I decided to do the self-assessment on page 57 of our text books. I found that I answered "yes" to the majority of the questions, thankfully. There were 10 questions that asked different preventative practice methods. The ones I answered "no" on I definitely know I have to work on. For example, I answered "no" to the question that asked if I get enough sleep. It almost feels as if I don't have time for sleep anymore. I'm either at work or doing homework. At the moment, it feels like sleep is a privilege. Which leads me to the question I answered "no" on... if I have a method to reduce my stress. That's obviously a "no." I don't know how to reduce my stress. Is there even such a thing? I dealt with stress as if it were a disease since I was 17! I remember in high-school when I would stress out about something I would get panic attacks. I don't get those anymore, but I think what I get now is worse. Now when I stress out my heart starts to hurt!
Besides the two I mentioned above, the rest I answered "yes" to such as avoiding tobacco and alcohol use. I also answered "yes" to practicing safe behaviors like wearing my seat belt and receiving routine check-ups. If I had to rate my preventative practices, I would say that I was doing a pretty good job... minus the heart thing. :-/ I know I have to find a way of improving my health in terms of managing my stress better. This is obviously important for me so that I don't have to go through those awful heart pains anymore. I know that can be really dangerous... :-(
Carla Keeley
Carla,
ReplyDeleteThat is very interesting that you mentioned your heart hurting due to stress. As I have said in my previous blogs, I also have a few heart problems. They started when I was probably in ninth grade and probably once every two months, I would tell my parents that my heart hurt. Well as I got older, especially during my junior year, they started occurring several times a day. I was stressed a lot, and when I went to the doctor, they asked me about stress. After a few tests, they discovered that I have Mitral Valve Regurgitation, an enlarged left ventricle, and an extra connection between the left and right atrium. While my doctors do not believe that these will cause any serious complications, it is nice to know what is going on!
Mitral Valve Regurgitation-
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mitral-valve-regurgitation/DS00421
Meghan McGehee
Carla,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very stressful time in life as you are preparing for your life's work, but unfortunately
life has many opportunities to stress us along the way, so it is also a good time to learn strategies to control the stress. You are wise to be recognizing this problem early. Meghan is correct that it is important that you inform the doctor about the feeeling near your heart; there are many physical things that could cause your problem or be aggrevated by your stress levels. I have learned that pacing myself often helps me keep my stress level done. If I set a schedule and accept the fact that there are only so many hours in a day, I usually find the work gets done without me becoming so stressed. Exercise is also a good way to work out the stress. I hope you can find some peace in your life.
Linda