Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/Jc1eO3QkiRM

 

With Thanksgiving behind us, most of us know full well that there is abundant stress ahead of us before that
Times Square ball drops to ring in 2023.  With that in mind, I’m digging deep in my radio archive back 30 years to share my WBZ News Radio Stress sheet that helps you recognize stress and control it.

 

I much appreciate the Instagram posting of the sheet by Bill Flaherty, the current head of operations at WBZ Radio whom I knew as Senior Producer back in the day. 

 

When I was the WBZ Radio Sunday morning wake-up guy back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, I’d kick off each program with what I called the Early Bird special: Let’s go back some 30 years now. (Recording) The Early Bird special was a little freebee for those who joined me at 7 on Sunday morning.  One of the most popular Early Bird giveaways was my WBZ Stress Sheet.  Since we had no internet or websites in those days, I offered to mail the sheet if a listener sent in a self-addressed, stamped envelope.  And they did by the 100s each week as my wife Judy, who captained the envelope stuffing, can attest.

 

Let’s go over the sheet quickly.  The physical signs signal general body agitation. Cardiovascular signs with a bump in heart rate and blood pressure.  Neurologic changes with headache, muscle tightness, sleep issues, and fatigue.  Gastrointestinal symptoms including loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea in extreme cases.

 

Then the emotional signs including irritability, anger, anxiety, feeling down, withdrawal from social situations, and a tendency to be sad and weepy.

 

Finally the most debilitating are the intellectual or psychological problems including inability to concentrate, forgetfulness, loss of creativity, diminished productivity, judgement errors, and a diminished fantasy life.

 

So how do you control stress.  Let’s just hit on the highlights quickly, and you can go over the sheet yourself later.

 

Physical exercise, let your mind wander during walks, scramble your day, extra time in a warm shower, balance work and play, accept the inevitable, give in during arguments and take the other person’s position, help others, escape to a museum, park, or immerse yourself in a book, occasionally stop doing and thinking and just gaze at the clock, tune into a single sound like a heartbeat, reward yourself with a weekly treat, fulfill a fantasy often, daydream, watch a funny movie, and take time with someone you love.  Then finally, consider the tag line with which I closed each of my broadcasts: Keep a smile on your face and in your heart…it is THE best medicine.

 

#stress #wbzradio #exercise #fantasy #laughter #love