For anyone feeling stressed out by the current economy or finding everyday life overwhelming, there may be an answer.
On Tuesdy, UCLA psychology professor Michael Irwin will give a lecture, titled “Managing Stress for a Healthier Life,” in The Pointe at the Walter Pyramid.
Irwin has worked for 20 years in the area of psychoneuroimmunology, which is the study of the mind’s effects on health and resistance to disease.
Some of the topics he will address are the definition of stress, the ways stress can affect a person’s health and ways stress can occur. He will also discuss the kinds of diseases that can be caused by stress.
Irwin said consequences of stress include stroke, diabetes, arthritis and depression.
The lecture is part of an annual series of lectures given in the field of wellness. The event, known as the Donal P. Lauda Wellnes Lecture, is named after a long-time dean of the College of Health and Human Services who retired in 2002.
According to a 2008 survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, stress levels have increased significantly over the last two years and even more so in the last 12 months.
Lauda said college itself can cause stress levels for CSULB students to rise.
“The excess of higher education can cause a lot of stress because a lot of students are having a hard time getting in, and the enrollments have really grown,” Lauda said. “Trying to handle a course load can be hard and some of the kids here are working, so that puts a stress on their lives, plus the cost of tuition and the rising in fees.”
Irwin will also address ways to cope and manage stress, such as meditation, exercise, rest and even writing about stressful things — practices that both Irwin and Lauda incorporate into their everyday lives.
“I use a variety of ways to manage stress, like making sure I get an adequate amount of sleep, because I know sleep is so important,” Irwin said.
Lauda offers additional methods to combat stress.
“I try to deal with problems that come up before they get out of hand,” Lauda said. “Exercise, good nutrition, maintaining friends and interacting with other people is also a good stress reliever.”
According to Lauda, “The goal in having this lecture is to have people leave having a higher comfort level of what stress is, what causes it and some strategies to cope with it.”
The College of Health and Human Services is sponsoring the Donald P. Lauda Wellness Lecture. Admission is free and open to the public.
The event is also sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. Parking is available in Parking Lot 13 off of Atherton Street. Those using the lot should ask the parking attendant for a free parking pass.
For more information call Mary Harris Robinson at (562)-985-4194.
The updated version of this story was posted at 11:30 p.m. on March 23
Would it be considered a stress inducement for a university to run a survey to raise athletics fees during midterms?