Counselors discuss stress prevention

With the semester reaching its peak, students aren't the only ones needing to balance time efficiently. According to staff members in the Counseling and Career Development Center, it's important for all working adults to have a balanced schedule.

Eric Klingensmith, coordinator of crisis intervention, and Sue Dilsworth, aftercare and wellness coordinator, said some of the factors that contribute to stress are time management and changes in sleep patterns. "When a person becomes stressed they don't sleep, then they become more stressed and don't do as well at work because they're tired," Klingensmith said.

Klingensmith said it's important to find time for activities that makes one happy, such as being with family and friends or volunteering.

"Having hobbies and a social network creates a good sense of worth and allows people to be part of something bigger than them, which is a good way to reduce stress" he said.

According to Dilsworth, increased stress levels lead to the inability to concentrate, irritability and overall poor health.

"It's important to have consistency," said Dilsworth. "When we don't take the time to let our body rest, every physiologic function in our body has to work overtime, creating the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension."

In order to be consistent Dilsworth suggests having evening rituals, such as going to bed the same time every night; drinking a cup of tea or warm milk; turning off TV or computer an hour before bedtime, something to create an environment so the body knows to slow down.

"Regardless of how much stress you have on any given day, if your body is in tune to these bedtime habits, it is more likely to recognize that it is time to rest," Dilsworth said.