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Tag: Stress

Stress Less

Posted on by djbechard

Stress is the “State of tension that arises when you experience demands from your environment or from inside yourself.”

Acute Stress – Is often sudden, generally short-lived physical or emotional challenge or threat.  For example: theft, car accident, giving a speech or a wedding.

Chronic Stress – Ongoing exposure or demand such as family conflict, work stress, financial stressors.  Examples would be high-pressure work environment, relationships, indebtedness. These stressors are subtle in nature so they are more difficult to recognize.

We often don’t correlate stress with the impact it has on our bodies.  Our bodies are uniquely designed to handle stress. When presented with a threatening situation it is our most basic survival instinct to either engage in a fight or run for our lives.

It is important to have a self-care toolbox to help with coping with stress.  Keep such things as exercise, meditation, breathing, and stretching in your toolbox.  Set aside 10 minutes a day where you don’t really think about anything and clear your head.  Create small moments in your day to help cope.

By: Brenda Langdon

Managing Farm and Ranch Stress

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

“Feeling stressed” is different for each person. Are you familiar with how your body “feels” when you are stressed? Learning to recognize the early warning signs of stress is the first step in managing your stress.

Common signs of stress:

  • Headache
  • Tense muscles
  • Stomach upset or distressed
  • Difficulty sleeping or a desire to sleep more than normal
  • Getting angry easily
  • Trouble making decisions, concentrating or remembering things
  • Irritable about little things
  • Sense of frustration, anger
  • Feeling discouraged, hopeless
  • Conflict with family members

Managing stress and developing coping skills are important to your long-term health and well-being. Here are some ideas, but find what works for you.

Coping strategies may include:

  • Get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night
  • Take regular 5- to 10-minute breaks throughout the day
  • Pray, mediate or journal
  • Engage in at least 20 minutes of physical activity every day
  • Focus on factors you can control
  • Reflect on and forgive yourself for mistakes

 

Resources

Farm Bureau #FarmStateOfMind –

https://www.fb.org/land/fsom

K-State Research and Extension –

browse for health and wellness resources

https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/

Kansas Department of Agriculture –

https://www.kansasagstress.org/

 

Project funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Award # 2019-70028-30436

Kansas Department of Agriculture –

https://www.kansasagstress.org/

North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center https://farmstress.org; 800-447-1985

Kansas Suicide Prevention Resource Center –

https://www.ksphq.org/; 785-841-2345

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL):

800-273-8255 (TALK)

Crisis Text Line 24/7:  Text “Home” to 741741

 

Project funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Award # 2019-70028-30436

 

Presented by K-State Research and Extension Stress Resiliency Team

And

Kansas Farm Bureau, The Voice of Agriculture

 

Printed with Permission

Stressed? Try Laughing

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

Humor is cost-free medicine that is fun and easy to use. When people share laughter, it binds them together and increases happiness. Laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in your body that strengthen your immune system. It is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Laughter is good for your health because it relaxes your whole body.

Humor can help you shift your perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, positive, and less threatening light. It even provides pain relief, as laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural “feel good” chemicals.

Laughter can even improve the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, adding protection against heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. Humor inspires teamwork, enhances relationships, keeps you grounded, and connects you to others. Shared laughter is even more powerful than laughing alone. Even if you cannot physically be with your friends or loved ones, connect by phone or by video chatting-you will be glad you did! Who will you make laugh today?

By: Ashley Svaty

Managing Family Stress During COVID-19

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

How can you manage family stress? Engaging in three critical areas – communicate, ground yourself in common beliefs, and create new routines and structure – will help you and  your family move through this difficult time.

Ground Yourself in Common Beliefs

Families may grow stronger when they feel connected. A shared understanding of “how we live together as a family” is important.

Reach out every day to your family members who live in other places by phone or video calls.

  • Have children read a book to someone over the phone (grandparents or someone isolated).
  • Start a journal that you write something in daily about what you are thankful for.
  • Watch a favorite movie or look at photos with your children and share stories about why they are so meaningful to you.

Create new routines and structure

The uncertainty of these challenging times makes us anxious, and we share that anxiety with our families. While change can produce anxiety, it can also bring an opportunity for experiencing life in a different, perhaps healthier and more satisfying way.

  • Connect with nature – take walks and exercise alone or with your family. Exercise helps to manage emotions.
  • Take time to do things you’ve been wanting to try. That might be cooking a different dinner, reading a book or calling a friend you haven’t talked to in a while.
  • Connect safely (from 6 feet) with someone new in your community. To stay six feet apart, imagine there is a full-size couch between you.
  • Keep some of your family rules in place, especially mealtime and bedtime for children. For you, getting up and going to bed at familiar times is also important.

 

By: Brenda Langdon

Managing Family Stress During COVID-19

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

The uncertainty surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic is causing disruptions in family and work life. The virus has forced us to change daily routines leading to increased family stress. Many people are faced with financial strain and lack of resources. While all of these changes can add stress and tension to family interactions, family members also can grow closer to each

other and become more resilient and resourceful.

One way to manage your families stress is to communicate. Family members grow closer if they talk to each other about their personal experiences with the stress of the coronavirus and its impact on their lives. Sharing one’s own feelings and views and listening to others promotes better understanding.

  • Set a time each day to talk about your day and about thoughts or feelings related to COVID-19.
  • Talk with family at the end of the day about something that was fun or that you learned new that day.
  • Come up with a plan together for what you will do tomorrow as a family. You can plan small things, such as meals, or fun activities, with everyone sharing their input and making a family decision together.
  • If the health and safety of people are not at stake, then put off major decisions and difficult conversations that are not necessary to manage the current crisis. It is best to avoid or delay conflict right now.
  • In the context of parenting, connecting with your kids before correcting them is really important.
  • If you get angry, or someone gets upset, find some personal space and take some time to cool down. Put things in perspective and keep in mind that this is a very challenging time for all.
  • People might need some private time to be by themselves. If the kids share a room, you can schedule who gets to be in the room at what time. If there is a balcony or yard, you can send the kids out for some time or spend time there yourself.
  • Be the first to offer comfort or to tell someone “it’s ok.”

By: Brenda Langdon