Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Relax!

As college students one of the hardest things for us to do is relax.  With the pressure to do well in school then graduate and find jobs, it can feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders.  A new study released says that your ability to “chill out” or deal with your stress adequately can lead to longer healthier lives.  Researchers from The Brandeis University have figured out correlations between forgiving yourself for mistakes and being able to move on instead of stress on the topic will live longer, healthier lives than people who would obsess over the same things.
            Stress is a deadly thing and can induce harmful responses in the body.  These responses rival the effects of diseases and injuries like inflammation.  While regulated inflammation is a good thing and can help prevent infection or boost healing, unregulated inflammation can have an adverse affect on the body leading to heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Having to deal with the stress of school and having the real world just a couple of years away can be a scary thing for most people but some have figured out ways to deal with these stresses in the best way possible, learning to not worry about the things out of your control.  Have some compassion for yourself and take solace in the fact that you’ll feel not only better about yourself but you’ll be healthier and live longer because of it.

Alex Sroczynski (C)

8 comments:

  1. Over the summer, I work at a hospital and every few months they hold an employee-only event where the main objective is to help them relax. There was harp music playing, free yoga, neck warmers, food and drinks, etc. It was really relaxing and all for free. Do you think if the university funded something like this that there would be a decrease in stress levels for students?

    -Nicole Boisvert

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    1. Yes I do believe that the University should fund something like this and that it has the possibility to have a very large impact on some students lives.

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  2. Between this and the red wine post - what I'm learning is that the healthiest activity I can be doing is sitting having a glass of wine and enjoying my day. All and all I'm very happy with all these new studies. Great post!

    Posted by: Kirk MacKinnon

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  3. Great post Alex! I totally agree that college students need the ability to manage their stress. Even outside of college, stress is a huge concern among urban residents. Do you have any suggestions for college students to relieve their stress or what can the school provide to help student be better at stress management?

    -Post Yim Hui

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    1. I think just taking time out of your day just to relax and maybe listen to music for a while can have a huge benefit for students in the short and long term. Being able to reflect or meditate on your day or decision should have a great affect on every persons overall well-being.

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  4. It's true that the end of a semester can be a stressful time with finals and whatnot. I agree that it is always better to take a relaxed approach with life and leave the past in past by moving forward an living in the moment. Nice change of pace post.

    Posted by, Kevin Barisano

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  5. I think all college students can agree with an article like this, and this is a study than can be broaden to those in the working place and deadlines. Unnecessary stress has been proven to affect health, blood pressure, the vasoconstriction of blood vessels, everyone would live longer if we just chilled out! This only fuels the drug prescription drug market for symptoms of lack of focus, depression, etc.

    Posted by Thomas Flroes

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  6. Great post! I try to take time out of each day to sit, relax, and clear my head. Between work, classes, bills, homework, friends, sleep..or lack of, stress can be overwhelming at times. I'd go mad if I didn't take time out of each day to sit and do absolutely nothing!

    Max Liner

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