Stress Management

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emotional distress. In a recent study presented to
the American Psychological Society, 67 college
students were made to give impromptu speeches
in front of their peers. Public speaking is one of
the most dreaded, anxiety producing tasks people
experience. In the study, half of the college students
had their heart rates rise from 70 beats per
minute to 100 while speaking. However, the half
who kicked back before hand with an episode of
the television comedy Seinfeld had heart beats of
only 80 to 85 beats per minute. That lower heart
rate, the result of laughter, was comparable to the
effects of stress-relieving biofeedback techniques.
Commenting on that study, Edward J. O’Brien,
Ph.D., professor of psychology at Marywood
University in Scranton, Pennsylvania, said: “We’re
not suggesting this can replace biofeedback or
other stress managing techniques, but humor
seems to inoculate you against anxiety.” The lesson…
watch less news and laugh more, call friends
who you know you can joke or “kid” around with,
and above all realize that God created laughter.
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Carry These Two Serenity
Prayers with You
These prayers have helped countless people
during times of high stress. One is a twenty-five