Automated:	The Missouri State Journal, a weekly program keeping you in touch with Missouri State University. 
Nicki D:	With the joy of the holidays also comes stress. Gift giving, financial burdens, crowded malls, packed calendars, it all adds up. I'm Nikki Donnelson. Today I have Dr. Amber Abernathy as my guest on the Missouri State Journal. She's an assistant professor in Missouri State University's phycology department and the Mary-Charlotte Bayles Shealy Chair in Conscientious Psychology. Abernathy provides tips for coping. Her first tip is simple, be prepared. 
Amber A.:	It's coming and we know it's coming, and these stressors are going to happen. You know, getting along with in-laws, and ex-laws, and everything else that you might have, and siblings. So one thing is to start early. And that does include things like relaxation techniques. So what happens is, overtime, if we learn to meditate, relax, what it feels like to de-stress, what it feels like to be self aware, it's easier to pull that in. 
Nicki D:	Abernathy's interests lie in personality and in conscientiousness, which is one of the big five personality traits. Some of her more recent research projects include the use of meditation and mindfulness to control physiological reactions like increased heart rate, tensions and other stress responses. She elaborates.
Amber A.:	And we've actually done some great research where we show that doing things like meditation for two-four-six weeks changes the stress response system, so you're not activated as fast. And that's a good thing. We don't want to constantly be activated by this stress, or we don't want chronic stressors. So start early, start now learning how to relax, learning the self-awareness of what it feels like to calm down.
Nicki D:	Another important aspect is to place the stress in perspective. In the context of your life, how much does the outcome of this squabble really matter?
Amber A.:	Another good one that I always say, is think about the stressor that you're going through. Is this going to matter a week, a month, a year from now? Is this only temporary? Is this fight that you're having over what you're going to watch on TV with your family going to matter in the long run? Take that into perspective. Is this a little stressor? Is it going to matter?
Nicki D:	Abernathy's research, much of which she conducts alongside Dr. Norm Shealy, has proven that long-term health can be affected by stress. But she's quick to point out that the stress doesn't have to relate back to one major trauma. In fact, it might just as likely be from the perfect storm of seemingly trivial stressors. She explains. 
Amber A.:	There's a lot of little stressors, and we actually find that health risk, and lower immune functioning, and sicknesses don't always come from this one giant stressor, it's the cumulative effect, so if you're letting every little stressor bother you, that's going to do you more harm than possibly one big stressor. And then try to take time for yourself. I know that, you know, you're shopping and you're in crowds and there's 20,000 things to do, and programs, and finals for students, and things like that going on, but pull back and take 20 minutes, three times a week to do a meditation, to just be quiet, to think about what you're going through, to journal writing, is a big one as well, so take that time for yourself.
Nicki D:	She recommends preparing for the battle of the stressors, so you can fight it whenever it pops up. Find the techniques that work best for you. Journaling, reciting meditations, is it a quiet mind? Is it a breathing exercise? Knowing this and carving out time for this self-care can minimize the negative impact stress can have on your health. 
Amber A.:	Maybe you don't need to meditate every day, but once you learn those meditation practices, the breathing concentration, the concentrating on the moment, the posture, the mental silence, once you learn those, you can use those in these circumstances. 
Nicki D:	That was Dr. Amber Abernathy, Mary-Charlotte Bayles Shealy Chair in Conscientious Psychology at Missouri State University. I'm Nicki Donnelson for the Missouri State Journal.
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