2008 Woodie Awards
Holiday increases stress
Inger Marie Furholt
Issue date: 12/5/07 Section: Personal Column
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After a relaxing weekend most people feel ready for Monday. That is, until we wake up in the morning cursing the heavens. The week starts with more things to do than expected, and it just keeps adding up. Finally we sit there on Wednesday, not even knowing where to start because we have such a monstrous load of assignments and chores.
Some times are harder than others. There are times when we struggle because there is a lot to do. It feels as if we have 10 balls in the air at the same time. Somehow we know we can't catch them all when they fall. Having too many balls in the air can also be known as stress, and most people don't know how to handle it.
When we are stuck between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we worry. We tend to think too much about what to do, how to study for our finals, how to pass finals, what to buy for Christmas, and how to handle seeing all the relatives who we really don't want to see.
Many of us have that one person who calls at least a week before his or her visit, just to plan everything down to the smallest detail. Sometimes it is even hard to be around this person who stresses too much. Even if you are calm yourself, after a day with this person, you feel exhausted.
We tend to stress over things that we shouldn't worry about. We all stress, but we stress in different situations, and over different things. Some people might get stressed right before a speech, while others might feel stressed before a first date or a big family dinner. It all depends on the situation and the person. One thing is for sure. We all stress at times. Some even do it all the time.
Compare our life to a burning candle. A person who knows how to relax and how to handle things will most likely just have the candle burning in one end. If we are stressed, the candle will burn at both ends. Obviously the candle that burns at both ends will burn out faster, and as a human being we'll be burned out before we know it.
When we first start stressing, it affects not only us, but the people around us. A stressed person influences others. If our candle is burning on both ends and we are stressing out, others might do the same thing. Who wants to be the person who influenced others to be burned out?
Some times are harder than others. There are times when we struggle because there is a lot to do. It feels as if we have 10 balls in the air at the same time. Somehow we know we can't catch them all when they fall. Having too many balls in the air can also be known as stress, and most people don't know how to handle it.
When we are stuck between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we worry. We tend to think too much about what to do, how to study for our finals, how to pass finals, what to buy for Christmas, and how to handle seeing all the relatives who we really don't want to see.
Many of us have that one person who calls at least a week before his or her visit, just to plan everything down to the smallest detail. Sometimes it is even hard to be around this person who stresses too much. Even if you are calm yourself, after a day with this person, you feel exhausted.
We tend to stress over things that we shouldn't worry about. We all stress, but we stress in different situations, and over different things. Some people might get stressed right before a speech, while others might feel stressed before a first date or a big family dinner. It all depends on the situation and the person. One thing is for sure. We all stress at times. Some even do it all the time.
Compare our life to a burning candle. A person who knows how to relax and how to handle things will most likely just have the candle burning in one end. If we are stressed, the candle will burn at both ends. Obviously the candle that burns at both ends will burn out faster, and as a human being we'll be burned out before we know it.
When we first start stressing, it affects not only us, but the people around us. A stressed person influences others. If our candle is burning on both ends and we are stressing out, others might do the same thing. Who wants to be the person who influenced others to be burned out?
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