t
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
S pilyay T ymoo
J
How to handle school stress
EXTENSION
It’s a typical Tuesday in home
room. Tom flops into his seat
and yawns, “W hat a boring day.
I’d give anything for a cigarette.”
“Me, too,” Carla replies. “I ’ve
got to pass a history test in fif
teen minutes.” Then she’s back
to her notes, cramming furiously.
Jackie bounds in and tells
Cheryl, “The tryouts are at three
o’ clock today! If I can make the
team this year I might have a
chance at an athletic scholar
ship. I ’ve just go to make it.”
‘’Just do your best,” Cheryl
says. “You have a good chance.
But, I know I ’m not going to
college on an athletic scholar
How do you make it through use as a full meal other times of ship. In fact, the way my grades
the holiday without putting on the year. Sandwiches can be a are going, I may not be going to
twenty pounds and overspend good quick meal. A nother one college at all.”
Which student above is deal
ing your food budget? The an might be soup and cheese toast.
swer is to change the way you S om ething light, som ething ing with the most stress? Maybe
eat.
quick, something to take the you’d pick Jackie, who’s facing
During the holidays there are push off the whole holiday sea im portant tryouts, or Carla,
about to be quizzed in her worst
lots of meals, heavy meals, peo son.
ple are in a hurry, and it would
O r you could cut back to two subject. Sure they’re under stress,
be the perfect time to do some meals a day. That way less time but so is bored apathetic Tom,
alternative kinds of meals: per is required for food prepara and Cheryl who’s feeling frus
haps breakfast for dinner-pan- tion, so more time is available trated and discouraged. Stress
cakes and eggs are a good selec to spend with loved ones, and to can come at you in all kinds of
ways, ranging from high anx
tion. You might want to do enjoy holiday festivities.
iety to a down-in-the-dumps
something that you might not
depression.
Any situation, positive or neg
ative, that changes your status
quo will be stressful. Falling in
love or getting into a top college
can be as stressful, in their way,
as quarreling with your best
When home gardening activ
Gasoline engines should be friend or failing to get a term
ities begin winding down in the drained of gas and make sure all
paper in on time.
fall, d on’t forget to clean and the fuel is removed from the
In school as in life, stress is
store equipment before retreat carburetor and gas lines. This
inevitable, and th a t’s not neces
ing indoors for the winter.
will prevent buildup of gum sarily bad. Consider:
Equipment that receives care from gasoline evaporation in
♦W ithout the pressure of an
will last longer and require less the lines.
upcoming exam, few of us would
repair. In the long run, properly
Engine oil that is old and buckle down and really learn a
maintained garden tools make dirty should be changed. Re
subject.
gardening easier and more effi move the engine’s spark plug
♦The tension we feel before a
cient.
and squirt a small am ount of oil test or a tryout—the possibility
Clean and sharpen small hand into the cylinder. Turn the engine of not succeeding or winning
tools before storing them. Be over by hand to make sure the big—makes us try harder and
sure to remove rust spots as well cylinder walls are lubricated be
as dirt. Apply a light coat of oil fore putting the spark plugs
to the tools to protect them back in place.
against rust.
Power equipment parts that
A fter m aking sure garden 3 contact the soil when in .use
hoses are completely drained, should receive a light coat pf oil
D on’t let winter weather keep
coil and hang them from à before going into storage. Bare you out of the garden all winter
curved surface. Hanging hoses metal surfaces should be re long. Keep on gardening out
from a nail or hook causes a painted if the original paint has doors in a coldframe. Use of a
sharp bend to form in the hose been damaged or worn away.
coldframe enables the home gar
that will weaken it and may
“Storing tools in a lockable dener to sow summer flowers
create a leak.
cabinet or closet will keep them and vegetables weeks before out
McNeilan urges home garde safely opt of the way,” McNei door spring planting dates. In
ners to follow manufacturer’s lan says. “ Hanging them from addition, you can start annual
instructions when cleaning po the garage wall is another way flowers for fall and winter, and
wer equipment.
to keep them from under fpot.” perennials for next year’s grow-
Clay Penhollow
M ollie Driscoll
Change the way you eat
Clean garden
equipment for winter
often perform better than we
thought we would.
