COLLEGE STATION – The phone is ringing...the kids are whining...the dog is barking... the sink is backing up...the boss is calling...the car is stalling...the spouse is demanding...the dinner is burning...
Stress is a fact of life. Can't escape from it. But, said Dr. Rosemarie Hoffman, assistant professor and Texas Agricultural Extension Service specialist in individual and family development, stress doesn't have to be so ... well, stressful.
Life has always been stressful, she said, but wasn't always called "stress." It might have been referred to as "nervousness" or "jitters," or some other term.
"But it is increasing and not necessarily just because of our computer society," Hoffman said. "Our time schedules, demands on work hours, increased demand from family ... all take a toll on bodies and minds in the form of stress."
And stress knows no limits, Hoffman added. "Everybody is feeling more stressed."
The good news is, she said, "There are so many things you can do (to reduce stress) that don't cost a penny."
Hoffman quoted information from the National Institute for Mental Health, which stated that, according to research, one in 10 Americans were living under extraordinary stress, such as death in the family or divorce; 5 percent of the world's population buys more than one-third of all the anxiety pills sold in the world – to the tune of an estimated $2.3 billion – and in any given year, about 10 million Americans are seeing some kind of mental health professional; and half of all health care dollars spent in this country are for stress-related disorders.
Stress, Hoffman points out, dates back to primitive times when "fight or flight" instincts meant the difference between life and death. Now, however, those same instincts – the ones triggered by stressors in daily life – cause adrenalin levels to increase and stay that way. The result can be physical symptoms of stress, such as headaches, backaches, muscle aches, increase or decrease of appetite, high blood pressure, diarrhea or constipation; or emotional symptoms such as anger or rage.
Stress reducers help bring adrenalin levels back to normal and help relieve some of those symptoms.
"There are several things that will reduce stress," Hoffman said, including taking time for hobbies, quiet music or even a soothing bubble bath.
Even something as simple as changing tone of voice can help.
"If you start speaking slower, everyone in the family will start to slow down," she said.
Quiet time is vital to health – and that doesn't mean vegging in front of the television. "Watching TV all the time can create a lot of stress," Hoffman said. "You need to do some kind of activity – exercise, hobbies, music – something that will take your mind away from everything (stressful) that's happening around you."
Physical movement is not only good for health, but it's a great way to lessen tension, she said. "Exercise has an extremely important part in reducing stress because (through exercise) the body can wear off some of the built-up energy" caused by the stress in the first place.
But it must be the right kind of exercise, Hoffman warned, because "a lot of people are not doing the right kind of exercise, and it's just making them more tense. You've got to find something you like to do" in order to get the most benefit from it.
"Basically, do things you really like to do," whether it's gardening or jogging or making pottery. To be a stress-reducer, the activity must be enjoyable.
Dr. Dorothy James, assistant professor and Extension specialist in family life, said her choice of stress-reducer varies from day to day. "I walk, snack ... or go into the kitchen and start doing dinner preparations."
Her husband, she said, uses gardening and yard work as his way to combat stress.
The workday is an enormous source of stress, but Hoffman had some tips for reducing stress on the job too.
"Make sure you take your breaks," Hoffman said. "Get totally away from the situation in order for the body to slow down. Take a walk, get out of the office even if it's just down the hall. Take your full allotted time for lunch and eat very slowly."
Running errands during the lunch hour will increase stress, she added, because of the limited time available and the need to get back to work on time.
Organizing the work flow will help make the day go easier too, Hoffman said. She recommended prioritizing tasks into the ones that must be done today, the ones that can be put off until tomorrow and the ones that can wait a while longer.
"That way the most important ones will be done while you are at your peak," Hoffman said.
Cutting down on caffeine intake will help reduce stress too, she said, as will eating slowly, because the digestive system will work smoother – stomach upsets will be less frequent.
"And if you are able to, take five or 10 or 15 minutes naps (that will) help you get rid of a lot of stress," Hoffman said.
The bottom line is: "The environment doesn't cause stress – we cause stress," Hoffman said. "It's how we deal with the environment ourselves that causes stress, not the things around us. I think we are making ourselves into perfectionists when we don't necessarily have to be perfectionists. That's a socially inherited disease."
Hoffman herself has a favorite stress-reducer. "One of the things I do is day dream. I take five minutes and day dream" about a pleasant memory or plan.
"If we allow ourselves to do more daydreaming about pleasant things, not-so-pleasant things would not be so disturbing," Hoffman said.
Unfortunately, she went on, society frowns on day dreaming as being unproductive, "but in reality, it's very productive when it comes to stress (reduction)."
One stress-reducer that can be used just about any time and anywhere, Hoffman said, is to "tense all of your muscles for a count of five, and them let them relax. Do this a few times and your muscles become very relaxed."
For long-term stress reduction, Dr. Linda Ladd, associate professor and Extension specialist in family life, suggested finding the source of the stress and understanding why it is a stressor. "Events can't cause us stress unless we give them meaning," she said.
For more information on stress and how to fight it, visit the Texas A&M University's Family Development and Resource Management Web site at http://fcs.tamu.edu.