By Beth Gaiser
According to Dr. Hans Selye, the leading pi
oneer of stress research, “A certain amount
of stress is needed to tune you up for action
and keep you on your toes.” Seyie goes so far
as to call stress ‘‘the spice of life.” In looking
at it this way, the meaning of stress needs to
be further delineated. There are actually three
types of stress: normal stress, the body’s ris
ing to meet the demands of ordinary exis
tence; distress or stress that is chronic in na
ture; and eustress—or good stress. Distress
is debilitative and eustress is facilitative; the
point where one becomes the other is a mat
ter of individual perception. Situations that
are exhilarating to one individual may be earth
shaking to another.
Interestingly, studies have been conducted
in various career populations and believe it or
not, corporate executives suffer less
stressrelated illnesses than secretaries,
house wives, assembly line workers and
salespersons. These findings tie in the idea
that there is a psychological variable mediat
ing how one performs under stress and that a
great deal of stress can be okay-given it's
the right kind: eustress.
So what are those variables? According to
Susan Kobasa of the University of Chicago,
the key to stress management lies in commit
“A certain amount of stress is needed to
tune you up for action and keep you on
your toes.”
ment, control and challenge. People who view
change as a challenge and an opportunity;
who feel in control of their lives; and who are
committed to what they are doing will experi
ence less distress and the negative effects
thereof. Dr. Paul Rosch, president of the
American Institute of Stress proclaims that
the key to healthy stress survival is to love
what you do and to be good at it. The crux is
not avoiding stress, but "reframing” it so it
becomes a positive motivator
“High strung but fine tuned...” the concept
is feasible but it requires some thinking to
identify what the sources of negative
stress—distress—are.
One big distressor may be your own "self
talk" that picks away at self esteem, telling
you you’re never good enough and never will
be. How realistic are your perceptions of your
self? Perhaps it’s time to lower perfectionist
standards.
Many people have found great relief from
stress through open communication. Letting
others know what your needs are and offer
feedback provides a more accurate mirror of
"you" than you may be giving yourself.
Through communication, support is gained
and a “debriefing" that lets you know you're
not alone. It's also a relief to share worries
rather than bottling them up inside. What it all
comes down to is that no one is 100% togeth
er 100% of the time!
Cognitive restructuring is another avenue to
distress management. Often we catastrophize
things or look at a glass of water as half
empty rather than half full. Are you high
lighting the bad parts of stressful situations
or looking for what can be gained or learned?
In taking time to examine your past brushes
with stress and how you can better manage it
in the future, it is possible to jump into the
thick of things and operate safely. Taking
time to evaluate stress in your life is the
proactive approach to stress management. In
cluded in this issue is a referral guide and
booklist providing resources and more infor
mation. Rather than tooling along until stress
jumps out and stresses you out, prepare your
self—and have a eustressful year!
STUDY HELPS
PCindy VanDomelen
How much would you pay for an easy
to-follow, absolutely reliable method for
getting good grades? How much would
you pay if that method required no sig
nificant work on your part? Unfortunate
ly, “there’s no such thing as a free
lunch,” (and besides, you’d get nothing
from your education!). Succeeding in
college requires discipline and work, but
it needn’t be a temporary phase of hor
rendous stress and sleepless nights.
Discipline isn’t demonstrated by staying
awake for 48 hours straight or by study
ing, studying, studying, and doing little
else. There are some general principles
one can follow to get the most out of
school and still enjoy "quality" time with
friends and loved ones. While these prin
ciples seem “common-sensical", give
them a try! You might bring up your
grades while having some fun.
1 Don’t skip class. No book can
substitute for a personalized expla
nation by a professor or GTF.
Relearning is the most powerful form of
human learning. This means hearing it in
class, reading it in the text book and
reducing the study time devoted to
wading through texts figuring out what
was missed in class. Most courses don’t
follow the text exactly and many texts
need clarification through class discus
sions. Hints and preparation materials
for tests are often given in class prior to
exams and many tests emphasize lec
ture notes.
2Go to class prepared. Preparation
before class can be the key to un
derstanding the lecture. Unfortu
nately, many students simply take notes
with little or no understanding of the ma
terial. Twenty minutes of reading prior to
a lecture might save an hour of studying
later in an attempt to put it together on
your own. Preparation enhances efficien
cy in and out of the classroom.
3Take notes and lots of them. Fol
lowing principle number two, the
more you prepare for a lecture by
reading, the easier note-taking will be
since you will basically be familiar with
the vocabulary. In technical courses you
need to copy almost everything written
on the board plus any helpful explana
tion. If you’ve read ahead, you will recog
nize certain equations and fill them in la
ter, concentrating on the explanation. In
liberal arts or social sciences, jot down
key ideas and phrases. Again, if you're
prepared, you should recognize many ol
them.
