Stress and Your Health--You Have More Control Than You Think!
Ever feel that your stress is making you sick, and you have little control over that sad fact?Plenty of research has shown a link between psychological stress and subsequent illness--we experience greater stress when facing illness, to be sure, but there's also a direct link between experiencing stress and experiencing compromised health. However, we also know that not everyone experiences stress the same, and the same level of stress can impact people differently (based on their personality, the way they view and respond to their stressors, and other factors).
Now recent research shows that the level of control we feel (our locus of control), and how capable we feel ourselves to be (our level of self-efficacy) can alter the degree to which stress impacts our health.
This is very good news!
That means that not only do certain actions we take have an impact on our overall level of stress and wellness, but our belief in our ability to take those actions and create those changes can also have an effect. As if we needed more reasons for maintaining a positive outlook on life or a 'can-do attitude', here we have them!
So if you're feeling less in-control-of-your-life than you'd like to be, or if you're feeling at the mercy of the stressors in your life, let this inspire you to make small changes in your actions and your outlook. Today is the day! The following resources can help:
- Do You Feel In Control Of Your Life? Test Your Locus Of Control
- How To Create an Internal Locus of Control
- Positive Affirmations for Self-Efficacy
- Stress and Positive Thinking
- How Stress Affects Your Health
- How To Become Emotionally Resilient
Source:
Roddenberry A, Renk K. Locus of Control and Self-Efficacy: Potential Mediators of Stress, Illness, and Utilization of Health Services in College Students. Child Psychiatry Human Development, March 5, 2010.
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Stress Relief for Students
With the school year coming to a close and finals approaching, students can feel more stress than any other time of year! It can be challenging to know how to strike the right balance between doing things that relieve stress and putting your all into studying and working hard to earn the most important grades of the year. The following resources can help you to know what to focus on, what to avoid, and how to keep your head cool through the process of finals. Stress not, students! Help is here:
- Study Tips for Midterms and Finals
- Studying and Test-Taking Traps to Avoid
- Success Tips for Studying and Test-Taking
- How To Manage Test Anxiety and Do Better On Exams
- Stress Relievers for Students
What are your best stress relief, studying and test-taking tips for students? What worked (or works) best for you? Share your wisdom in the comments section.
FAQ: How Can I Clear My Mind?
I frequently get questions from readers, and sometimes I add them to the FAQs section. Here's the latest:
"Sometimes when I have conflicts with people in my life, I find myself replaying conversations in my mind, thinking about what was said and what I'd like to say, imagining hypothetical situations in my head, talking to friends about it over and over and generally making myself miserable. Is this ultimately helpful, and if not, how can I stop?"
This is a common question because many, many people experience rumination, and it is generally stressful. We may start by trying to solve a problem, and end up focusing so much on the problem that we miss finding solutions, and we cause additional stress by stewing in anger. It can be a slippery slope. Here is what you can do to feel better, without getting trapped in our stressful thoughts:
Read About How To Clear Your Mind
Rumination Resources You've Got To Try
Quiz: Do You Ruminate Too Much?
Do you work to solve your problems, or are you just dwelling on them? Or are you one of the lucky few who finds it easy to just let it all go? Take the Rumination Quiz and find resources for positive change!
FAQ: "How Should I Deal With Negative Emotions?"
Don't know what to do with feelings of frustration, stress and anger that creep in and occupy your thoughts? Here's some help for this common predicament.
How Rumination Affects Your Life
When your mind just won't let go of a stressful situation, it prolongs your experience of stress and robs you of pleasure in the present moment. And that's not all! Learn about the various ways rumination affects you physically and emotionally.
What Are You Stewing About?
Are you preoccupied with the stresses of your life? Discuss it in the comments!
Simple Stress Relief--Just Put Your Mind To It!
Benefits of Mindfulness
Mindfulness carries many benefits with it. Learn more about why this practice is now being used recommended by therapists everywhere, and what it might do for you.
Mindfulness Exercises for Stress Relief
After learning about the sometimes-surprising benefits of mindfulness, you may want to get started right away. Here are some simple ways to work mindfulness into your life.
Meditation Techniques To Try
Meditation carries too many benefits not to try it, but many people shy away from the idea for various reasons. This article tells you of the benefits of meditation, and suggests different types to try--give it a shot and see if there's a meditation technique here that could work well for you!
New Happiness Resources
The pursuit of happiness is one that beckons most of us, especially those of us who are dealing with stress in our lives. The following happiness resources incorporate new information on happy people, and how to get more happiness in your life in a matter of minutes.
Secrets of Happy People
What benefits do happy people enjoy, how are they all similar, and what makes happy people so darn happy? Get answers to these questions and more!
