Stress-@#($*@#%&$#

Stress

Life has a way of throwing curve balls that cause stress at the most inconvenient times. Things always gets busier when it's already busy leading to even more stress. Well played, life. Well played. I've always been a worry-wart (according to Urban Dictionary, a worry wart is 'Someone who is always worrying about everything, whether it is a big deal or unimportant.')--mainly when it comes to people I love. It has taken a lot of work to not worry about things outside of my control.

As many of my Facebook friends know, my family has had a pretty rough string of events over the last 3 or 4 months. Things have been really tough, and the large distance makes things that much more difficult. I'm a helper, a fixer, a nurturer...fulfilling those instinctual tendencies are nearly impossible from a distance. I know many of you are the same way!

This blog isn't going to focus on details of recent events in my family. It's about different things that can cause stress and ways to deal with that stress in a healthy manner.

To start, let's list some common stressors:
1. School - icky
2. Upcoming test - ickier
3. Work - grrrr
4. Upcoming deadline - grrrrer
5. Untrained pet - ugh
6. Parents - ugh again
7. Children - don't know about this one cause my niece is pretty fantastic
8. Bills - whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy me?????
9. Making rent - vomit
10. Injury - ummm ow
11. Sports - ...run the world
12. Relationships - need i say more?
13. Car maintenance - hatred
14. Accident - more hatred
15. Lack of sleep - monster-inducing
16. Sad news - tears
17. Natural disaster - more tears
18. National tragedy - even more tears
19. Illness of a family member, close friend, or pet - insane worry
20. Death of a family member, close friend, or pet - insane sadness

Now, of course, there are a ton more things that can cause stress in a person's life. These are just things that we all have encountered or will encounter at some point in our lives.

If one of these things happens, what do we do?

Well first, we need to realize that the feeling of stress is instinct. The body is designed to have these feelings to compensate for physical reactions to stressors. This instinct is excellent in emergencies. One example of a stress response comes from the Sympathetic Nervous System--Fight or Flight. If something happens, our body experiences different physical reactions like increased heart rate, pupil dilation, blood vessel constriction. However, if we are exposed to extended periods of stress, the effects can be potentially damaging. This is why we all need to have little figurative grenades to fight back with.

One website I found called Family Doctor has a great list of ways to compensate for stress. Here are my favorites

• Don't worry about things you can't control. The weather makes up its own mind.
• Solve the little problems and gain control.
• See change as a "positive challenge".
• Talk and confide in someone you trust
• Set realistic goals. Avoid overscheduling.
• Exercise regularly.
• Eat healthy and get enough sleep.
• Do/find a non-stressful hobby. Mine is dancing...

Some of these are definitely easier said than done, but I challenge you to give a few of these a shot when you start to feel "stressed out". Life is more enjoyable when you don't sweat the little things and when you learn to deal with the big things. Also don't forget to find someone you can talk to. Sometimes, all you need to do is cry it out or yell it out to someone in order to feel better. Find someone to confide in. That's an order! (I know...I'm terrifying)

Until next time...Don't worry. Be Happy. Doooooooo do do do do do do do do do do do. Don't worry be happy now.

Okay...I'll shut up.