Identifying Stressors

During the week starting October 21, I kept a diary in which I listed my daily hassles. Minor annoyances such as my boring Business Communications class with Joe D'Amato was one of them, and this hassle occurred twice during the week. I was annoyed with the class since my instructor never teaches anything challenging or even remotely mind-stimulating. In addition, he spends the entire period of lecture asking students questions about what they think is appropriate in business and etc. Watching movies made during the 1970's was also boring and dull. I realized that the cause of my annoyance was Mr. D'Amato's strategy of teaching.

On Friday night I went to Grossmont Center to see The Illusionist, and the line for tickets were filled with at least a hundred kids. A man standing in front of the theater also tried to cut me and talk to his friends while I had been waiting patiently for ten minutes. On Tuesday, my roommate was not taking her part in washing dishes or cleaning once again. And, throughout the week I had to remind her three different times to wash the dishes and pick up all of her dirty clothes. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night my parents called me to remind me to make my doctor's appointment, pick up some of my things at the house, and to pay my bills which was very annoying. I dealt with it pretty well by not getting upset, and I simply told them to stop reminding me to do little things.

On Wednesday night my boyfriend and I got into a little argument about a situation that occurred a year before involving an ex-girlfriend. As I started to get more and more upset I noticed that I was experiencing rapid breathing. But, I tried using the stress-reducing response which helped calm me down, talk about it, listen, and solve the problem that was making me mad. Furthermore, I had to study for an accounting exam on the same night I had a fight with my boyfriend. After I had finished reading the first chapter I was experiencing a major headache that persisted throughout the night.

B.) Dealing With Hassles

I practiced the stress reducing response