Reducing Stress
| Subject: | 🧓🏼 Personal Experience |
| Type: | Reflective Essay |
| Pages: | 2 |
| Word count: | 603 |
| Topics: | Personal Challenges, Exercise, Stress |
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Today, stress seems part and parcel of life and it is true to say that every living thing experiences stress. Stress affects both adults and children and it comes with extreme pressure both internally and externally. Stress is how the brain responds to demands such as work, school, exercise or distressing events (NIMH, 2017). Although stress can be detrimental to one’s health, not all stress is bad. As a matter of fact, it can be used to motivate people to perform, for example, prepare adequately for a job interview. In some cases, it can prepare the body to face threating situations hence save a life. This paper seeks to discuss about stress and ways of reducing it from a personal experience.
During my final year in high school, I experienced a great deal of stress. I was required to sit for my final exams at the end of the year which was fast approaching yet I had read very little. Throughout my final year, I was involved in a lot of co-curricular activities such that I had very little time for reading. My grades dropped significantly and I felt I had to catch up. My final exams were just two months away and realizing I had a lot to read with very little time, I felt sick. I was rushed home then taken to the hospital where I stayed for a week. The doctor told me I had ulcers and upon further inquiry discovered I was a final year student suffering from immense stress.
I was given medication and started doing light physical exercises to decrease the amount of stress I had. Additionally, I decided to set goals and a new reading plan which would suit me. Therefore, I had to reschedule and devote more time to my books. Apart from these efforts, I took short breaks and ensured that every night I slept for a minimum of seven hours which ensured I woke up fresh and relaxed to study. Lastly, I opened up to my parents on what was stressing me and they managed to advise me.
The methods I used greatly helped in reducing stress as I was able to study well and improve my grades. The setting of goals and priorities helped me to be orderly and thus approach things in a relaxed manner, which ensured lesser chances of getting stressed. Moreover, doing regular exercises helped to boost my mood, increase blood circulation thereby reducing my stress levels. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (2017), relaxation techniques can be used to counteract the ill effects of stress. Relaxation techniques include sports and yoga which combine breathing and focusing attention on positive thoughts thereby calming the body (NCCIH, 2017)
I believe the methods supported in the article are accurate and help in reducing stress levels. This is because the techniques explained are practical and effective. Techniques such as setting of goals and doing exercises have been supported which are in line with my own stress reduction techniques.
Conclusion
Stress is part of life as certain daily occurrences can easily lead to it. It is therefore important to know ways of coping with stress and reducing it since it can be harmful to one’s health. There are many ways of reducing stress, starting from simple breathing exercises to light physical exercises. Taking part in relaxation activities, for instance, is one of the most effective ways of dealing with stress as it helps induce positive thoughts hence calming the body.
- NIMH » 5 Things You Should Know About Stress. (2017). Nimh.nih.gov.
- NCCIH. (2017). Stress.
Offered for reference purposes only.