Stress levels have reached record highs across the globe recently according to Clinical Psychologist Alfonso Mercando.
Mercado discusses health publications regarding stress and explains why people are experiencing immense levels of stress.
“The American Psychological Association recently published a stress in America survey that highlighted that we are living in an all time high of anxiety and stress and mental health should be a priority…currently we are living through multiple global pandemics. One of the COVID-19 and multiple variants, a pandemic of mental health, the pandemic of racism, the pandemic of the war, experiencing a war from afar can be traumatic.”
Psychological Science Professor Grant Benham delves into the definition behind stress and approaches he recommends based on his research of sleep and stress.
“Stress responds the way our bodies respond to challenging situations. It’s a very adaptive response. A very healthy response. “Part of the approach to dealing with stress is perhaps restructuring, reframing events so that they perhaps don’t feel as stressful as you imagined them… I sort of encourage students to really kind of think more about whether they’re getting sufficient sleep. It’s often put to the side… but it is such a foundational component of well being, both physical and psychological well being. “
Psychology Assistant Professor and Clinical Psychologist at UTRGV Bianca Villalobos shares her best advice for stress management.
“As a psychologist, something that I recommend with a lot of clients is engaging in progressive muscle relaxation… Another exercise is diaphragmatic breathing and meditation is also powerful as a way to reduce the effects of stress… Other important things include practicing good sleep hygiene…People should reach out to professional mental health services if they find it difficult to manage stress on their own.”
This is Felix Balderas with Vaquero Radio.
