TAKING CHARGE OF ONE’S

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

INTRODUCTION

• It is natural for people to preserve one’s life. We do not want to be sick.

We want to do and need to accomplish. We want to feel good and be
happy. But there are many things in our current lifestyle that unknowingly,
may slowly lead to health issues and problems, and cause strain to our
mental health as well. Various things compete for our attention and our
response. People expect us to take on responsibilities. Uncertain
situations demand us to cope, making life quite stressful.
 WHAT STRESS IS….

• You might have come across the word stress in your

science classes. Stress is a term used in Physics to
refer to a physical force or tension applied to an
object. Later on, the word was also used to mean
psychological tension.
• From a holistic point of view (Seaward,2017), stress is
the inability to cope with a perceived (real or imagine)
threat to someone’s mental, physical, emotional and
spiritual well-being, which results in a series of
physiological responses and adaptations.
• When we stay in a stressed state for long, sustained release of stress hormones can lead
to physiological reactions that cause fatigue, loss of appetite, stomach ache, allergies,
difficulty to concentrate, learn and remember. Prolonged stress can also lead to feelings
of sadness or depression, and anxiety. But don’t be stressed by what you are reading.
The goal is for us to learn about stress so that we can take care of ourselves more.

• It is also good to know that there is a kind and level of stress that can be good for us. It
prepares us to respond well to difficult situations that may come in our lives. No one
ever lives completely without stress. We can use the stress that we experience to master
our capacity to manage and deal with it, so we become both sturdy and adaptable.
 TYPES OF STRESS
( ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION )
1. ACUTE STRESS can be strong intense, but it can be brief and may disappear quickly.

Result of recent or anticipated stressors and due to day-to-day stressors.

e.g. Walking up late, running to class, or receiving a bad grade.

2. EPISODIC ACUTE STRESS is also strong or intense but can affect a person more because it occurs in a pattern and
may recur.

Stress that continuously pops up, sometimes in a pattern and is accompanied by worry and angst.

Symptoms: migraines and tension headaches

3. CHRONIC STRESS is bad for our health and well-being. Chronic stress may not be so strong but it appears to stay
on for long period of time. Chronic stress has been linked to many ailments and diseases such as heart disease,
cancer and mental illness.

Never-ending stress that relentlessly wears away at you

E.g. degree-seekers struggling academically in a course that their major requires for graduation.
How stress affects your brain?
Stress isn’t always a bad thing; it
can be handy for a burst of extra energy
and focus, like when you’re playing a
competitive sport or have to speak on
public. But when it’s continuous, it actually
begins to change your brain. Madhumita
Murgia shows how chronic stress can
affect brain size, its structure, and how it
functions, right down to the level of your
genes.
How stress affects your body?
Our hard-wired stress response is designed
to give us the quick burst of heightened
alertness and energy needed to perform
our best. But stress isn’t all good. When
activated too long or too often, stress can
damage virtually every part of our body.
Sharon Horesh Bergquist gives us a look at
what goes on inside our body when we are
chronically stressed.
COLLEGE LIFE STRESSORS
 Boarding house issues
 Friendships
 Technology
 Academic matters
 Life Directions
 Money
 Way of Life
 Health issues
 Intimate Relationships
 Travel and Commute
 Family
 Peer pressure
Sources of coping and strength
Our definition of stress given earlier connotes that the intensity of stress experienced is strongly
affected by the person’s perception. How one sees himself and the situation determines in a significant way
the amount of stress one will experience and endure. Ways of coping with stress, thus, will involve one’s
perspective and beliefs. Learn about strategies to cope with stress that focus on the mind and the spirit.
Since stress results in the bodily changes that can harm the body, coping strategy must also involve those
that help the body return to a more balanced and calm state.
Furthermore, our definition of stress enumerated different aspects of the self, mental, physical,
emotional and spiritual. The best approach to take in managing stress is a holistic approach, helping the
mind, the spirit and the body to cope. They can be strategy not only to manage stress but to create a
lifestyle that promotes good health and well-being.
When these strategies become part of your habit and lifestyle, you will counteract stress
effectively. You can remember and learn better and cope better. We hope that the discussion on what you
are about to read will encourage you to search and discover more about ways of coping with stress. Pave
your way to making your dreams come true and having a meaningful and happy life!
STRATEGIES FOR GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

