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Just Say No to Stress


Stress is real for many people including myself.   This week I had a fellow nursing classmate and team member curse me out when I asked her had she done her work on our group project.  She hadn’t made any effort so she decided to drop the F-bomb in our clinical conference meeting about how ranted about how she was NOT going to do anything.

This was stressful and in this case unnecessary.  It was even more stressful because other students, her peers, just sat there and said nothing.  Basically, not one student had worked on the assigned worksheets for our project plan except myself so I was the “bad guy.”  Perhaps, this is the difference between being a 40+ yr old student and a 20-something who would rather wait until the last minute or pray that someone else will pick up their slack.

Sometimes stress is good and natural. It can motivate you, drive you to excel or achieve a goal. It occurs when we start a new job, buy a new home or plan a wedding.  It increases our mental focus and helps us to concentrate, increase our strength and stamina.  Unfortunately there is negative stress too. Negative stress due to strain at work, family, relationships, unrealistic expectations, inability to accept uncertainty and negative self-talk can be potentially harmful.

Constant stress in one’s life increases a stress hormone, cortisol.  Cortisol makes the heart pound faster, blood pressures go up, increase weight gain, increase nail biting, irritability and depression. 


So what can we do about managing stress?

Exercise is a good remedy.  No pills required.


·      Exercise increases endorphins, the brain’s “ feel-good” neurotransmitters making us feel happy and a sense of well-being.
·      Exercise improves mood and sleep that may be disrupted by depression, anxiety and stress.
·      Exercise of any type:  swimming, jogging, bicycling, yoga, tai chi, walking, and weightlifting for as little as 20 to 30 minutes can relieve stress.
·      Exercise with others can help one forget about life’s problems and share some laughs.

I am grateful for the four evenings I spent this week swimming, running, stretching and spinning. A little sweat is a good form of stress relief. There is nothing I can do to stop stressors, but I can do my best to manage them.

~StayFitt

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