A Great Deal Of Stress: A Case Study

6. If my friend was experiencing a great deal of stress issues, I would suggest a few things to her. First, I would encourage her to reduce the amount of caffeine, sweets, and fried foods she is consuming. These foods and drinks can trigger and aggravate stress, causing her to be more anxious and compounding the problems. Second, I would suggest for her to drink more water, eat a “rainbow of foods,” and attempt to consume some food every four hours. Drinking more water hydrates the body and brain, which helps you cope more effectively with stressful situations. Eating a “rainbow of foods,” as well as more fresh vegetables and fruits, will ensure that she is getting a wide variety of different types of vitamins and minerals. Eating every four …show more content…
Over the years, I have always placed a great deal of pressure on myself to succeed in everything I do. My parents taught me how to set my goals high and instilled in me a great work ethic. Because of this, I continually hold myself to very high standards, because I know what I am capable of. When I don’t achieve these goals or perform to my highest potential, I take things “to heart.” This can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety in my life. For example, one of my goals entering my sophomore golf season last year was to win the conference and advance to the national tournament. My dreams seemed to be becoming a reality after the first two GPAC tournaments; I was tied for first and put myself in great position to accomplish some pretty awesome things. But when spring season came around and I competed in the GPAC tournaments, I didn’t perform well, and I ruined any chance I had at achieving that goal. I experienced a great deal of stress and anxiety from this event. Physically, I had trouble sleeping at night and had a loss of appetite. Emotionally, I continually worried about all the people I had let down and had difficulty seeing the positives. Mentally, I had a great deal of self-doubt and criticized myself. Behaviorally, I tended to avoid people and made more mistakes in living out my everyday life. To help cope with this, I spent a lot of time self-reflecting, working to remind myself that this failure doesn’t define my worth. Along with that, I used the support …show more content…
For me personally, physical activity (especially in the outdoors) is an effective stress reducing technique. This includes anything from going on a walk to spending some time at the golf course. All of the activities that fall in this category help clear my mind and greatly reduce the level of stress I feel. Growing up, my family and I always did a lot of outdoor activities, and I loved them. For this reason, being active outside reminds me of home and makes me feel much better in many different ways. Another effective stress reduction activity for me is having conversations with my family and friends. Often times, I like to keep things bottled up inside, and this isn’t usually helpful. When I am able to call my mom and talk through things with her, I instantly feel better and less overwhelmed. After hearing her advice, I am able to rationalize my own thoughts and go from there. While these two stress reducing techniques are effective, there are some that don’t work as well. These often include techniques that require me to sit still and “think.” When I do these types of activities, I have a really hard time keeping my mind from wandering; I automatically begin thinking about a million other different things. I’ve always enjoyed being busy, which is why I think these types of activities aren’t extremely beneficial for