News You Can Use

Schedule relaxation to avoid being overwhelmed by stress

University Relations
News Bureau (662) 325-3442
Contact: Jennifer Rousey
June 16, 2003

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Whether a sun-soaked surfer or a caffeine-saturated lawyer, no individual is immune from stress.

“It affects everybody,” says Philip Drumheller of Mississippi State. “To live is to experience stress. It’s not a matter of whether we’re going to be stressed in life, it’s when.”

A psychologist at the university’s Counseling Center, Drumheller says stress doesn’t have to be necessarily negative. “There’s good stress and bad stress,” he explains. “A little stress can help someone become motivated and sharper, rising to the occasion. Too much, on the other hand, can become a threat.”

Excessive sweating, worrying, crying, and an inability to concentrate are some indicators stress is taking its toll, he adds.

Drumheller provides several steps to take when stress begins to build. They include:

--Reducing tendencies for over-response to stress-producing situations.

--Learning to use music, nature observations, meditation, or whatever it takes when tension begins to build.

--Exercising and maintaining a proper diet.

--Prioritizing and managing time wisely by, among other things, saying “no” to excessive demands on personal schedules.

--Making a “to-do” list and tackling the most dreaded things first.

--Talking to friends about issues of concern.

When stress is inevitable, Drumheller advises the scheduling of “down time” that includes plans to “have fun.”

“We all need balance in our lives,” he says. “Good stress management is something you build into your lifestyle.”