Take our 'Stress Test'
Stress is anything that puts a demand on you and causes you to try to adapt to this demand. Your body's immediate response to stress includes increased heart and breathing rates, elevated blood pressure, increased voluntary muscle tension, and a change in stomach and intestinal secretions. Examples of situations that can cause stress include exams, moving, starting new classes, performing in sporting events, and striving to live up to family expectations.
Some stress is often positive. A moderate amount of stress helps us to perform better when we need to. Additionally, some people are more comfortable with higher levels of stress than others are. It is when we spend too much of our time in a state of high stress that our health begins to suffer. When this happens, our bodies will begin to show some of the characteristic symptoms of high stress. Some of these symptoms are listed in the answer to the question below.
Symptoms of stress include...
- tense muscles; a sore neck, shoulders, and back
- insomnia
- fatigue
- boredom and listlessness
- depression
- abuse of alcohol, cigarettes, or other substances
- eating too much or too little
- diarrhea, cramps, gas, constipation
- palpitations - heart skip
- phobias
- tics, restlessness, itching
Worrying about any symptoms you might have can also add to your stress.
Coping with Stress
Stress management is very individualized. Figuring out what works best for you is a matter of trying different things and paying attention to how your body responds. The suggestions below have worked for some people. If none of these sounds like it will work for you, think of it as an opportunity to be creative in handling your stress.
Tips on Dealing with Stress
- Stop worrying. You cannot control some things, like the weather.
- Take control. Set realistic goals for yourself. Rank them with the highest priority on tasks you must do. Be sure to also give priority to things you like to do.
- Assess. Why do some things upset you so easily?
- Communicate. Share your concerns with close friends and family. Try to solve conflicts with other people before they escalate.
- Ask for help. Friends, family, professionals, and/or clergy can help.
- Surround yourself with encouraging people.
- Remove yourself from the source of stress. Get away from stress through leisure activities, such as hobbies, sports, reading, and social events.
- Pace yourself. Do not overbook your life or let others overbook it for you.
- Make it known that you are overwhelmed. Learn how to say "No" if you are overloaded in other areas.
- Exercise. Release pent up energy and get in shape at the same time.
- Create a soothing atmosphere in places where you can find yourself stressing, like your desk.
- Play soft music when you feel stressed. It can have a calming effect.
- Take a warm shower at the end of the day. Focus only on the pleasure of the warm water rather than the events of the day.
Daily Stress Reducers
Practiced for ten minutes a day, these four tension busters can make your body less responsive to stress hormones within a month.
- Meditation The idea is to break the train of stressful thoughts by focusing on a simple word, sound, or prayer.
- Deep Breathing Inhale slowly, pushing your stomach out to bring air deep into your lungs. Hold for a count of five. As you exhale, imagine all of the tension in your body and mind leaving with the breath. Repeat.
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation Working down from face to feet, tense one group of muscles for 20 seconds, then relax slowly before moving to the next group.
- Imagery Mentally transport yourself to a tranquil place ? a snowcapped mountain, wild meadow, or empty beach. For maximum effect, imagine vivid details ? colors, sounds, and aromas.
Using time more effectively
College life often leaves students with more leisure time than they are used to having. Yet, students end many days wondering where all of their time has gone and why they did not accomplish what they feel they should have. Time management is one of the most important skills you can learn and college is a great place to start.
Organization is the key to developing effective time management skills. The first step to being organized is to understand how you use your time. One way to do this is to keep a daily log for a week of everything you do (eat, sleep, study, go out) and when you do it. Once you have figured out how you spend your time you will be able to plan how you want to use your time. The following tips have been proven helpful in making a weekly schedule for some people. Please remember that each one of us works in a different way, so you can take what you want from this list. You might also wish to come up with our own tips for time management.
- Identify fixed commitments, such as classes, meetings, and activities.
- Set aside time for personal maintenance (eating, sleeping, exercising).
- Block out study times on your schedule.
- Use your experience to set realistic goals for what you can accomplish in a given amount of time.
- Schedule regular study times.
- Know what time(s) of day you study best. Use these times for tasks that involve a lot of concentration. Use your "down times" for work that is less intense.
- Balance your activities and schedule time for yourself.
- Schedule reward times for using study time effectively.
- Schedule time for physical exercise and recreation.
- Schedule social activities.
- Schedule quiet time for thinking and planning.
- Keep your schedule flexible! Many experts advise allowing two hours of unscheduled time in a twenty-four hour period.
- Try not to be discouraged by what you are not able to accomplish. Think of making schedules as practicing a skill.
- Use what you have learned from this practicing to improve your skills in the future.
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