♦If there was no anxiety about
succeeding, we’d never taste the
joy that comes when we do
realize a prized goal.
♦Even being bored can be a
valuable stress. It can motivate
us to go out and make life more
interesting.
School is a high-stress situa
tion. Your day is controlled by
schedules, bells, and rules. Wheth
er you’re answering questions
in class, taking a quiz, or facing
final exams, you’re being asked
to perform.
As if this weren’t enough, you
begin junior high as a kid and
graduate from high school as an
adult. In between, there are all
kinds of changes—in your body,
your social life, your goals, and
your general outlook. No wonder
school can feel like such a pres
sure cooker!
There’s no point in wishing
stress away or trying to float
above it all. However, there are
ways you can handle the pres
sure, concrete things you can do
to make school life more enjoy
able and prevent everyday stress
from piling up into distress.
What pushes your stress button?
The first step is to get a
clearer picture of pressures that
get to you, whether it’s a partic
ular subject, a difficult teacher,
unanswered questions ab o u t
your future, or too many things
to do in too little time.
Some stress is external; it’s
caused by situations outside you.
If you take five tough subjects,
get three hours of homework a
night, and have a part-tim e job,
that’s a pretty heavy load. Maybe
you’re up for the challenge, but
then something else happens.
Maybe your dad has to go to
the hospital, or your parents
start arguing a lot more, or you
break up with your boy/girl-
friend. Any of these problems
could tip the balance, causing
stress overload.
Some stress is internal; it’s
churned up by feelings and atti-
tudes you carry inside you. For
example, if you bring home a
report card with solid B’s and
your p are n ts— or you your
self—want to see A’s, those expec
tations will color your feelings.
You’ll feel more anxiety than
someone who thinks B’s are just
fine.
Or let’s say you know you’ll
have to choose soon between
college prep and vocational elec
tives, but you keep putting off
even thinking about your future
direction. Eventually, uneasy feel
ings will build up inside. Stress
again.
Coping Patterns
Everyone has their own ways
of dealing with stress. Tom imme
diately wants to light up a ciga
rette. Unfortunately, too many
people turn to smoking, snack
ing, drinking, TV, or even pills
as a way to relax. Carla tends to
procrastinate, avoiding a sub
ject she dislikes, then cramming
to make up for lost time. All of
us look for quick and easy ways
to escape pressure, but avoiding
the issue and relying on stress
activated habits are hot effec
tive solutions.
Jackie may sound jumpy about
her team tryout, but she’s deal
ing with the challenge, and psy
ching herself up for it. Cheryl
may sound as if she’s gripping,
but at least she’s not keeping
her problems locked inside. Shar
ing frustrations with a sympa
thetic friend can be a good first
step in releasing inner tensions.
Better ways to handle stress
Here are eight positive ways
to put pressure in perspective
and take stress in stride:
1. Really Relax—When your
heart is pounding and your hands,
start sweating, that doesn’t mean
you’re about to fall apart. It’s
just a sign that your body has
given you a shot of adrenalin,
so you’re revved up—maybe
overreved—for action. Your best
bet for calming yourself is to
take some slow deep breaths.
Any activity that encourages
deep regular breathing, like jog
ging, swimming, or yoga can
help your body and mind develop
the habit of keeping alert and
calm.
2. D on’t Be a W orry-W art—
Unlike the procrastinator, who’ll
do anything to avoid a problem,
the worry-wart can’t think of
anything but the problems.
Most of the time, worrying
just churns up more anxiety
without accomplishing anything
constructive. A typical worry-
wart decides to take a study
break and watch TV, but feels
too guilty to enjoy the show.
