STRESS AND ANXIETY AND THE STRESS AMONGST US

Welcome, students and staff, to another week of MHCC online. Let me ask you a quick question, and take your time answering: Have you been feeling stressed out? Maybe a tad bit anxious, as well? If you’re not sure whether what you are feeling is one or both of those troubling issues, here’s a few short examples of stress-related symptoms (per WebMD.com): *Becoming easily agitated, frustrated or moody

*Having difficulty relaxing or quieting your mind

*Feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), lonely, worthless and depressed

Physical symptoms:

*Low energy

*Headaches

*Insomnia

*Clenched jaw and grinding of teeth

There are many more symptoms, these being just a few points. There are also cognitive and behavioral signs, and let’s not even get into the long-term effects of stress, such as the mental health problems it can lead to, such as depression, anxiety, skin and hair problems, or serious

heart issues. Stress can do much more than just cause you to have a bad day or a hard week, it can potentially damage your body along the way even if you’re not physically seeing it.

Which leads me into its friend, anxiety.

Anxiety is something, like stress, we have all experienced at one point. It’s not fun, but it does happen. We can be anxious about a lot of things, but there’s that certain form of anxiety that just sticks with you and feels like it picks and searches through you for that center that it needs to thrive off of – at least, that’s my experience.

.Similar to stress, here are a few indicators of axiety to be on the lookout for: Behavioral:

*Hypervigilance

*Irritability or restlessness

Cognitive:

*Lack of concentration

*Racing or unwanted thoughts

Whole body:

*Fatigue or sweating

(Common signs also may be insomnia, outright fear, palpitations or trembling, and more).

Now I know that was probably a lot to take in, and some of you are probably thinking, “Well, everyone feels half of those things from time to time; try cramming for a final or three.” And I get it, trust me, but for some of those suffering, spotting the signs can mean the difference

between pre-final jitters and an underlying issue that they would have kept shoving under the rug for as long as they could before they finally couldn’t handle it anymore and got help. I mean, I did seek help eventually, but it only took six years! Still, others may not get help, and eventually that takes them from us.

Spotting the danger signs is the first step, and then depending on how severe your anxiety or stress is, you can look at ways to self-care and to cope.

For me, I tried to find ways to quiet my mind: It always felt like my mind was too loud, racing with thoughts that I didn’t wanna hear that would tear me apart, and I couldn’t handle the aftermath. So I used music, meditation, and podcasts to “distract” my brain, so to speak, and it kept me from focusing on the past and on things I couldn’t fix, situations that were no longer my present and traumas that I will carry, regardless. And. in a way, that helps.

I also have started trying a healthier diet, for other reasons as well, but just to see if it would play a helpful role. What works for me might help some of you and it may not, but it always is worth a try to throw it out there, right?

For others, alternate forms of therapy may help, such as psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, and antidepressants or sedatives. There is no shame in talking about these things. In fact, it would probably help if we did. We all get anxious, some more than others; we all get stressed. That’s completely normal!

Knowing that, here are some ways to deal with stress, including the very ways I have dealt and still deal with it: *Rebalance your work and home life

*Carve out hobby time

*Sleep long/well enough

*Yoga/meditation

*Take a vacation

*See a counselor or coach or a therapist

Out of all of these, I found sleeping enough helped tremendously. I mean, I still get stressed beyond belief most days, but when I get a free moment, I take a quick power nap and I feel a lot better. It’s amazing what sleep can do for you – it can make your whole mood change in a second (or a few hours!).

I also carved out some hobby time. Since before I started working once again, I had taken to reading a book every two weeks, not just for my stress but also for my anxiety. When I wasn’t listening to podcasts, I loved to turn on a good, slow song that had a sweet melody, something quiet and soft – and would crack open a good book and let myself be immersed in its pages.

I also improved through therapy. It helps to have someone to talk to about the things you either don’t want to tell your friends and loved ones about, or if you’re just looking for an open ear outside of your inner circle. Trust me, it really does help.

Folks, if you remember the question I asked you earlier, and you start to wonder if you have anxiety or might just be stressed, don’t freak yourself out and start to work yourself into a frenzy. Chances are you’re human and, like I said, we all get anxious and stressed, some of us a bit more than others. Just please remember to take care of your mental health, as well as your physical health, and stay safe out there!