1. EMBRACE THE POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE. Be aware of your thoughts and feelings. Once you catch
yourself having negative thoughts, pair each negative thought with a positive one. Discover
something positive in a negative situation.
A. Live in gratitude and gratefulness. Have the habit of focusing on blessings and be grateful for
them. Being thankful will help you overcome negative thoughts that come during difficult times. (Try
it. Just this minute, think of five things you are thankful for: I am grateful for
B. Choose openness and acceptance. The serenity prayer reminds us of this. “God, grant me the
serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to
know the difference.” This prayer tells us that in life there are things that we cannot control nor
change. It will only be stressful and futile to think that we can change everything. What we can focus
on is opening ourselves to acceptance. What we are in control of is how to respond positively to
things we are powerless about. The things we can change are usually first, our thoughts, our view of
the situation and then our resulting response to the situation. What words do we say? How do we
express our emotions? What actions do we decide to do?
2. LAUGH AND ENJOY WHOLESOME HUMOR. What we think and feel affect our state of health and
well-being. Lighten up. Learn to laugh at yourself. Be open to things that make you laugh. Of course,
not at the expense of others. When we laugh, it breaks the negative thoughts that may otherwise
linger and drag us down. Laughing, Especially the one that comes from the belly, also improves the
oxygen flow in our body. Studies have shown having a daily dose of humor can help of lessen pain
and help improve one’s health.
3. ESTABLISH LIMITS AND ROUTINES. This strategy is about establishing a sense of order through
rules and boundaries that you set for yourself for you and other to respect. People cannot hurt you
unless you allow them to. Learn to be respectfully and truthfully assertive. Learn to say no. As for
yourself, set simple routines and disciplined practices that make you manage your time better and
avoid being pressured by tasks and assignments left undone.
4. GIVE TIME FOR HOBBIES. Hobbies help us lead more balanced lives. We spend time on our
responsibilities and also time for things we like to do for leisure and enjoyment. There is something
about coloring al picture that calms us. Or maybe for some, it will be baking or cross-stitching. Some
people would read. Spending time in a hobby helps us recharge, allowing us to think more creatively
and cope better.
5. PRAY AND MEDITATE. When one is in a difficult situation or even a tragic one, the person may feel isolated,
detached and cut off from God. Prayer is the way we reconnect to God. Prayer heals. It can free us from toxic anger by
embracing forgiveness in prayer. Meditation, on the other hand, focuses our attention and thoughts. Prayer and
meditation are distinct, but may harmonize. Many say, prayer is when we talk to God, meditation is when God talks to
us. It is good to be still and quiet and listen.
Physiologically, when we meditate, we become more aware of our breathing and relaxing our tensed
muscles. Try to add simple breathing exercises to your daily routine. Do the five-count exercise. Five counts to slowly
inhale through the nose, five counts hold and then five counts to slowly exhale through the mouth. As you inhale, you
can pray, Dear God, I take in your strength and your love. Guide me throughout the day. When you exhale you say, I
release fear, anger and hurt, or I release stress. Make your own breathing and prayer routine.
6. REACH OUT TO PEOPLE. Remember that when you reach out to people you can become blessed, as well as become
a blessing to them. Reach out to your parents, your siblings and your friends. When you are feeling down, go to
someone and share how you feel. You do not need a thousand friends on Facebook, only a few really close ones with
whom you can be honest and you know they will listen and not judge you. Now when someone needs you to listen,
be there to listen. That is why it is good to work on becoming better at coping and managing one's life. You are also
able to share your insights and experiences that may be a great blessing and help to someone. When we do not
always focus on our own misfortunes and sometimes self-pity, we have more time and attention at noticing how
others also need our help.
We can always find people to help and causes to be involved in. Find ways to assist in your family and the
community. Get involved in worthy projects and programs. Getting involved will lead you to have a bigger picture of
life and probably make you see the blessings in your own life more.
7. LISTEN TO MUSIC. Music has been found to have an effect to both our body and mind. Music
has the ability to evoke feelings of joy and peace in us. Listening to music which you really love can
help you to unwind and cope with stress. As a form of intervention or therapy for relaxation, the
following are recommended:

1. Listen to an acoustic or instrumental playlist of slow songs.

2. The music must should be calming rather than troubling. Listen to a variety of slow
instrumentals until you find one that soothes you.

