Stress in a Distressing Life

Again I am back at the keyboard maybe even procrastinating. I have my midterms next week and yet I am here with you all again. I want to discuss with you stress. What is stress? What causes stress? How does stress effect people? So in this post I will answer these main questions in context to my life in my graduate school program (Masters in Mental Health Counseling) and what I try to do to decrease the inevitable stress while being a graduate student and wedding planner. What causes stress and how does it work? Stress is caused by stressors. Stressors are defined as anything (physical or psychological) that produces stress (negative or positive). Stress is a feeling of strain or pressure. Both good and bad life events can cause someone to experience stress. For example, when I applied to graduate school (discussed in another post) it caused a great deal of stress in me and even when I was accepted I was overjoyed but also stressed. How does stress effect people?​ The simple answer to the question how does stress effect people is that it effects everyone differently! There are some fairly common symptoms of stress though. Many people who are experiencing high levels of stress exhibit symptoms of irritability, insomnia, headaches, anxiety, indigestion, jitteriness, and muscle tension. Now just because I have listed all of these symptoms doesn't mean you have to have them all. PLUS you could experience some additional symptoms. So as I am getting ready for midterms I notice a lack of sleep (even if I go to bed I just can't seem to fall asleep), back pains almost constantly, a lack of energy, an inability to eat almost anything without getting sick, and according to my husband random bouts of irritability (I plead the 5th here). ​ What can you do to rid yourself of the stress?​ Quit the activities you are doing that cause you the stress. Now this answer is the typical answer you will hear from so many but the truth is sometimes you experience stress over things BUT you actually really want to do the activity. For example, I am stressed out by my program at times but I would never dream of quitting. I love my program and will graduate with my MHC. So what are some other options? Common techniques to de-stress one's life is the use of yoga, aromatherapy, walking and exercise, and even warm bubble baths (which is my favorite relaxation method). The key remedy is quite simple...one will de-stress their life with some time management and participating in an activity that one enjoys. Laugh, smile, and overall relax! :) and the stress will melt away. Stress in Graduate School?​ When I first started my graduate program in the end of August this year I was very excited but I soon became fairly stressed as well. Truthfully I don't know what I would have done about all the stress I was feeling when I first started without my husband as a support system. The kinds of stressors I was beginning to feel when I started graduate school were things like the pressure to do well because everyone just thinks so highly of me, the constant comparison of my abilities to my classmates, as well as the fear that I am not smart enough or good enough to be in my program. How did I remove the majority of this stress from my life you may wonder...I was honest. When we were doing class introductions and so many people were talking about their experiences it was my turn and I said, "My name is Brandi Heil, I graduated from IUPUI with my B.S. in Psychology and minors in Health Education and Social Work and truthfully I feel really unprepared being here because I feel as though so many of you know so much more and have had so much more experience than I have in the field that I just don't belong." This was a pivotal moment in my graduate school career...and it happened only THREE days after we started. The professor explained that many people feel that way and even polled the class asking how many people had lots of experience...and many of us didn't! It wasn't that I was glad others were incompetent it was that I was just happy that I wasn't the only one at the stage we were at.