Tragedies like the one at Virginia Tech are terrifying and troubling. We don’t know if something like that might happen to us, or someone we love. And it makes me wonder why someone would do such a thing. Regardless if you were directly affected by this tragedy or were not, events like these can make us feel more stress and it can make it even more difficult to cope with the challenges we have in our lives. If you are wondering how to cope with this stress the answer may lie in your close relationships. In her research Shelley Taylor, a professor at UCLA, has shown that one of the best routes to reducing your stress is to “Tend and Befriend” in other words, when you feel stressed, alone, or overwhelmed, find your family or your close friends. They will offer you someone to talk to, and you can comfort each other during hard times, it will make you feel better, lower your physiological stress level, and leave you with more resources to deal with the difficulties you are having.

For more information follow the links below. If you feel you need professional help there are many resources. If you are a student there may be counseling available on your campus and if you want go off campus many counselors will reduce their rates depending on your income. Regardless if you are or are not a student you can go to a community clinic, get a referral from your doctor, family member or friend, or search for a counselor on aamft.org or apa.org.

Further Reading:

http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20000901-000021.html

http://www.johnupdegraff.net/pdf/TKLGGU-00.pdfhttp://www.johnupdegraff.net/pdf/TKLGGU-00.pdf