Stress Management Suggestions: Food for Thought

So, by now, you are probably tired of hearing about the benefits of exercise and meditation in reducing stress. In light of juggling multiple responsiblities during a busy semester, below are a few new suggestions to add to your list of stress management techniques that you may not have heard of before:

• Steal the Mic from Your Inner Jerk: Often, when we are at our lowest point, silencing the “inner jerk” that says you are not good enough is a good way to empower yourself and reinforce that you are in charge of your own feelings and destiny.

• Avoid rushing too much; use that time that you are waiting in line at the grocery store to think about your weekend plans or read a magazine article that might teach you something new that you can apply to your daily life such as dietary guidelines or new exercise routines in a journal like Health magazine. More importantly, if you need time to deal with a “heavy” or unexpected situation, be sure to set aside that time to reflect. E-mails, phone calls and basically life moves at a rapid pace; dealing with an important decision or situation really requires filtering out distractions and thinking in a quiet place as much as possible.

• Use that space in between a situation and the response that you choose to really get in tune with the answer that you know is right and always remember that there is that space for you to make the appropriate choice, even if the choice is “you don’t know yet.”

• Take time to bond with family and friends. Often, they can provide perspective and insight that you may not have thought of or remind you of times when you felt lighthearted and not under stress – what kinds of choices you made then and how you coped with unforeseen obstacles.Using these techniques as a topic for journaling is a great way to come to terms with stressors that are causing you to re-think past decisions and get into a process for making appropriate choices.

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