Stress What’s That!?

September 29, 2015

A Quick Guide to Managing Stress in College

Everyone has stress, whether its good stress or bad stress, your body takes a toll. Your body does not know the difference so learning to manage stress is important. College is a time of life changes and environmental differences, which means there is a high level of stress. Stress can be anything from a big test, to going on a date! Before I go into the different ways to manage your stress, lets name some of the top  general topics that cause high stress.

  • Money
  • Work
  • Health
  • Family
  • School

Everyone has been stressed about one thing or another on that small list. College is a time where all of those things attack you. School is expensive, you are away from you family, college is hard work, and have you ever heard of the freshman 15? Learning how to manage these things in your life can help you from getting sick, and causing more pain than your body really needs.

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Many people don’t think they can manage stress. Things just keep pilling up and it never seems to stop. However, you have full control of what goes on in your life and how to handle every situation. Every person has a different personality and body; there is more than one way to deal with stress. However, if nothing is done about it then a certain stress management strategy is probably necessary. It is important to learn different remedies and find a fit that is best for you. Before you can find the best way to cope with stress, you need to understand where your stress is coming from and why you are getting stressed. So before you decide to manage your stress ask yourself these questions

 

  • Is the stress temporary? (I just have a lot of stuff going on right now)
  • What is my main source of stress? (family, school)
  • Do you blame yourself or others for your stress?

 

Okay now once you have these questions answered you can figure out the best way to deal with your stress. You can take some simple everyday remedies, or if you think you need more, follow some of the more step-by-step tasks.

 

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REMEMBER TO BREATHE

FIRST I want you to take three deep breaths (Yes right now, even if you’re not stressed). Don’t you feel better already? You may think this sounds dumb, but people often forget to breath in stressful situations. Deep breathing is scientifically proven to affect the heart, brain, digestion and the immune system. When we get really stressed, or mad there is a phrase termed ‘my blood is boiling’. Well your blood is not actually boiling, but you blood pressure increases and the pH is rising. Doing these deep breathing exercise can actually have the ability to alter these factors. So next time you need a study break, stop and do some yoga, or before you call your mom back after she left you a long voice mail, practice some breathing techniques.

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If you are interested in specifically breathing techniques, check out these websites!

 

 

PEP TALKS

Now that you are done breathing, lets give our selves a POSITIVE SELF PEP TALK. Yes, you read that right. Tell yourself how awesome you are and how great you are doing. Everyone needs positive reinforcement in his or her life, and what individual knows you better than you! When ever you are at your desk, or in your car tell yourself “you can do it” or “things could be worse.” I challenge you to give yourself one encouraging word or phrase a day. Here are some examples to help you:

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  • “I’ve got this”
  • “This is going to be easy”
  • “I can handle this”
  • “I can always ask for help”
  • “I will look back at this and laugh”
  • “I will get through this”

 

 

GET UP AND MOVE

Another everyday task people forget about is movement and exercise. Having daily activity can be a huge stress reliever. Exercise releases endorphins and helps your body to feel good. You don’t have to be a heavy weight lifter to make this happen; any movement will help keep your mind off your worries. Taking as little as 10 minutes to get your heart rate up can help you step away from your worries and sweat out some stress. A regular workout routine can be very beneficial but doing little things like walking your dog, using the stairs, or even putting on some music and dancing is beneficial. The longer you sit around the longer your stress will sit on you.

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WRITE IT DOWN!

If you love to write and journal, then this technique may be suitable for you. Not only writing down your feelings, and situations that are stressful can help, but also going back and preventing them from happening again is even better. Keeping a stress journal can help you find the regular stress influences in your life. In this journal keep track of:

 

  1. What caused your stress
  2. Where you were
  3. How you felt both mentally and physically
  4. What your reaction was
  5. How you relieved the stress

 

After the stress is relieved, you can go back and look at the different entries and analyze what was the same or different. Here you can figure out what small changes need to be done in everyday life to keep the stress from coming back. You may not have noticed the pattern before so this can keep you organized and accountable. Looking back at these situations you can decide what was unnecessary stress you need to take care of in your life, or how your reaction may affect others. Some situations may not be things you can change, but this can be an opportunity to accept that. We can’t change that the sky is blue, and if I am always worrying about why the sky is blue and not purple what is the point? I can accept the things I cant change and move on from it.

 

Again these are only some of the way to deal with stress, but they are easy to forget. Here are some other quick options for relieving stress:

  • Smile and laugh
  • Seek out friends
  • Eat healthier
  • Avoid drugs and alcohol
  • Time manage
  • Pick up a hobby
  • Stay positive
  • See a counselor

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There are different ways individuals cope with stress, but don’t let it get the best of you. When in doubt stop breathe and talk yourself through it. Always remember it could be worse and there is always someone rooting for you.

 

 

For more information:

 

For counseling services contact:

Director: Keith Mangus

Butler University Counseling Servies

HRC, Room 120

530 W. 49th St.

Indianapolis, IN 46208

(317) 940-9385

http://legacy.butler.edu/counseling-services/

 

 

References:

Thompson, Dennis. CBS News. The Biggest Cause of Stress in America Today. 2015. Web. Sept. 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-biggest-cause-of-stress-in-america-today/

Robinson, L. Smith, M. Segal R.Help Guide. Stress Mangement: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress. Web. Sept. 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.htm

Cuda, G. NPR Books. Just Breathe: Body Has a Built-In Stress Reliever. 2010. Web. Sept. 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/2010/12/06/131734718/just-breathe-body-has-a-built-in-stress-reliever

American Heart Association. Four Ways to Deal with Stress. 2014. Web. Sept. 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/StressManagement/FourWaystoDealWithStress/Four-Ways-to-Deal-with-Stress_UCM_307996_Article.jsp

American Psychological Association. Five Tips to Help Manage Stress. Web. Sept. 2015. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/manage-stress.aspx

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Manging Stress. 2012. Web. Sept. 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/features/handlingstress/

 

Media Sources:

https://worldofblackheroes.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/you_rock.gif

http://ctworkingmoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/breathe.jpg

http://www.michaelomidi.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Exercise-and-Anxiety.png

http://cpxicom.c.presscdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/no-stress.jpg

http://roughcityathletics.com/2015/03/17/stress-adaptation-cycle/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fL-pn80s

 

Posted by Kayla Pope
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