4Allot time to study for each class.
Many of us operate on the
“squeaky-hinge" principle. The
hinge that squeaks gets the oil. Or in
student terms, you put the effort where
you sense the greatest pressure. Such a
cycle can be avoided by regularly work
ing on each course. Instead of only
studying when preparing for a test or
completing an assignment, spend a little
bit of time each day on each
course—and lighten the cram load later.
5Do your homework. Often times
homework assignments relate di
rectly to the exam, especially in sci
ences or technical courses. Remember,
the point of your study is both learning
something and passing the class. Often
we overlook the former and just squeak
by the latter.
6Start early on projects and pa
pers. Whether it’s a book report,
term paper or project, the earlier
you begin, the easier your work will be.
An early start leaves plenty of time for
creativity, neatness, thoroughness and
sleep and leisure in the process!
7Ask for help. In the referral list in
cluded in this issue, there are sever
al resources available for academic
assistance. Don’t be afraid to ask for
help. That's what office hours are for.
You should be able to tell how you're
progressing by about one third of the
way through the term. When visiting an
instructor, have specific questions ready
so you don't leave feeling as lost as
when you came.
Interested in a good book on stress or a stress-related topic?
The following are available at the Health Education Center in the
Student Health Center.
*The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, by
Davis, Eshelman and McKay.
‘Thoughts and Feelings: The Art of Cognitive Stress
Intervention, by Davis, McKay and Fanning.
‘Mind as a Healer; Mind as a Slayer, by Pelletier
‘Pulling Your Own Strings, by Dyer
‘Chop wood, Carry Water, by Fields, Taylor, Weyer and
Ingrasci.
‘Talking To Yourself, by Butler
‘The Stress of Life, by Selye
*/ Can't Face Tomorrow, by Kier
If you’re looking for a copy you can keep, browse through the
“Health" and “Self Help” sections on the second floor of the U
of O Bookstore.
s
T
A
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EDITOR: Beth Gaiser
LIFESTYLE PLANNING PROGRAM DIRECTOR:
Ellen Ryan
HEALTH EDUCATORS: Laurene Sheilds, Beth Gaiser,
Raymond Boyle
PEER HEALTH ADVISORS: Lynne Gordon, Ann Reeves,
Lori Novich, Carson Jacobi, Rene Lee, Cindy
VanDomelen, Sara Louis, Paula Mishicla, Priscilla
Freeman, Gina Diamond
LAYOUT DESIGN: Scott Thorkildson
and Beth Gaiser
PRODUCTION: Ronwin Ashton, Ingrid White,
Sandra Daller, Stephanie Holland,
Ellen Cross, Wendy Morris
Are You Eating For
The Wrong Reasons?
Most of us believe that a
want for food is due to a phys
ical hunger. But most of the
time we eat in response to our
minds. Most of the time we
feed our bodies without con
sulting our bodies. And most
of the time when we eat has
little to do with what we are
eating for physical nourish
ment, satisfaction, a healthy
body-and why we are eating
social participation, real hun
ger, or STRESS. Eating when
we’re hungry implies trusting
the wisdom of our bodies; ul
timately, it necessitates be
lieving that our bodies know
their appropriate weight bet
ter than we.
Think back to the last time
you ate. Did you look at your
watch to see if It was time to
eat? Did you have an appoint
ment for lunch or dinner? Did
you pass by a window with
something luscious displayed
and decide you couldn't pass
it up? Were you hungry? How
did you know?
Many people eat for the
wrong reasons, thus some
times leading to an eating dis
order known as bulimia (cy
cles of dieting, binging, and
purging). People usually de
velop bulimia because they
are overwhelmed by problems
and stress. They turn to or
away from, food to escape
emotional pain, to release an
ger and hurt, and to comfort
themselves when emotional
nurturing is needed. In times
of stress, dieting lends a
sense of control and accom
plishment. Binging and purg
ing provide a temporary es
cape from hunger, anger,
loneliness, anxiety, and bore
dom.
In today’s society, where
being thin Is symbolic of suc
cess, beauty, happiness, and
self-confidence, being over
weight can be extremely trau
matic for some people. The
bulimic gets caught up in a
cycle: stress leads to over-eat
ing, over-eating leads to being
over weight, being over
weight leads to a perceived
life of failure, and as this per
ception leads to additional
stress, the cycle continues.
People with bulimia soon dis
cover a method of intervening
this cycle. They realize that
they can “have their cake and
not have it too.” This means
that they can consume high
quantities of high caloric food
for the purpose of stress re
duction and then purge them
selves with self-induced vom
iting, laxatives, and diuretics.
