With the outcome of the recent elections, winter creeping in and the fear of upcoming finals — they are closer than you think — ISU students are starting to feel more stress than usual. As a society that is constantly connected through social networks, cell phones and other technology, unplugging and finding quiet time is also a growing problem.

But why should people worry about stress? After all, a stressful life is rewarded and seemingly glamorous in our society. Almost every day I hear fellow students “brag” about how extensive their workload is, as if their busy schedule works as a direct indicator of their quality of life. This practice needs to stop. If you have reached the point where you find it necessary to constantly remind people you’re busy, perhaps you should consider dropping an activity.

Traditionally, people have viewed stress as a normal reaction to life’s pressures — with the extreme worst case scenario being long-term, such as an ulcer or worse, grey hair. This is partially true, stress is a natural experience, but it may affect your health in ways that you don’t realize, and there are methods available to control feeling stressed.

At its basic level, stress is caused by the release of adrenaline and glucocorticoids, and is used for survival. In a life or death situation reflexes take over and non-immediate processes are ignored.

This is great for the animal kingdom, but our stress is not as simple as a wildebeest running from a lion at a waterhole. Our stress is caused by workplace disputes, homework and even thinking about stressful activities or thoughts. This means that many people are constantly in a stressful state. ISU staff psychologist Todd Pietruszka said when you are in the mindset of “fight of flight” your body does not take into account a number of factors like, tissue regeneration, muscle tension, healthy heart rate and memory. In essence, your body is only concentrating on functions that concern the task at hand. This results in a number of health concerns, such as fatigue, weight loss/gain and frequent illness.

A popular way to explain stress effects on people is through an anxiety test. Every student has been in a situation when their mind “goes blank” during an exam. Regardless whether or not they they studied, stress inhibits their ability to recall information.

As a society, we need to be aware of the effect stress has on our bodies and avoid turning into a bunch of tired, underweight or overweight, sick zombies. Multi-tasking, social networks and being able to balance a number of obligations are all great, but it’s important to find a way to cope with stress.

There are a number of commonly recognized methods of dealing with stress, naps, yoga, physical activity and even watching movies help people manage anxiety and stress. However, the problem with some of these activities is they require time management and they are used as a way to deal with stress after it has occurred. The idea of making time to deal with stress just adds another item to your schedule.

Luckily, Iowa State has a free resource that enables students to deal with stress at a basic level and control the effect it has on their body. The Student Counseling Service Biofeedback Center allows people to use sensors and a computer to observe physical responses that are related to stress.

By tracking heart rate and skin conductance, users can view the source of their anxiety or stress. Once they understand the feedback, students can then learn a number of exercises to cope with stress such as breathing techniques, how to relax and focus on visualizations.

For more information on the SCS BioFeedback Center, go to http://www.public.iastate.edu/~stdtcouns/BiofeedbackatSCS.htm or visit their office one the third floor of the Student Services Building.