Physical activity, like a walk
around the block, is a good
antidote.
3. S to p M a k in g C o m
parisons—Since school means
grades, it’s hard not to compare
yourself to others. Sometimes
you begin to feel that those
grades or numbers measure you.
D on’t believe it? People are
much more than their test scores.
Grades may be a realistic
guideline of how you’re doing
and where you stand right now,
but they shouldn’t be the sole
measure of yourself. “Constantly
comparing yourself to others is
a way of putting yourself down
and th a t’s destructive.” It starts
with friends who ask “W hatcha
get?” or with parents who say,
“Why aren’t your grades as good
as your brother’s? These kinds
of remarks don’t take your abil
ities or personality into account.”
Coldframes useful for winter gardening
ing season in a coldframe. The
coldframe will protect the plants
from harsh winter weather and
they will grow to transplant size
quickly.
A typical coldframe is a wood
frame box about three by six
feet in size with the back (north
side) higher than the front. The
top is sloped to capture a max
imum of sunlight and allow the
rain to run off.
The top may be either hinged
or removable and can be made
of window sash, storm windows
grass. Because ammonium sul or polyethylene film in a frame.
fate can permanently stain con Polyethylene film may cause a
crete, keep it off sidewalks and few problem s when used in
Western Oregon because it tends
driveways.
Copper sulfate or ferrous am to sag and collect water.
A location that is sunny, well-
monium sulfate are chemicals
that can be used in spray form drained and protected from the
to treat moss-choked lawns. For
best results, dilute the chemicals
according to label directions.
Ferrous ammonium sulfate
can also be used as a dry formu
lation. Apply it at the rate of ten
Almost all foods contain so
pounds, per 1,000 square feet.
dium, an ingredient of salt. Some
M cNeilan cautions home- Americans eat more sodium than
owners to remember that chem they should. A diet that con
ical treatm ent alone will not tains too much sodium may
permanently rid a lawn of moss. lead to a disease called high
A permament solution lies in blood pressure or hypertension.
correcting the condition that
A ham burger alone has very
allowed the moss to become little sodium—about 40 or 50
established in the first place.
milligrams. But by the time a
fastfood re sta u ra n t is done
cooking it and covering it with
special sauces and pickles, the
burger you eat may contain as
much as 1,000 milligrams of
sodium. (Your body needs only
about 250 milligrams a day.) If
you ordered fries and a shake,
you’re getting even more sodium
with your meal.
Fertilizers prevent moss growth
A fall application of fertilizer
on home lawns will keep th‘e
turf healthy and help it resist
invasions of lawn moss.
A complete fertilizer with a
high percentage of nitrogen, such
as 12 t 4-8, is recommended for
the fall application, says Ray
McNeilan, Oregon State Uni-
versity Extension home garden-
ing agent.
It other fertlizer mixtures are
used, apply about one pound of
actual nitrogen per one thou-
sand square feet.
Lawns need phosphate, and
the nitrogen will keep lawn gras
ses green without causing undue
growth that would require mow
ing.
Moss can give a home lawn
the appearance of being in good
condition when in fact it is irra
very poor state of health, accord
ing to McNeilan.
“Moss can become established
in a lawn only when some con
dition is preventing the grass
from growing in a normal health-
y way,” McNeilan says. “Poor
drainage, low fertility, soil com-
paction or too much shade can
all keep grass from growing
normally while at the same time
allowing moss to become estab-
lished.”
To remove moss, first rake
out as much as possible. Then
apply ammonium sulfate at ten
pounds per 1,000 square feet.
Apply the m aterialeither with a
fertilizer spreader or by hand.
This chemical not only kills
moss, but also fertilizes the lawn
wind is ideal for a coldframe.
Good construction will help con
serve the soil heat at night. The
joints of the coldframe should
be as tight as possible. Soil can
be banked up around the sides
to keep the planting area warmer.
