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On the Stress Roller Coaster: Strap-In or Fall OutBy Jon Kermiet, MA, CHESOlin Health Center Health Educator The stress of daily life for many of us often seems like an endless roller coaster ride that we perpetually find ourselves on with its continual jerking from side to side and it's exhilarating climbs and sudden sometimes frightening falls. Oftentimes, we don't even remember choosing to put ourselves through the ordeal; we don't remember strapping in to prepare for the ride, it often seems that the there's rarely a smooth part of the ride and there's no way to actually get off ride or catch one's breath and relax before the next climb. This analogy of stress and the stress response to that of a roller coaster ride is very close to what many of us experience from day to day as we confront all the demands of life that we have to deal with physically, physiologically, and spiritually. All these experiences together translate into a physiological response by the body initiated by hormonal changes that are cumulative and sometimes dramatic. Basically, this defines what is termed as the "stress response". It is a natural and necessary survival response that can be positive in that it can stimulate us to respond with a heightened physical and psychological awareness and lead to peak performance, such as the athlete getting really psyched for the big game, the musician giving a flawless performance or the student becoming acutely focused and ace an exam. All of us, at one time or another, feed off the thrill and adrenaline rush of the roller coaster ride of this "stress response" to enhance our performance. But when one gets overwhelmed by too many demands, too many obligations, too much family or social responsibilities, too many decisions, too many frustrations, too many deadlines or too many activities in a period of time that's when the cumulative experience of stress is negative and one's performance suffers. In fact, 76% of MSU students reported feeling overwhelmed at some point last year by all they had to do and 28% of MSU students reported that stress negatively affected their academic performance in some way in the last year (National College Health Assessment 2006). The roller coaster is no longer fun, the "jerking around" manifests itself in real stress symptoms such as head aches, muscle tension, depression, anger, sleep disturbances, feelings of exhaustion/ fatigue, upset stomach, loss of appetite, diarrhea, teeth grinding, and withdrawal to name but a few of the possible symptoms. To avoid the negative consequences of too much stress, to avoid the physical and psychological symptoms that result from too much stress, to avoid the downside of decreased performance that can result, it's important to reexamine how you've shaped your life and the demands you've placed upon yourself. Sometimes we can restructure and even decrease some of the expectations or obligations that we've chosen. Sometimes we can work to alter our perceptions or realign our priorities to decrease our mental stake in situations or relationships that typically are "stressful". It's important also to examine those unique red flags that you've experienced in the past that indicate when you are overstressed. You need to examine how you've learned to counteract the stress, what you do to relax. Do you listen to music, read, and talk to family/ friends, exercise? What has worked for you in the past? 75% of MSU students report using exercise in the last month as a way to deal with stress! (National College Health Assessment 2002) And lastly you need to give yourself the license to cut back on some of the demands and practice those activities that counteract stress before it becomes overwhelming.
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