Stressing out?

Have you ever had one of those days, weeks or months when stress seems to be taking over your life? Well, stress has recently taken over my life. First, there's school. Although it's only the beginning of the semester, it seems as though everywhere I turn, someone is asking me what I'm going to be doing in May ... when I graduate. Next, there's friends and roommates. Needless to say my hopes of living in the "Friends" lifestyle and going to the coffee shop with Peobe, Monica and Rachel everyday began with a rocky and start. And since, things come in three's, there's also the upcoming surgery I will have next week on my shoulder to ice the cake. But everybody has stress. Some people deal well with it, others don't. When I mention the word stress to my brother who has two toddlers, a pregnant wife, a corporate executive job and bills out the wazoo, he doesn't have much sympathy, but stress is all relative.

For me, my stress became a problem this month, when my personality became snappy and irratable. I'm usually a happy, easy-going gal, and I have just not been myself.

So after one last emotional breakdown this past week and the epiphany that I anything would be more interesting than spending my next three years in law school, I decided to change my stress into motivation and enjoy the present.

In my quest to turn my stress into positive energy, I realized I'm not alone. Stress causes physical, mental and social problems for millions of people every day. For college students, our stress is a bit different. Yes, we don't have the stress of taking care of a family and making tons of money, but we do have the stress of doing well in school, social engagements and the dreaded future.

According to the Villanova University Web site, senior stress can be attributed to uncertainty about the future and the loss of a sense of predictability. In addition, seniors tend to see a dividing line with graduation between youth and adulthood.

In 1983, Time magazine called stress the No. 1 health problem. Many experts today still agree with this bold statement. According to the American Heart Association, stress can cause a variety of health problems including high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, smoking, physical inactivity and overeating, as well as social implications.

So what can you do to manage stress and retain a healthy life?

There are many ways people recommend reducing stress from yoga to laughter, different techniques will work for different people.

Here is a top 10 list of stress relieving techniques that I found helpful from http://www.optimalhealth.org:

1. Take a deep breath.
2. Are you a type A personality?
3. Communicate.
4. Write it all down.
5. Stop using stimulants.
6. Get organized.
7. Take a hike.
8. Lose yourself in a daydream.
9. Get a pet.
10. Stand up for yourself.

And if you're the kind of person that needs a good laugh to keep your mind of the things that are bothering you, here's another Top 10 List of stress relieving techniques from Your Daily Fun Dose:

• Use your mastercard to pay off your visa.
• Pop some popcorn without putting the lid on.
• When someone says,"Have a nice day!", tell them you have other plans.
• Make a list of things you have already done.
• Thumb through a National Geographic and draw underwear on the natives.
• Go shopping, Buy Everything, Sweat in them, Return them the next day!
• Drive to school in reverse.
• Read the dictionary backwards and look for subliminal messages.
• Bill your doctor for the time you spent in his/her waiting room.
• Get a box of condoms. Wait in line at the check-out counter an ask the cashier where the fitting rooms are.