Stress: Personal Challenge Accepted

In college, stress is ever present. For many of us stress has been around our entire lives, so we just get used to it because it becomes part of our being and it just seems normal. We begin to think that everyone else must be just as stressed as we are, right? Some people might agree, some may not, for those who do agree, you might be in for a rude awakening like I was.

This semester I am taking a health and wellness class. (Yes, it's just as exciting as it sounds.) One day during class we discussed stress, and ways to relieve it, which in a health and wellness class basically means eating right and regular exercise. However, as a part of the discussion, we also had to take an assessment of our personal stress levels.

The assessment consisted of a list of different things and they were associated with different numbers. The way it worked was you check off the ones that apply to you and then add up all the numbers. Now, according to the paper 300 was the maximum number, because if you got higher than that then you are at a high risk for getting an illness that is related to stress and/or anxiety.

300. That was the maximum. So what number did I get? 706! More than double what is a health risk. I must just be WAITING for a heart attack!



That would be correct. Apparently, my stress level is through the roof. Even after taking this test, I still thought it was normal, but I saw some of the others in the class. No where near 706 on the scale.

The best part about this is that there were two more parts to the assessment and within those parts it told me that I handle stress very well. NO WAY! 706 and still going? I better handle stress well.

So then are started thinking about whether or not I let my stress level show through into other aspects of my life. My friends seem to not really notice me being stressed out, same with the people at work, but then it came to me. As sad as it is, my school work is what suffers. Mostly, I tend to just ignore my homework until the last minute.



Looking back now, I don't think that is the best way to handle any stress in my life, so I'm going to undertake a personal challenge.

Through this semester, I am going to slowly start to find more beneficial ways to handle my stress. I'm going to try to eat healthier and exercise more, as well as do my best to not hold things in and express my feelings in a beneficial and positive way. (AKA do my best to speak my mind without becoming labeled as a complete b-word.)

Hopefully, I am successful in this challenge. If anyone has any tips, please feel free to make suggestions. They're always welcome.