Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness.

Today in Sociology in Relationships we discussed Stress.
How ironic.
I'd like to quote my professor on a profound statement he made:

"Stress is caused from within. Not without" (Dr. Dovid Ofstein)

I've never really sat and thought about how stressed out I am. He asked us to participate in two different stress tests. In the first test there was a list of things that have happened to you during the previous year. These are both good and bad things. Each one has a point value and you're supposed to add it all up. Well.. My stress level was 498....

Yeah.
350+ points equals an 80% chance of getting sick in the near future.

The next test was a 10 question test of "how oftens." Like, "How often do you feel that you have control over personal problems?" And you were supposed to rate from 0(never) to 4(always). SO the test scoring range was from 0-40.

I scored a 29.
The website he used didn't have a scale describing which point value fell where so he just asked for our scores and he'd tell us where we stand. Well, one lady said she had a score of 5.. and he told her he was middle ranged. I laughed out loud and said "I have a friggen 29!" His reaction was this:

"WHAT?"

Yea....
He's not one that's easily swayed either.
There is another girl in this class that is pretty cool and she scored a 31..
SO I didn't feel so alone...
And yet, now I'm stressed out because of how high my stress level is.

All in all it was an entertaining and enjoyable class today (usually is). Yet I can't help but feel worried. At the end of class I felt relaxed. Dr. Ofstein had given me a lot of insight on how to cope with my stress and also gave us some stress management techniques. I was also comforted to know that most of my class (a class of 11) is at the same stress level as I am.

No..
I'm not saying being of high stress levels is a good thing.
But I'm sure you'll agree when I say this:
Misery loves company.

I can't help but be comforted to know that I am not alone.
Yet, as the day wore on..
I'm getting a little worried again.
Because of the discussion today, and because I've been thinking about the stress management stratagies... I've been thinking about all of my stress.
Meaning:
I've realized how many things I really am stressing about! I'm at an all time overload.
So.
My thought is this.
I need to put it all aside.
Quit thinking about "I'm stressed because of this.. and this.. and this.."
I need to think on the terms of "I'm stressed. Now I'm gonna fix it."

Stress Management Stratagies
1.Change your thinking: ANGER is the most dangerous emotion. So instead of saying "I'm pissed at that guy for cutting me off" try to turn it around. Maybe that guy has something going on with him.. so it has nothing to do with you. Yes, you almost wrecked your car.. But it happend and life goes on. Put it out and move on.
2. Exercise: We all know that exercise releases endorphins. Makes sense doesn't it? Best time to exercise? First thing in the morning. And you'll feel better all day
3. Sleep: That's my problem.. Even if I DO get enough sleep... It wasn't GOOD sleep. You have to try everything. Relaxation methods: deep breathing, warm baths, meditation, dark and quiet place.
4. Love: Isn't that true?
5. Religion and Spirituality: Keep in mind.. these are two different things. You can have one or both.
6. Biofeedback Treatment: Basically a medical way of releasing stress. There's all kinds of stuff out there.. Just not so sure I would recommend this method.. Last resort only.
7. Reach out to friends and family: I don't know how many people are almost incapable of this. Me most of all. I'm great for listening.. I love to be there for people, and my friends always know they can call me. But I'm definately not a person who can reach out and say "I'm stressed. Can we talk?" The worst part? I'm REALLY good at hiding my emotions. There are only three people in this world who have ever seen through it.
8. Be involved in multiple roles: Society used to portray that the male role was to go to work. That's it. The female role was to take care of the children and keep a house. Thankfully, in today's world.. this is changing. It's been proven that those to participate in more than one life role.. feel more accomplished. Stress doesn't really work when you feel accomplished.
9. Have a sense of humor: My favorite one of these. Laugh at yourself! It's ok! We all do stupid stuff.. we all have our moments... It's not worth stressing about for the next two weeks. If you fall flat on your face getting of the elevator.. Laugh about it!

I'll leave you with this. On the note of misery loves company:

"So now, alone or not, you've got a walk ahead. Thing to remember is if we're all alone, then we're all together in that too." -Kathy Bates 'PS I Love You'

(this is the Holmes-Rahe Stress test I talked about)
http://www.stress-management.net/stress-test.htm