
to reduce your body’s “fight
or flight” response. Common
methods include breathing exercises, progressive muscle
relaxation, meditation, visualization and massage.
4.
Work
toward some long-term strategies like effective
goal-setting, time management, improved communication
skills, and conflict resolution.
5.
Practice
positive thinking. Learn to reframe stress producing
beliefs, attitudes and values. In
psychology, this is called cognitive restructuring.
References/Books:
The
Wellness Book
by Herbert Benson
The Relaxation
Response
by
Herbert Benson and Miriam Z. Klipper
Healing
Mind, Healthy Woman
by
Alice Domar and Henry Dreher
Why
Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
by
Robert M. Sapolsky
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