Get more Balanced: De-stress your life!

1. Get more Balanced:De-stress your life!

2. Are you feeling too busy? 1. STRETCH Sitting upright on a chair, and keeping your back straight, extend your arms in front of you as far as possible. Hold for ten seconds. Repeat, with your arms behind you. Then hold on to the sides of your chair and push your body upwards. Feel your spine stretch. Hold for ten. Now stretch arms to the ceiling, to release tension in back and shoulders. Relax and shake your arms. 2. USE SCENT TO IMPROVE YOUR MOOD Certain aromas are thought to activate the production of the brain’s feel-good chemical serotonin (although one recent research study suggests that the benefits claimed for aromatherapy may derive from the power of suggestion. Ed.). Drip a few drops of the following aromatherapy oils on a tissue to sniff when you feel stress levels rising: jasmine, neroli, lavender, chamomile, vetiver, clary sage.

3. Mess creates confusion and a sense of loss of power. If your desk/home/car is messy and disorganized, have a good clear out and tidy up. You’ll instantly feel more in control. 3. DE-CLUTTER 4. CHANGE THE HABIT Many stresses are habitual. If you start to feel anxious or stressed out, do something out of character. Stop what you’re doing and do something else. Or take a minute to take stock and work out why you’re feeling uptight. 5. THINK POSITIVE Use ‘affirmations’ – positive strands of thought put into words. Repeating, “I am a loving and much loved person”, can work wonders. Say it and believe it. And it will become true.

4. Relieving your Pressures 1. KEEP A DIARY Keep a list – for at least a fortnight – of events, times, places, and people that seem to make you feel more stressed. You will probably be surprised to find that a pattern soon emerges; and this may be linked to time pressure, personality clashes, inappropriate demands or simply trying to do too many things at once. Once you have identified your pressure points you can move on to the following situations… 2. TALK Talk through your diary with a good friend or your partner – even the act of discussing things often makes you feel better. Ask for impartial advice as to how to ease the problems that you have discovered, or choose the sort of stressful situations that you have identified in which to use the following relaxation techniques:

5. *Practice deep-breathing techniques such as slowly inhaling while counting to five; hold your breath for five seconds then breath out slowly. Repeat this 10 times when feeling stressed, concentrating on nothing but your breathing. *Stretch the muscles of your neck and shoulders by keeping your shoulders level and trying to touch each shoulder with your ear. Look right up at the ceiling, down at the floor and then rotate each shoulder in wide circle. Repeat five times. Open and close your jaw widely after each time since stress often causes tenseness in the jaw area. *Take time out. For five minutes every hour, try to ‘shut down’ and think of nothing but your perfect situation. This could be a dream holiday, ideal partner or simply thinking about nothing at all. You will be surprised at how effectively this can lower stress levels. 3. LEARN HOW TO RELAX 4. EXERCISE REGULARLY You do not have to be a gym freak to get the stress-beating benefits of exercise. Even 20 minutes of brisk walking three times a week will help to reduce stress as well as promoting restful sleep.

6. 5. PLAN BREAKS IN YOUR DAY The aim here is to allow time for the unexpected (which, as we all know, will happen!). Get up 15 minutes earlier than you think you need to and prepare for the day without rushing. Even better, get things ready the night before. Try to have 20 minutes in the morning and afternoon that is exclusively ‘your’ time, in which you can do whatever you want, even if it is simply sitting doing nothing. Look forward to these times when things get busy and if you are unable to use them always remember to ‘catch up’ later.

7. What is Stress? Stress is the “wear and tear” our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive or negative feelings. As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action’ it can result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. As a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomach, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. With the death of a loved one, the birth of a child, a job promotion, or a new relationship, we experience stress as we readjust our lives. In so adjusting to different circumstances, stress will help or hinder us depending on how we react to it.

8. Ten Rules to Sleep Better • Sleep as much as needed to feel refreshed and healthy during the following day, but not more. Curtailing time in bed a bit seems to solidify sleep: excessively long times in bed seem related to fragmented and shallow sleep. • A regular arousal time in the morning seems to strengthen circadian cycling and to finally lead to regular times of sleep onset. • A steady daily amount of exercise probably deepens sleep over the long run, but occasional one-shot exercise does not directly influence sleep during the following night. • Occasional loud noises (e.g., aircraft fly-overs) disturb sleep even in people who do not awaken because of the noises and cannot remember them in the morning. Sound-proofing the bedroom might be advisable for people who have to sleep close to excessive noise. • Although an excessively warm room disturbs sleep, there is no evidence that an excessively cold room solidifies sleep, as has been claimed.

