In Her Own Words ~ By: Brenda Critchfield, MS, CSCS, ATC, LAT Director, Dance Medicine and Wellness Facility
Got stress? This time of year is typically pretty stressful, but this year is understandably worse with all the changes, uncertainty and disruption of our normal lives. I am sure the stress levels are sky-rocketing for some of you. I hope you can hear the concern and love in my voice as I give you some tips. Disclaimer: I am not a psychologist, counselor or psychiatrist.
Stress is natural for everyone and in fact, it is good for us at certain levels. As many of you know, each one of us has a different optimal stress level and different “stressors” in our lives. It is when we have too much stress, too many stressors, or the worry of the unknown in our lives that we begin to suffer from anxiety, depression and feelings of being overwhelmed.
There are so many resources available to you in regards to stress management, and I am not going to be able to top any of them. So I will refer you to two that I trust:
~ https://caps.byu.edu/managing-stress-as-a-college-student
~https://caps.byu.edu/handouts
The absolute one thing that I cannot stress enough to college students and performing artists is BALANCE. Have balance in your life. I know this is hard with everything, but if you can try to achieve balance in your life on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, then life won’t seem so insurmountable.
Give yourself time to just be. Take some time to yourself every day and a little more time on the weekend to do something just for yourself. You may need to be creative during the pandemic and following the stay home, stay safe advice. Try and get outside and enjoy the weather, notice all the small evidences of love from our Father in Heaven. I promise if you take some time for yourself, you will be more effective in your studying, finishing assignments, prepping for finals, etc.
Finding balance in your life with school, dancing, cross-training / exercise, work or future work prospects, relationships – and so much more – will allow your mind to focus on different tasks when it needs to.
Some highlights that are helpful in stress relief are:
– Creating and following a realistic schedule. Hopefully, you have been able to do this with 3 weeks of online classes now under your belts.
– Eat nutritious and healthy foods. It is easy when we are knocked off our routine to let our nutrition suffer. Recognize what is good in your eating habits and what you can improve upon. Make sure you are not following any “fad” diets and that you are getting food from all food groups.
– Stay connected. I know you are used to hearing, “get off social media,” but during this time these platforms are great tools we have available to stay connected with friends and family while maintaining your distance.
– Get outside it you can. I said it before, but it is important! The sun-activated vitamin D boosts your immune system and helps fight depression. It is important to be able to get outside.
– Get a good amount of sleep. Everyone needs different amounts of sleep. Most sleep experts say between 7-9 hours per day should be the goal. Make sure you are getting to bed and being able to sleep. Being exhausted leads to more feelings of stress.
– Get exercise. I know this can be challenging in some of your living arrangements at this time, but there are a lot of ideas on how to exercise in all sizes of space. See Adam Dyer’s article here.
– Do some type of self-treatment daily. This can be meditation, a hobby you enjoy, self-care techniques that we have given you, breathing exercises, etc. The possibilities are endless!
– Recognize when you need help and seek it. If the stress is getting too much and your typical coping mechanisms are not working (or unavailable), then seek the appropriate help. Brigham Young University’s Counseling and Psychological Services office is open, and they have in-person (limited) and teleconferencing available if you need it.
I hope you found some helpful reminders of how to deal with some of the stress you may be experiencing. I want to reiterate — try to find balance in your life. That will help a lot. You are all amazing people. I miss seeing you all in the Dance Medicine Facility and around the hallways. I hope you are all doing well, even among all the changes. We love you and look forward to seeing you again!
Follow the Dance Medicine & Wellness Facility on Facebook and Instagram: @BYUDanceMedicine.
Brenda has been a familiar face, mentor and healer for Dance faculty and students alike for five years. She and her skilled team have helped countless dancers recover from injuries, find hope and get back to the top of their game. Brenda graduated from University of New Mexico with her Masters of Science in Exercise Physiology and did her undergraduate work in Athletic Training at BYU. She lives in Spanish Fork, Utah, with her pure-bred Australian Cattle Dog name Baxter. She loves to hike, garden, read and make blankets for family and friends.
