stress management.

1. What situations cause me to stress out? Giving a presentation to a live audience, performing music, huge workloads, big tests.
2. What is happening in my body when I am stressed? My muscles definitely get tighter, my heart beats faster, my mind races a little so it's harder to concentrate.
3. What are some strategies I can use to minimize stress? Meditation has proven to be very helpful to me, but I could also get into a habit of taking a couple minutes to walk around after each hour at my computer. 
4. What are the two types of stress? Good stress (eustress) and bad stress (plain old stress).
5. Have you experienced eustress? When? I have! I was doing a rehearsal for a music festival I was performing in, and I was nervous about hitting the high notes on my flute. But using stress management techniques like deep breathing, I turned that stress into eustress and used my body's energy to make it my best performance of that song. I don't think I've played that song so well even once since. 
6. How can health and fitness influence stress? Exercising your body can eliminate stress. Also, if you are healthy it is easier to stay mentally healthy and avoid stress.
7. What can you do to help a friend who is stressed out? I can be there to make them laugh! Laughter is my favourite way to eliminate stress and has been one of the most effective ones I've tried. 

If you haven't seen this TED talk on stress, I highly recommend watching it! It's not that long when you consider all the great information shared in it.