3. Stay in a place that is free form other noise and interruption.

4. Sit comfortably like in meditation or lounging.

8. EAT FOR A HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM. When we are stressed, nutrients in our body are used up.
Our metabolism does not work well until the nutrients are replenished. Sad to say, when people are
stressed, the first thing usually affected is proper diet. People might resort to eating too much or too
less. They may also eat empty calorie food. those which make us feel full but do not contain the
micronutrients our body needs. Usually these come from fastfood.
9. EXERCISE. Now we go to the essential partner of healthy eating, exercise. Exercise helps keep our
body systems such as cardiovascular, immune, nervous and digestive systems healthy. When you
exercise with the right amount of physical stress, it will help your body get rid of stress hormones like
cortisol. Learn how to do the exercise correctly and regularly for maximum benefit. When you do
repetitive exercises, you bring your mind to a state similar to meditation. This can help you be calm
and focus and concentrate more. Set goals in exercise that you can achieve. Consult your doctor if
you have health concerns before engaging in exercise. Learn about dancing, biking, swimming,
running, hiking and see what suits you best.
10. BE WITH NATURE. Taking a walk in a park, hiking and mountain climbing, taking care of plants,
listening to the sounds of life, the rustling of leaves, chirping of birds, can bring feelings of joy.
Ecotherapy is an approach of reconnecting, with nature to improve our health and well-being. Start
noticing the gaiety of the sunflowers, the beauty of the sunset and the elegance of a full moon! There
is a patch of nature everywhere, even in the city, take notice of it!

The ten strategies you just read may lead to an increase in what is called happy hormones
in our body, dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins. Collectively, happy hormones are
naturally occurring chemicals in our body that make us feel good and have a sense of well-being.
Resolve and promise yourself to apply these strategies as you go through your college years and even
beyond! We are cheering for your success!
TAKING CARE OF THE SELF: THE NEED FOR SELF-CARE AND COMPASSION

Think about it, when a friend of ours fails at something, we take time to comfort
our friend, saying that it is okay, there will be other chances, you did your best, kaya mo
yan....We become careful not to say anything that will add to the bad feeling our friend is
feeling. But when we are the ones who do something wrong, or we fail at something,
sometimes we become too harsh on ourselves. Stupid! Ang palpak ko talaga. Bakit kasi
ganun ginawa ko, ayan tuloy. We are sometimes quick to scold ourselves. We can even
be so mean to ourselves. This is not at all healthy, and not at all helpful.

To feel compassion is to be one with the suffering of the sufferer. It entails

empathy, feeling and understanding what the other person is going through. Because we
feel compassion for the person, we respond with gentleness, with care and comfort.
When we talk then of self-compassion, we do exactly this, but we turn inwardly. We
become gentle, caring and comforting to ourselves when we find ourselves down, guilty,
confused, or lost.
Jesus Christ said, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." Loving yourself is a pre-requisite. It is the basis by
which you can also love others. You can indeed be kind to others when you are kind to yourself. Self-kindness
brings so many positive feelings of care and acceptance, which will help you cope in difficult and painful
situations. Neff (2012), advises us when we are in such emotional pain and suffering, we say to ourselves:

"This is a moment of suffering. Suffering is a part of life. May I be kind to myself. May I give myself the
compassion I need."

These four self messages allow us to go through the components of self-compassion. The first one
helps us to acknowledge and accept the situation. The second tells us that we are not alone; others feel pain, too.
There is nothing to be ashamed of. The third moves us to respond with kindness rather than be critical and be a
self-basher. The last, affirms that we deserve compassion and understanding from ourselves.

Always be kind and loving to yourself, that you may also genuinely extend kindness and love to others.

This lesson has tackled all about stress and stressors and has given you numerous strategies and
principles. These were meant to help you not only to cope with stress, but also how to enhance your health and
well-being.

Have a fantastic college life and beyond!