Stress & Culture

Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness. ~Richard Carlson

American culture seems predisposed to accept extreme stress as proof of our success and effort. The more stress we have, we're perceived as more successful, better people. High levels of stress are not overtly encouraged in our culture, but stress is not dealt with effectively either. Many students we see in the Biofeedback Lab know that stress is a bad thing because of how it impacts them, or because they have been referred by friends or family due to high levels of stress, but very few students understand why they need to take care of themselves and how to effectively reduce stress levels.

The first step is recognizing that stress is impacting us and knowing that experiencing stress is normal. Once we know that, there are a variety of ways to deal with our stress. We can exercise to use up the stress endorphins, we can change our thoughts and perceptions about our stressors, or we can learn how to relax. At the Biofeedback Lab, we give you the opportunity to practice relaxation skills while gathering feedback about your stress measures in your body. Once you have had practice in the lab know how how to relax, you can practice on your own to see how much you can decrease your stress at home, work, or school.