Vanessa, Go ahead and give sharing a try. You might be surprised with the outcome. While it's important not to over share or overburden our friends and families, opening up a little can actually be rewarding to the relationship. It can really help friends and family understand where we are coming from, and relate to us through our shared experiences.
Dr. Melissa Read
Mindy, That's tough! I hope this course content balances out any stress you might experience in having to complete CEE requirements. Hopefully you have picked up a few handy techniques that you can take with you into the future.
Dr. Melissa Read
Eurico, So true. Both exercise as well as sharing are great outlets. These outlets no only reduce stress and tension, they can also keep us healthy as well.
Dr. Melissa Read
I am going to incorporate more exercise in my life to help me cope better with stress.
We actually have a gym on our campus. During my break between classes, I utilize the facility to help deal with my stress
I love to lift weights and every Wednesday I attend Yoga. I have found these are great ways! I would love to actually incorporate in more breathing techniques and actually open up and share. I have always felt that sharing would "bother" my sister or my mom. I will now try it and see the positive, more organized feelings it brings!
Vanessa
Doing CEE's stress me out! I learned in this module that deep breathing helps to clear anxiety. Glad I choice this CEE to do. Very helpful.
Exercise will fight your stress, reduce all your tensions. Biking and Walking. Talking to your friends by sharing your problems may help a lot to fight our stressors.
I think a major source of stress for me is trying to balance work and family. I am the mother of 2 young children and work over 40 hours/week. Obviously, the stress can't be eliminated but a coping mechanism is to simply talk to other mothers that experience the same thing. Sometimes knowing you are not the only one who feels this way helps reduce the stress slightly.
Stephanie, Sounds like a great approach and I'm certain your dogs appreciate it too! Animals add so much to our lives. It's nice to give back.
Dr. Melissa Read
I find that taking my dogs for a walk after work or going to the gym for a nice workout is a great de-stressor. I find that it helps to clear my mind and helps me sleep better at night.
Lesley, Glad to hear you have a new strategy that you'll put into place. It sounds like a healthy one. Yes, investing a little time in you in the short term can help tremendously long term. It would be nice for you to have some me time on the weekends as well. This is a healthy approach.
Dr. Melissa Read
Exercise, deep breathing are the best stress relievers. I tell my students the same thing. Some times in class you can see they are having one of those moments. I tell them to get up from their seat, go take a short walk around the building and get a drink of water before they explode. They always come back to class less stressed.
Keith, Nice! it's amazing how something as simple as breathing can make such a dramatic difference on our lives. It can. I also love the way you can use this technique anywhere.
Dr. Melissa Read
Vanessa, Excellent to hear you are taking a new direction that will make you more productive in the future. Yes, when we bend our schedules to meet the needs of others short term, we often have challenges serving them in the longer term. It's best to be proactive in this area for this reason.
Dr. Melissa Read
Dr. Read,
I am definately going to try to take the appproach that I am in control of my time. I never actually thought of it like that before. I am always catering and switching around my schedule to meet the needs of others. Sometimes this even interferes with another client's schedule, ultimately creating havoc. I appreciate it all!
Vanessa
I find myself just stopping and breathing. In focusing on breath I can control the thoughts by giving my mind time the clear. In Buddhist terms this is the monkey mind technique.
Some stressors are impossible to fully eliminate. For example, heavy traffic is always a problem in urban areas. The best way I've found to deal with this is to leave home earlier and play music or listen to the news. I have turned a grueling task into a moment to catch up on news.
I will put my health as number one on the list as ways to cope with stress. For example, getting enough exercise - I love to swim and have a gym membership, but many times I will say, oh I can't go to the gym because I have to grade papers, etc. Now I will make the time to go because in the long run, the exercise only takes an hour out of my day, and I can certainly spare that. The papers will still get graded, and I will feel much better.
As for the diet, okay got to eat a bit better, but still not giving up the morning cup of coffee :-)
I would also like to get to the point where I get all of my work done during the week with better time management, and have the weekends as "me" time... think I will be less stressed if I know the me time is coming up!
Bethanne, So glad to hear you have developed a system that works great for you. It sounds like these time and stress management techniques are making a dramatic difference on your outlook and stress level. Yes, sometimes writing out an agenda for the week in advance can really help give you peace of mind. Glad to hear you found it.
Dr. Melissa Read
