Practical tips in dealing with stress Published Sept. 7, 2011 By Capt. Charnell Smith 52nd Medical Operations Squadron SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- The Spangdahlem Base community has experienced several changes in the environment that may have affected many of us in different ways during the past year . These occurrences include: inspections, deaths, Installation Excellence Award preparations, Operation Odyssey Dawn and other deployment contingencies. Let's face it; our operations tempo here is second to none. Throughout all of this, people may feel overwhelmed and stressed. Stress is actually a natural part of life and not all is bad. Stress is an everyday part of life, and it results from any change to which a person has to adapt. Most of us can deal with a certain level of stress due to our affiliation with the military. We've beentaught that "flexibility is the key to airpower," and most of us are used to the motto "adapt and overcome." However, sometimes our stress levels can be engulfing, especially when we are faced with several stressors at once. This is something many of us have dealt with a lot in the past few months. At the start of the day, write down a to-do list and set reasonable priorities. After a traumatic event such as the death of a servicemember or a large scale traumatic event that may affect the entire base, people can schedule up to four one-on-one meetings with any member of the Traumatic Stress Response Team.Team members are located in the mental health clinic, chapel, and airman and family readiness center. The purpose of these meetings is for education and consultation and not treatment and these meetings are not also documented. For more information or to get assistance, contact the mental health clinic at DSN 452-8285 or commercial 0656561-8285, the chapel at DSN 452-6711or commercial 0656561-6711, the airman and family readiness center at DSN 452-6422 or commercial 0656561-6422, the military family life consultants 24/7 cell phone 0152-2421-7332.