By getting rid of the food in
their bodies, bulimics feel
that they are also getting rid
of their anxiety and guilt. With
this lifestyle of binging and
purging, it appears that they
have control over their weight
and their life. But what at first
seems to be a simple weight
control method eventually
leads to a compulsive habit
that, itself, takes control over
their life. This type of lifestyle
is inevitably full of guilt, fear,
loneliness, and depression.
And, in addition to the emo
tional problems that exist, se
rious physiological problems
including kidney failure, liver
damage, tooth decay, esopha
gus rupture, and heart attack
can occur. Moreover, if left
untreated, death may occur.
For those who believe that
they have bulimia, or other
eating disorders, it is impor
tant for them to realize that
there is hope for recovery,
that they are not alone, and
that there are people who care
and understand. Numerous or
ganizations and contacts are
available for help but help can
not be obtained if the disorder
is kept a secret. Having an
eating disorder is a serious
matter. Don’t fool yourself
into thinking otherwise. Make
a plan of action today that will
lead to a lifestyle of eating for
the right reasons.
•pPricilla Freeman
Anxiety is secretive. He does not trust any
one, not even his friends: Worry, Terror,
Doubt, and Panic. He has a way of glombing
onto your skin like smog, and then you feel
unclean. He likes to visit me late at night when I am
alone and exhausted. I have never slept with him, but
he kissed rne on the forehead once, and I had a head
ache for two years. He is sure a nuisance to get out
of the house. He has no respect for locks or curtains
or doors. I speak from experience. It takes cunning to
get rid of him, a combination of anger, humor and self
respect. A bath helps too. He does not like to get wet.
As a last resort, if you are not near a bathtub, wet
your face with tears—
J. Ruth Gendler
The Book of Qualities:
Turquoise Mountain Publications, 1988
I EVENT —
i Perception l
r ■>
■ STRESS
Every so often it hits—the unbal
ance syndrome—or how can every
thing be fit into a 24 hour day?
There are an array of sports to
choose from, clubs and groups to
join, not to mention the all impor
tant social life! Study???? Who
has time for that! Trying to juggle
a schedule that accommodates the
social intellectual balance can at
times culminate in stress.
Before stress can be adequately
managed, it is important to under
stand the basic stress theory. To
begin with, there are actual events
which activate stress. In school we
seem to draw our stress from the
following categories: environmen
tal stressors, the exams and dead
lines we are constantly faced with
along with transitions in living situ
ations and friendships; psychologi
cal stressors, which include the
thought processes and feelings;
and physiological stressors; not
enough sleep, inadequate nutrition
and little or no exercise. Much of
our stress is derived from the psy
chological realm and is related to
communicating with others and es
tablishing relationships.
These stressors combined with
our perception of the event will de
termine if the stressors are posi
tive or negative. For example, if
you sense or interpret that writing
a term paper is an event similar to
medieval torture because in the
past you have waited until two
days before it was due to begin,
then you may very well view writ
ing term papers as a source of neg
ative stress. On the other hand, if
you plan your time well and begin
your work early on, a term paper is
reframed as an avenue for creativi
ty, a new learning opportunity, a
challenge—a positive form of
stress.
Our belief systems are internal
processes that are developed over
long periods of time. They are de
rived from the “live messages”
that we internalize. Belief systems
are analogous to windows through
which we view our world. They
cause us to think, feel and act in a
certain pattern. There are positive
belief systems and negative belief
systems. One is self-supporting
while the other is a source of un
due stress. Negative belief sys
tems are usually unrealistic and
destructive messages that play
over and over in our heads, setting
impossible standards and distort
ing talents and strengths. The term
paper example exemplifies this:
some fare well with such a task
while others feel utter doom. It is
possible to alter these negative be
lief systems, but first, they must
be identified.
The ultimate event in the stress
response is the actual reaction:
stress. When we are confronted
with a stressor, we may react with
fear, anger, hostility, joy, pain, sad
ness, depression, drug or alcohol
abuse, overeating, etc. The impor
tant thing to keep in mind is that
we do have choices in how we re
act. If we do poorly on an exam, of
course the reaction will be disap
pointment, sadness, etc. but there
is a choice in whether we go on
and try to improve on our next
exam. Remaining upset and resign
ing to defeat only hinders the po
tential for future improvement.
Stress is how we act after we
have given meaning to the event or
how we perceive the event. If a
friend has misplaced a book that
we let them use, we can either in
terpret the friend’s action as a per
sonal attack, certain that they were
out to ruin our day or we may de
cide not to waste our energy on an
event that cannot be reversed. Eas
ier said than done, so it seems, the
crucial link in stress is perception.
Where are your “perceptions”
plugging you into the stress equa
tion? This is the first step—to re
think stress and enjoy a little less
of it!