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by Bob Ditter
Dear
Bob,
Every year after camp, I find myself completely wound up. Coming down from
the stress and demands of the summer seems to be more difficult each year.
For example, I find myself unable to relax and slow down. What tips do you
have for camp professionals who are trying to "re-enter" after a hectic summer?
- All Wound Up
Dear Wound Up,
Many camp professionals tell me how difficult it is for them to slow
down after the frantic pace of summer. For some, the pace extends into
fall or the rest of the year, as more camps develop programs for the
shoulder months of September, October, November, April, and May.
Several factors, some biological and others psychological, contribute
to the difficulty many camp professionals experience after the intensity
of the summer. One of the biological factors has to do with acclimation.
Faced with more noise and greater stress, the body develops a tolerance
to the strain by tuning out much of it (for example, the noise of the
dining hall, the messy conditions of the summer office, on-the-fly programming
for rainy days, or coping with under-performing personnel or anxious
parents). After a while, as a kind of coping or survival mechanism, your
body becomes acclimated to the pressure.
Going from an environment with a lot of stress and activity to one with
much less activity can be a shock to a system that is acclimated to higher
levels; adjusting to a lower level takes a while. Even exciting or positive
events, such as a thrilling victory in a competition or an end-of-the-summer
banquet, can be stressful and require an adjustment period.
Another aspect of the end-of-the-summer "re-entry" concerns the nature of caretaking
in a camp environment. The often around-the-clock availability that many directors
give to staff, campers, and parents has several consequences. It tends to obscure
the boundaries between private and public life; reinforces a kind of over-functioning,
where one feels important and needed; and is essentially outwardly directed.
In other words, caretaking at camp often occurs at the expense of taking care
of oneself.
Camp situations bring a director into the intimate spaces of many people's
lives, and camp does plenty to interrupt the intimacy of the director's
own life. Any recovery from the stress of camp needs to include reconnecting
with the people who share your own intimate, private life. This is often
a formidable challenge for many camp professionals, partly because caretakers
find helping others with intimacy is easier than contending with their
own intimacy issues. When helping others, the caretaker has a clearly
defined role; he is needed and important. The emotional risk is different
when it involves the caretaker's own life.
Steps to Reduce Stress
You can take many specific, practical steps to reduce your stress level
after camp. Because camp professionals acclimate to a higher level of
stress during the camp season, these steps are akin to resetting a thermostat
or readjusting your stress-tolerance level. Many examples in medical
and psychological literature elaborate on the long-term costs of not
resetting your thermostat, including a greater risk of heart disease
and other disease and a toll on one's personal life.
Change
Change is a great elixir. Known in psychological circles as the Hawthorne Effect,
change for the sake of change has been clearly linked to a rise in productivity
and an alleviation of depression. A change of scene, such as a vacation,
can have a tremendous positive impact on re-entry, especially if accompanied
by other practical measures. The key is to get away and to do it with the
least possible effort.
Exercise
Gross motor activity has long been known to reduce stress and depression. After
camp, exercise should be moderate. If you are having trouble sleeping, walking
in the morning or afternoon is a great way to begin. Graduate slowly to bike
riding and swimming. Even if you are an accomplished runner, taking it slow
after camp will help you reset that thermostat.
Increase water intake
Flush your system. As a regular visitor to camps, I see what people put in
their mouths. Although I am not a nutritionist, I recommend increasing your
water intake (eight glasses a day are recommended, though most directors
rarely get that much to drink) and cutting your caffeine intake. Also, stress
eats up the B vitamins, so make sure you are eating a balanced, healthful
(fun!) diet. At the risk of getting into a controversial area, I also recommend
limiting your alcohol intake. Simply speaking, alcohol puts a strain on the
liver. Moderation is the key, but you would not want to substitute one form
of stress for another.
Meditate or pray
Meditation or prayer is a centering exercise that helps you get in touch with
yourself. Some people accomplish this by writing in a journal. Others engage
in yoga, transcendental meditation, or prayer. Whatever form you choose,
you may find this exercise to be excruciating at first - it is painful to
be with oneself after having always been with so many others. However, centering
exercises will help you reacquaint yourself with your inner life (your feelings,
thoughts, and experiences).
Sleep
Catch up on your rest. Most camp professionals are chronically sleep-deprived.
This does not jibe well with recent research, which indicates that most people
need six and one-half to eight hours of sleep a night to remain healthy.
Few people can get by on less than six hours, and we know that the body heals
itself during sleep. Those rapid eye movements (REMs) seem to help us keep
our sanity, and catching a few catnaps could be a great off-season habit
to cultivate.
Have fun
Be bad! I say this in a lighthearted way and do not mean be evil. What I mean
by being bad is letting go of the habit of taking care of others. Have some
fun yourself. Anything that incorporates laughter is bound to be healing.
Practice visualization
Visualize rest, strength, and peace. Visualization can have powerful benefits.
The practice is simple: sit or lie down and picture in your mind scenes where
you are at rest, are calm and peaceful, or are quietly strong. As you begin
to practice visualization more, you can introduce scenes that are potentially
stressful or challenging and then visualize yourself mastering the situation
and handling it with confidence and strength. Visualization is actually a
form of positive thinking.
These steps are actually designed to help camp professionals do with
themselves what they do so well with others - be healthy and thrive.
By taking better care of yourself, you can better encourage
others to reap the benefits of the camp experience.
Originally published in the 2000 September/October
issue of Camping
Magazine.
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