How do you handle stress?

RallyPoint News — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 12:11:34 -0500

The past year has been challenging for many of us. How have you reduced stress or worry? How are your friends and family managing their stress?

While stress is a normal part of the human experience, long-term stress can negatively impact our health, outlook, and sense of well-being. If you feel like the previous ways you've reduced stress are not working, it may be time to try something new.

This free, online resource can help. Through brief, self-paced lessons, learn new techniques to manage stress at your own pace whenever you need help.

This educational course was created by mental health experts at Cohen Veterans Network (CVN) and is available at no cost to all veterans, service members, and military family members - CONUS and OCONUS.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Mar 1 at 2021 6:14 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 18:14:47 -0500

I felt an overwhelming sense of stress in my 19th year in the army. I experienced a poignant and seminal moment when I went to the 9 mm range. I did my first iteration and flunked. I tried 3 more times with more intensity. I could not qualify on the 9 mm. It was quite humbling because I had a background in aviation and tanks. I had qualified with a 120 mm cannon but not on the smallest gun in the army. I had intimations that I was not good for the army and I became irrelevant. It was my duty to retire and get out. I was sad for myself but I had to be honest and prepare myself to hang up my boots. Sometimes that is just the way of the world.

Response by PVT Mark Zehner made Mar 9 at 2021 2:38 PM

PVT Mark Zehner — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 14:38:38 -0500

Thank you for the information!

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Mar 22 at 2021 11:45 AM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 11:45:34 -0400

I lifted this from the PTSD Paper:

Anxiety And Stress: Severe PTSD can be devastating as it weakens a person emotionally, mentally, and intellectually. This renders the person in some cases incapable of prioritizing and categorizing stressors properly and it becomes overwhelming. I noticed physical manifestations of severe stress like body tremors. This is the reason why I could not qualify on my 9 mm pistol later in my army career. I developed the “Pistol Range Analogy” to help you with anxiety.

Mentally visit a pistol range. Assume the effective range of the pistol is 50 meters. Each target is a stressor. The targets range from 25, 50, 100 meters. The 25 meter target represents stressors that must be addressed relatively quickly. The 50 meter target represents goals or stressors targets perhaps a week to two weeks away. The 100 meter target represents goals or stressors several months away. In theory the closest targets are the most dangerous and easiest to hit. Thus, hit the closest targets first.

All the targets pop up at the same time. Shoot the closest target first. Then start moving further out. Hit the 25 meter targets then hit the 50 meter targets. Perhaps you should give the 100 meter targets a very low priority due to the impossible distance. This approach will reduce overall stress and help you prioritize goals. It will reduce stress and anxiety. This allows you to boil down a chaotic and overwhelming environment to a sequential one.

Response by Wayne Soares made Mar 23 at 2021 8:07 PM

Wayne Soares — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 20:07:32 -0400

Thanks for the info

Response by SFC Melvin Brandenburg made Mar 29 at 2021 11:53 PM

SFC Melvin Brandenburg — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 23:53:22 -0400

Gym, anger, and alcohol. Lots of alcohol.