9. Hunger may disturb sleep. A light bedtime snack (especially warm milk or similar drink) seems to help many individuals sleep. • An occasional sleep pill may be of some benefit, but the chronic use of hypnotics is ineffective at most and detrimental in some insomniacs. • Caffeine in the evening disturbs sleep, even in persons who do not feel it does. • Alcohol helps tense people to fall asleep fast, but the ensuing sleep is then fragmented. • Rather than trying harder and harder to fall asleep during a poor night, switching on the light and doing something else may help the individual who feels angry, frustrated, or tense about being unable to sleep. • Current Concepts: The Sleep Disorders. By Peter Hauri, The Upjohn Co., 1977

10. Alcohol, Sleep, and Learning College students may think that moderate drinking has no effects on learning and health. As little as one drink, however, can impair a person’s ability to get a good nights sleep, which can lead to more significant problems. Most people find that a drink or two before bed helps them fall asleep faster. This may be true. However, as alcohol is metabolized during the night, sleep becomes progressively lighter and more disturbed. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep may also be particularly effected. Disturbances of sleep lead to fatigue and sleepiness during the day. The more one drinks, the faster the person will fall asleep, but the likelihood of sleep disturbances increases. Alcohol consumed up to 6 hours before bedtime can affect sleep patterns, increasing the longevity of disturbances alcohol causes in the body’s sleep cycles.

11. The average adult sleeps for 8 hours a night, though different people may “need” more or less sleep. People who do not get enough sleep are more susceptible to: • Depression disorders • Learning impairment • Irritability • Poor concentration • Coordination/performance impairment • Decreased cognitive abilities • Memory deficits • Impaired social and occupational function • Medical conditions such as heart disease Lack of sleep and alcohol consumption are common occurrences in a college student’s life. Many college students are significantly sleep-deprived. The adverse effects of alcohol on sleep magnify this effect. Both of these practices can have negative effects on cognitive abilities, especially when paired together. Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Alcohol and Sleep. Available at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov.

12. Coping with Exams and Exam Anxiety • For most students, exam time is particularly stressful. Paradoxically, many students attempt to deal with this stress in ways that are counter-productive or even self-defeating; their behavior and attitudes tend to diminish their performance on exams rather than enhance it. • While there is no guarantee for an easy time on exams, there are some specific guidelines that students can follow which will help them learn more efficiently during exam time. • Remember that you are not alone: almost everyone gets somewhat anxious at exam time. • It is clear that it does NOT help to put added stress on yourself by: • Keeping irregular hours • Pulling all-nighters • Eating irregularly or eating junk food • Relying on ineffective learning strategies.

13. Guidelines: • Try to stay on a reasonably regular schedule of reviewing, eating, sleeping, and relaxing. Start at least a week, or preferably two, before exams begin. • Don’t attempt to study 24 hours a day; your efficiency and capacity to retain material will rapidly decrease. • Don’t force yourself to study beyond your normal limits of concentration. If you find yourself able to concentrate for only ten or twenty minutes, study for only that period of time and then take a short break. Your concentration should return. In fact, short and regular study periods are more productive than lengthy single sessions. • Eat a well-balanced diet and drink lots of fluids. Excessive amounts of coffee may produce confusion and even disorganization of thought processes.

14. Don’t use drugs or alcohol – they can decrease your ability to think clearly. Take medication only under the supervision of a physician. • Be conservative and reasonable about the demands you place on yourself. • If you have a problem you believe will interfere with taking your exams, be sure to notify your professor. • Contact the Academic Skills Center for additional suggestions and advice.

15. De-Stressors Keep a planner or calendar Do art: paint a picture, color with crayons, etc. Bake cookies downstairs in the kitchen Eat more nutritiously Do your nails

16. De-Stressors Take a dog for a walk (take a head resident’s) Go for a run Go for a walk in the Arb Play your favorite CD Take a shower

17. De-Stressors Call an old friend from home Chat with a friend Get better sleep at night Read a magazine Take a nap

19. Nutrition Tips for Students Away From Home • Don’t skip meals (especially breakfast) • Include a fruit or vegetable for each meal • Practice portion control • Limit late night snakes • Choose your drinks wisely • Above all…Exercise Information from the Yale-New Haven Hospital – hotline $: 203-688-2422