From where I am now, perched on the very edge of finals at
college, stress is apparent in my everyday life. Not just for me either; I see
it all around me in my friends and even just people I happen to walk by. Due
dates are creeping up and people are starting to wonder if they have enough
time as they thought they did to cram for an exam. So, campus has transformed
into Anxiety Nation until our hero summer comes to rescue us. This is a little
dramatic, but a widely shared sentiment about this time.
Though not every part of life is like final exams on a
college campus, and most are not, the modern world in general is not unfamiliar
with stress. As a result, our daily actions and major lifetime events sometimes
become imbued with some level of stress. Pregnancy is not immune to this, and I
am sure many of you may be able to identify with this or are even experiencing
this right now. Some people may be confused why wanted and rejoiced pregnancy
can cause stress, seeing how in these cases it is a positive event, but it can
and it does. As I began to write this blog I suddenly remembered my
introductory Psychology class freshman year when we talked about stressundefinedour
Professor suggested we all take an assessment tool created by Holmes and Rahe
in 1967. Basically, Holmes and Rahe’s assessment asks you to check off any
events that have recently happened in your life or are currently happening.
Each event is assigned a number of stress units, which are added up to give you
a score. There is no shortage of negative events on the list, such as death of
a spouse (100 units) and divorce (73 units), but there is also no shortage of
positive events on the list, like marriage (50 units) and outstanding personal
achievement (28 units). The major goal of this assessment is to show how stress
impacts your physical health, since your score will tell you what percentage
chance you have of developing an illness. My score was 250, which gives me a
50% chance of developing an illness! Match that with the fact that both of my
roommates are fighting colds and my chances don’t look so good…right in time
for finals! (If you are interested in taking this assessment, a quick
google.com search will bring it up, but as with most assessments of this
variety, take it with a grain of saltundefinedit is not without error.)
In case you were wondering where in all of this explanation
pregnancy comes in, it makes an appearance with 40 stress units. Not to mention
it can pack a punch when you consider that it also falls under gain of a new
family member (39 units) and change in number of family members (15 units). Now
please do not interpret this as reason that you should or need to be stressed
out, because everyone is different. Your pregnancy might put you over the moon,
leaving you feeling good all the time (or at least content most of the time).
To tie in a personal example from my own stress life, while I carry a fair
amount of stress with me during finals time, a good friend of mine works
extremely well under pressure. She can start a ten-page paper the morning of
the day it is due and think nothing of it. Meanwhile, nervous Nellie (me)
started her term paper over a week ago and is still worried about it. Oh, how
different we all are!
So, pregnancy can be stressful, but luckily, we don’t have
to be powerless to our emotions or in denial of them. There are a variety of
techniques one can employ or adopt during pregnancy that can make things seem
more manageable. As most of you might have noticed from past blogs, I am used
to finding “scholarly” evidence or support for what I post, so when I could not
find any for this blog post I got a little worried (fitting for a post about
stress, don’t you think). However, when I did a simple google.com search, I was
surprised with the depth of some of the suggestions for stress management
during pregnancy that came up. But, since I believe both meaningful and little
stress reducers can be helpful in our lives, I am going to share some of both
varieties. After all, we aren’t always in the mood to journal about what we are
feeling, but lighting some candles and practicing some aromatherapy may be just
what we need. I am going to label them “big” and “little” stress reducers for
ease, but that does not necessarily confer a certain amount of value about any
of the practices…It’s your pregnancy, so do whatever feels good for you; my
little, after all, could be your big.
Big Stress Reducers:
1.)
Be realistic: “Take a
close look at your lifestyle. Make yourself do this on paper. Look at your work
activities, home and family responsibilities, other obligations (church,
community activities, clubs and organizations to which you belong). Then look
to see how "doable" it is. Make sure you include in your calculations
time for yourself for such activities as exercise, down time, and socializing
Once you have done this, be honest with yourself as you ask the following: Is
this schedule achievable? Sustainable? Satisfying? If not, accept the reality
that you have to change the schedule.”
2.)
Be informed: “Do your
homework. Learn as much about pregnancy as you can. Read, talk to friends,
attend classes, and talk to your doctor or midwife to learn as much as possible
not only about the biology of pregnancy but about its emotional implications as
well. In this way if you do begin to experience new and disturbing emotions
you'll at least not be surprised by them.”
3.)
Be introspective: “Talk
to yourself--and write it down. The process of specifically identifying
thoughts and feelings and putting them into written form is an excellent way
both to come to grips with what you are experiencing and to help resolve any of
these feelings that are troublesome. Doing so will give you better insight into
yourself and will often relieve the pain of previously disturbing thoughts or
feelings.”
http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/pregnancy/a/mispregstress.htm
Little Stress Reducers:
1.)
Get regular exercise such as swimming or walking.
2.)
Do your best to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet so you have
the physical and emotional energy you need.
3.)
Go to bed early. Your body is working overtime to nourish your
growing baby and needs all the sleep it can get.
4.)
Cut back on chores undefined and use that time to put your feet up,
nap, or read a book.
5.)
Spend quality romantic time with your significant other, close
family, or friends to relieve stress and relax.
6.)
Begin a pregnancy journal to keep track of your emotions and
special moments throughout your pregnancy.
7.)
Light some incense or candles and listen to some soothing
music to relax and relieve stress.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_managing-stress-and-anxiety-during-pregnancy_1683.bc
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1933918/how_to_relax_and_relieve_stress_during.html?cat=25