Associate Professor of Psychology Christina Michaelson’s Top 5 Tips for De-Stressing

1.)  Meditation. I try to meditate as often as possible, ranging from stopping for a few moments to breath and focus within, to formal meditation time, to trying to bring meditative focus into all areas of my life.

2.) Cognitive shift. This involves changing the way I think about people and situations. When stress builds, I ask myself “How can I look at this differently?” I try to figure out what, why and how the situation has occurred, what I can learn about myself and other people, and how I can speak and behave in ways that are consistent with building common pathways of compassion and understanding. All of this takes work and practice, but changing my mind by making cognitive shifts is well worth the effort in increasing peace in my life and the lives of others.

3.) Teaching. I love teaching so much that stress is gone when I am in the classroom and interacting with students. Whether I am lecturing on the symptoms of depression or how to increase resilience, I find it exciting to share fascinating topics with students. When a wonderful discussion ensues, stress is irrelevant because change is happening in students’ lives.

4.) Exercise. Research strongly demonstrates that exercise has positive effects on our physical, emotional, and mental functioning. I take two yoga classes each week and long power walks with a friend several times a week.  The exercise, the silence, and the talking all help me to cope with stress.

5.) Relationships. Our connections with others are our most potent antidotes to stress. Just being with family and friends makes my life better in every way. Being able to love and be loved are incredibly healing and therapeutic.