Shortcuts to Happiness
Most of us do specific things in our lives to increase our happiness levels in the future, but what are some things you can do to feel more happiness right now? This article will tell you.
How To Be Happy
Here's a step-by-step approach to help you build a lifestyle that's more conducive to happiness.
What Makes You Happy?
It's virtually impossible to be stressed when you're happy, so I guess you could say that happiness is a great stress reliever. Read a partial list of things that make me happy, and share what makes YOU happy?
Several of these resources and more are included in today's Stress Management Newsletter. Sign up, and see what else this site has to offer today!
Three Important Lives To Be Remembered
In the past week, there were several losses covered in the news. We lost a great athlete when we lost Junior Seau, we lost an artist and humanitarian in Adam Yauch, and we lost a beautiful baby girl and all the potential that came with her when baby Avery Canahauti succumbed to an incurable congenital illness after capturing the hearts of millions. These people were all quite different from each other, and each will be sorely missed. Each of these losses hurt not only the families and loved ones left behind, but many, many people whose lives were touched by these lives. And each of them brings us something valuable even in death. Though we may dearly wish these people were still here, we can honor their memories by appreciating what they left in their passing. Losses like these hit different people in unique ways, so I can only speak for myself in how this impacted me. (If you would like to add what these people meant to you, please feel free to share your sentiments in the comments section below.)
I have been a fan of the Beastie Boys for a long time. While their music isn't for everyone (though most of my friends loved it), Adam "MCA" Yauch was a groundbreaking musician as well as a humanitarian. He fought for Tibetan freedom, and worked at making the world a better place. He lost a nearly three-year battle with cancer approximately a month after being inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and will be missed by his fans for quite some time (especially me). His contribution to music and his humanitarian work can remind us of the impact that one person can make, and how we can all make a difference in the world if we choose to. His death can remind us of the importance of not giving up in our search for a cure to cancer. (The cancer fundraiser Relay For Life is coming up in many areas. To learn more about what you can do, visit this resource from About.com Cancer.)
For me, Junior Seau's death from suicide is a tragedy, and a reminder. When we lost Junior, we lost a wonderful sports hero (he was a hall-of-famer, and played for my hometown, San Diego for many successful years, as well as for the New England Patriots), and this is a great loss. His life can be an inspiration for athletes and people everywhere, as we all strive toward goals that are important to us. However, his death can also serve as a reminder that depression can be more common that we may realize, and that we don't always know what personal demons others may be fighting. He had loved ones in his life, but must have felt overwhelmed, and unable to keep going. We must remember to be kind of others, and gentle with ourselves. We also need to encourage others to get help if they may need it, and remember to get help for ourselves if we ever feel we're in over our heads. It is horrible that these important truths are being brought up in response to such a tragedy, but it would be worse if this type of loss happened again if there was any chance it could have been prevented. (To learn more about depression, visit About.com Depression.)
Finally, if you haven't heard of Baby Avery, this story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Avery was born with a rare and terminal condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. When her parents were told she had less than 18 months to live, they were devastated, as any parents would be. However, they took their pain and impending loss and turned it into something beautiful that would also raise awareness of the disease and hopefully bring us closer to a cure one day: they took to the blogsphere and created Avery's Bucket List. This was a list of experiences they thought little Avery would want to have while she still had time left. The list items ranges from mundane (like "have a bad hair day" and "play with play-dough") to the exciting, "swim with dolphins" and "throw out the first pitch at a baseball game"). At only a few months old, this remarkable little girl and her amazing parents had captured the hearts of many, many people, and the blog detailing her adventures had attracted millions of page views as well. Although her journey ended much sooner than everyone had hoped--she was just five months old--her story demonstrates something important for all of us to remember. First, her parents were extremely wise and strong to take the gut-wrenching reality of her situation and focus so strongly on the beauty and potential of her brief life, rather than the of the fact that it would be cut so tragically short. This can serve as an inspiration to every one of us, as we face pain and loss in our own lives. We always have the choice to focus on the positive aspects of a situation rather than the negative, even if the negatives are heavy and crushing. It was also beautiful that they were able to raise awareness for a disease that needs more resources behind it for a cure to be found. But ultimately, with everything they did, they brought smiles to many hearts as they showed all the wonderful things that can be done with a too-short amount of time. They also reminded us of all the things in life we take for granted or even fail to appreciate: the ball games we can attend, the artistic creations we can make, the bad hair days we are lucky enough to have. (To learn more about Avery's story, you can read her blog here.)
These stories remind me that each of us touches the lives of others in life, and each of us can make a difference in the time we have here. These stories also remind me of one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Seuss, which is eloquent and wise: "Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened."
