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Health-4-Self
Stress and Anxiety
By Caitlin Mulvihil and Tori Bergland
Being in high school, we are all too familiar with stress, pressure,
and anxiety. Because the leading causes for stress often come from
outside sources, such as school, it is nearly impossible to avoid
it altogether. However, if we do not manage our stress levels, we
become prone to stress’ physical and emotional effects, such as headaches,
backaches, stomachaches, ulcers, fatigue, insomnia, and depression.
Managing stress requires either changing the source of stress, or
changing our reaction to it. We are here to give you some stress managing
tips.
1. Become aware of your
reactions to stress.
Recognize your distress and do not ignore it. As soon as your detect
it, determine the ways your body handles stress…do your muscles clench
up? Does your head start to ache? Do you get nervous? When you figure
out how you react to stress, you can learn how to manage it more efficiently.
2. Reduce your emotional
reactions.
The perfectionist is known to have the most stress and anxiety issues.
Why? Because you are hard on yourself. Just stop and think about if
your goals are worth pursuing or if they will eventually make you
stressed. Keep in mind that frustrations and disappointments are going
to happen no matter what, so just be prepared. Failure is never final.
3. Manage physical reactions
to stress
-Taking slow, deep breaths will help bring your heart rate and respiration
back to normal.
-Exercise for cardiovascular fitness 3 to 4 times per week (walking,
swimming, cycling, or jogging).
-Eat balance, nutritious meals
Comfort
Food
Due to fact that we, no doubt
will experience stress, the effects of our actions in stressful situations
will be key. Just as different people are affected differently by
stress, everyone deals with it in assorted ways. Most of the time
we tend to look to food to comfort us. Although this may seem bad,
if you choose the right foods, t can be a benefit to you and your
anxiety. Depending upon the types of food you eat will make the situation
worse or improve it.
Soup. Because you are stressed, your body’s nutritional needs become
more demanding, and lucky for you soup choosers, it is filled with
the nutrients and energy you need.
Pasta. Pretty much any carbohydrate mixed with chicken, extra-lean
meat, or fish will not only taste amazing, but also will make you
feel good.
Vegetables. They will help to release the nutrients in your body that
you need due to the lack of them because of the stress.
Most importantly, as you begin
to become stressed out, try to take a deep breath and ask yourself
if it’s really worth all your worrying. Stress isn’t any fun, so try
to do whatever you can to calm down. Always remember that the lack
of sleep and/or nutrition can also cause your body to become overwhelmed.
Figure out the ways stress affects you and try to find little ways
to help yourself.
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