Programs seek to alleviate stress

Most people feel worried at some point in their lives. Sweaty palms, shaky hands and deep heart pounding are all symptoms of anxiety. \nAlthough nerve-wracking, those feelings can prepare people for stressful events, such as public speaking, a job interview or a big date. Nervousness makes people aware of their actions and makes them more alert. But when those feelings take over thoughts and actions, they can become a dangerous type of anxiety. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a common anxiety disorder, most prominent among college students.\nThursday at the Kelley School of Business and School of Education, counseling professionals from the IU Health Center held an Anxiety Disorder Awareness and Screening Day to help students identify potential anxiety disorders. With anxiety being common among college students, they were encouraged to voice their questions or concerns of stress or depression with psychologists, therapists and counselors.\n"The causes of anxiety disorders can be relative to a number of things, whether individual or a combination, as the built up stresses and situations in a student's life increase and may result in a certain type of reaction," said Dr. Glenn Anderson, a clinical psychologist at the IU Health Center.\nAccording to a study at Harvard University, 19 million Americans suffer from some sort of anxiety disorder. GAD is characterized by excessive or unrealistic worry or concern over a range of issues, according to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America Web site, www.adaa.org. Students with the disorder are often perfectionists and might spend hours redoing small homework assignments, according to the site. \nThe site lists many feelings, including irritability, trembling, twitching, muscle tension, headaches, sweating, hot flashes, light headedness, shortness of breath, nausea, tiredness and lack of concentration, that are all symptoms of the illness. Normal situations can feel as if they are life-threatening and students can feel they have no control over negative life events, sometimes refusing to go to classes. \nOther types of anxiety disorders include: panic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, separation anxiety disorder and social phobia. For more extreme anxiety disorders, doctors might prescribe different medications to eliminate or reduce symptoms.\nStudents who attended the screening process were encouraged to participate in a "biodot" reading, a measure of stress based on the temperature of the skin.\nFeelings of excessive anxiety might be caused by a lack of preparation, negative experience with a situation similar to the one to be faced, or in its most common instance: fear of failure, according to the site. \nNancy Stockton, chief psychologist at the IU Health Center, said it is possible anxiety is caused by certain life experiences or an individual's biological makeup.\n"Anxiety disorders may be related to a biochemical causation, environmental stressors, and often people will process information about a similar stimulus differently," Stockton said.\nThere are many treatments to help reduce the painful effects of excessive anxiety, according to the site. For lesser types of anxiety, freshman Vera Murton said she has tried more common activities.\n"Working out, napping or taking time away from the stressful situation at hand," Murton said, describing her methods for relieving stress.\nCalming breathing techniques, meditation and yoga are also useful, according to the site, all designed to relax the mind and better focus for the task at hand.\n"Cognitive behavioral managing, stress management classes, and any other ways that one can simplify their life," are effective ways to attack stress, Stockton said.