words of wellness-employee wellness blog

Stress

Stress refers to the consequence of the failure of a human to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats, whether actual or imagined. There are two different types of stress that can occur:

–          Acute stress is described as “fight or flight.”  The body either feels challenged or  scared. 

–          Chronic stress is more subtle but may be longer lasting.

It is important to find ways to manage stress to avoid these feelings and instead, stay more motivated and ready to take action.  Long-term stressful situations can produce a lasting, low-level stress.  However, because it is so constant, people begin to have physical reactions to the stress.  

When stress occurs people may feel:

–          Headaches

–          Fatigue

–          Depression

–          Isolation

–          Poor concentration

There are many ways to cope with stress and to avoid it.  If you want to avoid stress it is important to steer clear from people who stress you out.  Take control of the environment around you and if it is a negative place to be, learn how to say no and understand your limits. Contemplate what your priorities are and what boundaries should or should not be crossed in certain situations. 

Tips to control stress: 

–          Make a list of what is most important

–          Don’t over schedule

–          Make realistic goals

–          Never force perfection

–          Avoid negative thinking

Want a stress reliever??

BGSU Free Employee Yoga Classes

March 29-April 21

Mondays and Wednesday 5:15pm – 6:00pm

To sign up:  e-mail Caitlin Spontelli at cspont@bgsu.edu

We want your comments:

What are specific ways you manage stress?

How do you handle long term stress?