Alcalá View 1980 1.7

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Page 2 - Al cal a Vi ew - April , 1980

m:i~ 8- 1D11 :!: . llff I

5tressine the Point

by Da n Tri goboff

"Men are di stur bed," wrote the great Chinese phil osopher Confuc iu s, " not by things that happen, but by their opinion of thin gs that happen. " USD's Dr. Phi lip Hwang considers thi s statement of a thousand years ago as a good starting point in eva lu ating current problems o f stress. Dr. Hwang, a fo rmer USO Outsta nding Teacher of the Year (1977) , and currently an Assoc iate Professo r of Edu cati on an d Direc tor o f the Sc hoo l of Educa ti on's Coun se lor Education Program, has been "There is enough research to show many di sastrous effec ts of stress in peoples ' lives," said Hwang. " It can even effect one's physical health; it can lead to hi gh blood pressure and hea rt attacks. " Dr. Hwang has broken down yea rs of resea rch on stress into sub-group s identi fy ing the problem, its causes, and how to deal with it. "There arc many causes of stress. There is time urge ncy - the 'hurry up sy ndrome.' People don't alway s have to be movi ng so fas t. It takes a toll on the person. Then there's the perfec tionist syndrome. Peo ple shoul d un ders tand that they don't always have to be the bes t at everythin g. It's OK to be number two once in a while. "There arc ot her sy ndromes, Iikc proc ras tinati on, paranoia, and Rat Race syndromes, wh ere peo pl e arc always oorryi ng about keep ing up with everybody else. "Some o f the ans'M:;rs arc o bvious," Dr. Hwang continu es. "Wh en a person spend s time 'M.)rrying about wh at other peo pl e arc saying, wh at docs it accomp lish7 He or she sho uld just accept that there's nothi ng th ey can do to control what other people say, and not wo rry about it. '' Unch ecked stress can lead to many seve re pro blems including sexual dysfun ction, allergic and digestive disc<1scs, and ge nerall y lo'M:;r resis tance to sickness. Dr. Hwang suggests a balance in ge neral lifes tyl e as the best altern ative to stress. "We should conce ntrate our lives in fiv e areas: work, social life, intimacy, co ndu ct ing work shops in stress 1cduction fo r nearly five years.

EVEN PERSONNEL DIRECTORS GET THE BLUES .. . . but, fortunately, Dr. Phil Hwang, USO Associate Professor of Education, has some helpful hints via his "biofeedback machine." The machine measures mu scle tension in the forehead area, and, with proper instructions, can help people learn how to relax and cope vvith stress. Lorraine Watson, USO Personnel D irector, has obviously learned her lesson well. Photo by Bill R itter

growth and hea lth. Too many people take up too mu ch of their time with work. They should realize t hat in ti macy and soc ial li fe can provi de important support systems for them. In the area of health, peopl e shoul d set as ide time eac h day to exercise- not competitively, but somet hing like jogging or swi mming, even walki ng. Th is can be very important in redu ci ng stress. "By growth, I mean in tellectual and emotiona l growth. We shoul dn't stop

gro wi ng just because \\e graduate from schoo l, or have good jobs. Peop le shoul d continue to read, take courses, meet new peop le, and study new thin gs." Dr. Hwang, along with the Personnel Department, has planned a workshop on stress and stress management for USO fac ul ty, staff and admin istrators on Monday, April 21, 11 a. m. to 1 p.m. , in the De Sales Board Room. All empl oyees are inv ited to attend at no charge.

' , STRESS CHECKLIST: ' '

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' Are you suffering from stress? Here are some things to watch for . DO YOU SUFFER FROM : A quickened heartbeat? Sweaty palms? Headaches? Ind igest ion ? Sl eeplessness? DO YOU FI N D YOURSELF : Forgetful ? Disorgan ized? U nab le to concent rate? Maki ng simple m istak es or errors in judgement? HAVE Y OU BEEN : Moody? Easily irri tated ? Depressed? Anxio us? If you answer yes to more t han a couple of t hese questions, th en the stress in your life might be affecti ng you negatively . To help head off these problems, y ou ca n learn how to co pe and handl e st ress by attending Dr. Hwang's st ress reduct ion workshop on Monda y , April 21, 11 a.m. to 1 p .m., in the De Sales Board Room. A ll of us have st ress in our lives. Understandi ng it and knowing how to cope ca n mean t he difference between bei ng healt hy and unhealthy . They See the Lieht by Betsy Myers

according to Roger Ma nion, Ass istant Direc tor of Physical Plant. These conse rvat ion meas ures, say s Manion, woul d involve cutting bac k to comfortabl e usages of energy, invol ving little or no discomfor t to USO personne l. (CO~TINUED ON PAGE 4)

If USO were to max im ize its en ergy usage and min im ize its energy waste, betwee n $20,000 and $40, 000 could be saved per year in energy cos ts,