Paint the wood surfaces of
the coldframe with a primer and
one or two coats of white paint
to reflect the light.
A wood preservative, such as
two percent copper napthenate,
is safe near plants and can be
used before painting to give
protection against wood rot.
Creosote and pentachlorophenol
will p o iso n th e p la n ts and
shouldn’t be used.
The frame should be 12 inches
in the front (south side) to 18
inches in back. These dimen-
sions may be reduced if desired.
Heat for the frame comes
from the sun. During the night
the heat is gradually lost through
the cover. During the day, the
temperature must be controlled
so it doesn’t get too high (100
degrees F in maximum). Raise
the cover of the frame occas
io n a lly to reduce the tempera
ture inside and provide good air
circulation. Coldframe tem per-.
atures are sometimes not easy
to control. They depend on the
weather and how often the frame
temperature is checked.
Poor air circulation can cause
damping off, mold and botrytis.
The use of a sterile seed medium
such as vermiculite, sand or
other disease-free planting mate
rial helps prevent these problems.
Junk food contains too much salt
Happy snacking
Snack foods can be satisfying
and nutritious and still be com
patible with the sodium and fat
changes you have made in your
diet if you select them carefully.
Fruits and raw vegetables are
good examples of the kinds of
snack foods recommended. They
contain no sodium, fat or cho
lesterol and are low in calories
■
*3®
which should please those who
are watching their weight. On
the other hand, snack foods
such as potato and corn chips,
M
.. _
.
■
chocolate candy, salty crackers,
JXimble fingers and concentration
buttered popcorn and pizza con-
The name o f the game in the Tuesday night crochet class is to concentrate and coordinatefingers with tain salt and saturated fat and
that concentration. (Pictured left to right) Donna Seyler and Roberta Queaphama two participants of should be avoided.
the class work intently at the art o f the needle work o f crocheting.
There are many possible cho
ices for appetizing snacks:
♦Fruits and juices.
♦Raw vegetables served alone
or with specially prepared dips.
♦Home-fried tortilla shells bro
ken into chip-size pieces and
served with specially prepared
dips.
♦Soda crackers without salt
sprinkled on top, spread with
peanut butter.
♦Skim milk, low-fat yogurt,
low-fat frozen yogurt, sherbet
or ice milk.
♦Cereal.
♦Bread sticks or unsalted pret
zels.
♦Unsalted popcorn flavored
with margarine.
♦Specially prepared hom e
made cookies and cakes.
♦Sandwiches, canapes or tea
sandwiches.
♦ U nsalted n u ts or seeds,
shelled or unshelled.
♦Plain hard candies.
Many of the pre-packaged
snack foods on your grocer’s
shelves contain added salt and
are fried or prepared with satu
rated fat, Reading labels on the
package is the best way to deter
mine whether or not that par
ticular food product is for vou.
Crafts class offered
Learn how to make attrac
tiv e, easy an d in ex p en siv e
Christmas presents, home dec-
oratiori and tree ornament.
Monday December 3,6-8 p.m.
Warm Springs 4-H Center. Spon
sored by the OSU Extension
Service.
Ho Ho homemade for the
holidays, nutritious, easy and
inexpensive quick breads, muf
fins and yeast loaves will be
demonstrated.
Learn how to attractively wrap
these holiday treats for gift
giving.
Karen Smith, W arm Springs
IH S N utritionist and Mollie
Driscoll OSU Extension Agent
will present the inform ation
Thursday December 6,7-9 p.m.
Warm Springs 4-H Center.
Extension happenings
December 3
December 4
Christmas Crafts 6 to 8 p.m. 4-H Center
Budgeting-Putting the pieces together 7-8:30
p.m. 4-H Center
December 6 Ho Ho Homemade For the Holidays 7-9 p.m.
4-H Center
December 18 Share A Salad 12-1:00 p.m. 4-H Center