Morgan Disipio

Morgan DiSipio

Stress Management

Professor James Menz

15 December 2014

Final Project

Stress is an extremely large part of everyone’s life. I find that stress is basically a force. It is how you react to different stressors that has the more strain on your body. There are many different types of stressors and they change from person to person. Stressors can be good or bad. As we discussed in class, some stress in necessary. If you are an athlete, you need your coach to put pressure on you so you can become a better player. If your coach does not correct you and try to make you play better, you will never become any better. Another example of

“good” stress is getting married. It is a very stressful situation because there is so much to be done but it is all in preparation for a happy event. On the other hand, there are situations that are very stressful that can fall under the category of “bad” stress.

In my life I face many different stressors. I think the biggest stressors in my life are school, work, and social relationships. The biggest problem I have is managing my time between these three stressors. I work about 30 hours each week, and then babysit on the weekends. I also go to school full time all while trying to maintain a healthy social life. I get stressed because I feel like I never have enough time to do all my school work and go to work.

However, I do have to say this class has helped me prioritize my duties.

I have been able to see many of my body’s physical responses to stress. I have many different physical responses that occur when I am run down and over stressed. Most usually, I find myself with an overly sensitive stomach, acne breakouts, headaches, and sometimes even a common cold. In one instance, I was even diagnosed with mono after a long period of serious stress. Psychologically, I find that when I am overwhelmed with stress I become very sensitive, and negative. Whenever I have a lot to do in a small amount of time I am extremely sensitive.

The littlest comments from my friends and family can send me into a crying or screaming fit, which also can affect me socially. I also find that I have a lot of negative thoughts when I am stressed. I usually am thinking “there is no way I can do this,” “I should just give up” etc.

Finally, my life also takes a big impact socially from my stress levels. I pretty much isolate myself from everyone around me when I am over stressed. I don’t like to talk to anyone or leave my house. I know the social interaction could be helpful for me but when I am stressed I don’t want to see anyone.

While all my stressors may be external, I think my biggest stressor is internal. Therefore,

I would rate myself as an 8 for stressors. The way I handle all the tasks at hand is what makes me so stressed out. I tend to procrastinate which is an extremely unhealthy habit. I let things pile up and then get so stressed. Also, I tend to take on way more than I am able to handle.

Whenever I am asked to work extra hours or babysit, I have trouble saying no. Because of these things, I think my stress is mostly internalized. I blame myself for most of my stress because it could be prevented.

Dealing with stress is extremely important. Many different things outside of my stressors contribute to how I deal with my stress. I carry around a very unhealthy attitude of

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead” which sounds quite morbid. When push comes to shove I always choose to sacrifice my sleep. It is something that I know I can eventually catch up, although it usually results in a vicious cycle of caffeine and grumpiness throughout the following days. I know sleeping is key to stress management, but when I have a lot to get done, it is always easiest to drink a cup of coffee and push through the night to do my work. My eating habits are also usually poor when I am stressed, sometimes I will skip meals or just eat fast food on my way to classes. Usually my body reacts very negatively to these eating habits and I spend the rest of the day feeling ill. Because I have noticed the correlation between my eating habits and my stress levels, I have really tried to focus on eating healthy even when I am in a rush. Finally, I maintain healthy exercise even when I am stressed. I try to always block out time to go to the gym so I can release all the chemicals that my body has been releasing. Exercising has always been my favorite stress relief method and keeps me sane at the most stressful times.

To reduce stress, like I said above, I enjoy exercising. I go to the gym and run on the treadmill for about half an hour and just stop thinking about all the things that are stressing me out. I also like to take breaks from my stressors and watch a TV show. I have a system of setting a goal of the amount of things I want to get done and then rewarding myself with a TV show. It gives me incentive to get things done and also gives me a chance to relax. Finally, I spend time with my family and friends. This is helpful because they are efficient in clearing my mind of all the things stressing me out. They help me unwind and relax when I feel like I am hitting rock bottom. I am incredibly thankful to have such amazing supporters in my life.

This class has been very helpful in preparing me for future stress. Many of my above habits have been diminished of stopped because I now know there are healthier ways to deal with stress. In class we learned that 9 out of 10 doctor visits have stress as an underlying factor.

This astounding statistic made me really want to respond better to stress. It has so many physical effects and I know I need to manage my stress to be healthy. I feel prepared to take only what I am confident I can finish and do so efficiently. This course has made me more confident in my ability to handle stressful situations and I will continue to share this information with everyone around me.