by Kendra Clark
staff writer
It’s 3 a.m. and the biology midterm is at 8:15 a.m. There are still three more chapters to cover. Stacey Hanby, sophomore, recalls this moment vividly.
Like many college students, Hanby suffers from mid- term stress, but has found ways to beat it. “When you choose to go to college – you choose to deal with stress,” stated at gsu.edu, which is from the office of health promotions on the campus of Georgia State University and is devoted to the students of the university
Stress is the body’s reaction to an event that is seen as emotionally threatening, disturbing or disquieting, stated at themestream.com, which is another site dedicated to give people ideas, information and tips on various subjects.
Finding joy, as Hanby does, is a cheap and affective way to beat stress. “When I was a freshmen in my college success class, we talked about stress and my adviser, Steve Murray, gave us all play dough,” Hanby said. “By playing with the Play Dough, I remember my childhood and my stress disappears because when you are a child you have no stress,”
According to themestream, a person can relieve stress by creating a list of simple activities that they can perform within two to five minutes. These activities should not be strenuous, but should bring back happy childhood memories. Examples of these activities are playing jacks, blowing bubbles or filling in a crossword puzzle.
Relaxation techniques are a substitute for someone who does not have time to play jacks or blow bubbles. There are various types of relaxation techniques that range from visualization to reflexology and include imagery, daydreaming, prayer and meditation.
Lisa Rodriguez, a certified shiatsu therapist, recommends that the best thing to do is to perform deep breathing and call a masseuse for a one-hour massage.
Rodriguez says that if it is not possible to see a masseuse then one can perform reflexology at home. “The shoulders are where the most stress is held and carried,” said Rodriguez. “By rubbing your palms on your shoulders you can start at the base and work towards down to the fingers, you can work the stress out.”
Besides the various stress relievers that have been mentioned, yoga is also a high-quality stress reliever. According to Erin Lally, sophomore, “Lots of times I am tense and have lots of thoughts going through my mind, but after I do yoga I always feel relaxed, energized and my mind is free.”
Yoga classes can be found at most gyms and tapes can be bought in video stores or purchased over the Internet.
Amazon.com offers various yoga tapes. Along with a description of the tapes, opinions of people who have tried the tape are also offered to the buyer.
Over – the – counter medications are also offered. According to Rodriguez, brands such as One-A-Day and Centrum offer products. These products are all natural with herbal bases.
Rodriguez also says that there are many independent companies out on the market. An example is Sunrider. This product can be taken in tablet or drops and is used to fight stress. Sunrider contains Ese, which is a whole food product.
Though all of these activities can be used to beat stress, the best way is to manage the stress. Each day steps should be taken to beat the stress. These include doing 20 minutes of aerobic exercise combined with well-balanced meals, which include low amounts of caffeine and reduced amounts of refined sugars, alcohol and drugs. A low stress life also includes at least seven hours of sleep a night, time spent each day with at least one relaxation technique, a warm bath or shower, a walk and getting in touch by hugging someone, holding hands or stroking a pet..
