You have a test in algebra this morning and you did not study for it.

You are
under stress.
You are waiting to hear from your doctor about the results of some tests he
made. You are under stress.
You have four minutes to get to the bus stop, and you cannot find your wallet.
You are under stress.
We are all under stress every day. Without it we would not move, think, get out of
bed or care. We need it...but, we do not need an excess of it.
In order to deal with stress, we must understand how it works so we can learn to
recognize it and cope with it.
We must also learn to recognize when too much stress becomes more than one
can handle alone. Then, help is needed.
What is stress?
Stress is pressure from the outside which makes us feel tense inside. It is
anything that
threaten us
scare us
worry us
prod us
thrill us.
Physical stress
hysical stress can be in the form of an in!ury, a virus, extreme temperature
change, a foreign body, exhaustion or many other irritants.
Psychological stress
Stress is usually some form of a threat to security, self"esteem, way of life or
safety. Threats produce fear, especially the fear of loss.
#nother ma!or threat is uncertainty. The greatest cause of uncertainty is change.
Sometimes changes are also losses. The combination of change and loss
contributes enormously to excess stress.
Symptoms of stress
Tense muscle, sore necks, shoulders and back
Insomnia
$atigue
%oredom, depression, listlessness, dullness and lack of interest
&rinking too much
'ating too much or too little
&iarrhea, cramps, gas or constipation
alpitations B heart skips
hobias
(estlessness or itching
Reducing stress
$or reducing stress, the first two guidelines are)
*ne must recognize stress for what it is, and
*ne must understand how it works.
Tips for reducing stress
#void stress"producing situations
(elax
'xercise regularly
+et enough sleep
&evelop a hobby
%ecome involved in public service pro!ects
'veryone is under some form of stress every day. We need a certain amount of it
to motivate us, but too much stress in too short a time can be harmful. If we are
able to understand and recognize stress, we can learn to cope with it.
What is your own risk for stress?
Take a moment and add up the score for all the items which applied to you in the
last year. If you score below 150 points, you are on safe ground. If you score
between 150 and 00 points, your chances rise to about ,-",-. If you score
more than 00 points, your chances are almost .- percent.
!eath of a spouse "" /-- points
!i"orce "" 01 points
#arital separation "" 2, points
$ %ail term "" 21 points
&amily members= death "" 21 points
Personal in%ury or illness "" ,1 points
#arriage "" ,- points
&ired from your %ob "" 30 points
Retirement "" 3, points
Pregnancy "" 3- points
Se' difficulties "" 1. points
(ain a new family member "" 1. points
)hange in financial status "" 14 points
!eath of a close friend "" 10 points
#ortgage more than *10+000 "" 1/ points
Son,daughter lea"es home "" 5. points
Trouble with in-laws "" 5. points
.egin or end school "" 52 points
)hange in residence "" 5- points
)hange in school "" 5- points
)hange in recreation "" /. points
)hange in social acti"ity "" /4 points
)hange in sleeping habits "" /2 points
)hange in eating habits "" /, points
/acation "" /1 points
)hristmas "" /5 points
The items listed above are only a sample of factors from the Social
Readjustment Rating Scale developed by Thomas H. Holmes, M.D., University
of Washington School of Medicine.
The 0klahoma Psychiatric Physicians $ssociation is available for information
and referral for psychiatric care. 6ou may contact the #ssociation by writing to
.*. %ox /154, 7orman, *8, 01-0-, by calling 3-,"12-",-22 or by email at
oklapsychiatry9yahoo.com .
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