Quizzes | Ongoing Resources
The Link Between Gratitude and Happiness
Apparently, psychologist Jeff Larsen from Texas Tech University and Amie McKibban of Wichita State University wondered the same thing, and set out to test the theory! They studied college students and their attitudes toward one major possession: their cars. Students with cars were asked to rate how much they wanted the car they had; students without cars rated how much they wanted the car they didn't have.
The results, published in Psychological Science, prove what we all know: that people can become accustomed to what they have, appreciate their possessions less as the novelty wears off, and therefore derive less happiness from their possessions as time goes by. However, they also found that it's possible to continue to want the things you have, and that doing so can, in fact, bring greater happiness! In short, they proved that happiness is both wanting what you have and having what you want.
"Simply having a bunch of things is not the key to happiness," Larsen said in a prepared statement. "Our data show that you also need to appreciate those things you have. It's also important to keep your desire for things you don't own in check."
So how does one maintain an attitude of gratitude for possessions already owned? In my experience, maintaining a gratitude journal is key. If you write down what you're grateful for at the end of the day, you get into the habit of noticing what you appreciate and why, strengthening your appreciation for what you have in your daily life. It also takes the focus away from things you want but don't yet have. If you don't keep a journal, there are other ways of developing an attitude of gratitude, which is so important for happiness and stress relief.
Also, let's not forget the other finding in this research: while happiness is connected with wanting what you have, having what you want factors in as well, so don't give up on your goal-setting! Going after a goal (with the right attitude) can be exciting, and achieving what you want has its own obvious rewards. Here are some effective goal setting tips to help you find happiness, get what you want, and do so with less stress.
More Articles on Happiness and Gratitude:
Elaborate on your answer to the poll in the comments section, if you like!
Source:
Larsen JT, McKibban AR. Is happiness having what you want, wanting what you have, or both? Psychological Science April, 2008.
Quizzes | Ongoing Resources
Make The Most of the Weekend!
While many responsible adults have adult-sized responsibilities that make it easy to put fun on the low end of the priorities list, letting your inner child come out to play can keep you feeling vital and happy. There are many benefits of having good old fun, so read on and get inspired to play and relax today (even if just for a short time) and see how you feel.
Read about the Stress Management Benefits Of Fun, and see how to make the most of the weekend, and every other day of the week as well!
So, after looking at some of the "why"s of having fun, let's look at the "how"s. How can we all get more fun into our lifestyles? It's simpler than you may think, if you make fun a priority. Here are some ideas:
Take A 'PlayCation' For Stress Relief
Related Resources
Fun Stress Relievers
How can you relieve stress by having fun? Here are some ideas to try!
Top Hobbies for Stress Relief
Certain activities are worth the time you put into them, just for the fun and stress relief you can get out of them. Here are some of my top picks for stress-relieving hobbies.
How To Maintain a Sense of Humor
Laughing at the stressors you face is one of the best ways to rob them of their difficulty. Here are some strategies for maintaining a sense of humor in life, and having more fun as you go.
Share Your Thoughts:
Do you feel that you have enough fun in your life? What do you do for fun? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
Quizzes | Ongoing Resources
How To Make Everything Seem Less Stressful
This may be easier said than done (like everything in life), but if you know what changes make a difference, you may begin to notice when you are following patterns that increase stress, you may notice new opportunities for changing your experience, and you will be well on your way to feeling less stressed in your daily life.
The following resources can help quite a bit:
Change Your Locus Of Control
People who feel that they're not in control of their lives tend to feel much more stressed by many situations than they would feel if they thought they had choices. Read more to learn the specifics, and find ways to bring more control to your experience, even if you can't make big changes at this time.
Begin a Meditative Practice
Those who meditate or pray regularly have been shown to experience less of a stressed reaction to the events in their lives. They're able to be in situations without feeling as stressed or threatened, and they can relieve the stress that they do experience, on a regular basis. Learn more about meditation and what it can do for you.
Maintain a Sense of Humor
You can make life more fun as well as less stressful (for yourself and others) by honing your sense of humor and your ability to laugh in the face of stress instead of reacting with fear or other stress responses. Learn more about this option.
Catch and Change Your Cognitive Distortions
We all have a natural tendency to distort things in our heads to relieve stress, but sometimes these defense mechanisms can create more stress than they manage. Those who learn to spot their own distortions and endeavor to see the world more clearly ultimately have an advantage in terms of less overall stress. Learn more about cognitive distortions and how they affect stress.
How to Cope With Emotional Stress
Here are some of my readers' best suggestions. I invite you to read them all and share your own.
Quizzes | Ongoing Resources