Friday, September 30, 2011

Stress Out Your College Stress


“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” ~Etty Hillesum


Have you been very busy in school lately? Struggling to meet deadlines? Torn between academics and extra-curricular activities? Having problems with family, friends, and your lover? Or you’re left with holes on your pocket? Then, you’re probably stressed by all these troubles, right?!

Stress is the body's reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental or emotional adjustment or response. The response differs from any person whether it makes one feel frustrated, angry, nervous, or anxious. It is caused by many factors and these stress-producing factors are called “stressors”. Balancing classes, tests, projects, extra-curricular activities and part-time work for a few are some of the stressors that have plagued into the cluttered minds of the students. These stressors do not cause anxiety or tension by themselves. Instead, stress results from the interaction between stressors and the individual's perception and reaction to those stressors. The amount of stress experienced may be influenced by the individual's ability to effectively cope with stressful events and situations. If stress is not dealt with effectively, there are various negative outcomes that include physiological, psychological and behavioral problems.

To avoid some destructive effects on a student’s physical and emotional health, there are a number of techniques to help college students minimize the stress they are feeling. Managing stress will help us cope up with the daily pressures of college and give us more time and energy to enjoy our college experience. Here are some ways that may help us slow down for a while amidst all these stresses and take a deep breath before we move on:

Manage Your Time. Learn to plan ahead and avoid procrastination. By scheduling and organizing your time can be shown to reduce stress. You must focus on what tasks should be done first, which had time constraints or deadlines, or which would get worse if nothing were done. If you put this in mind, it will help you make a plan of action like whether you would work on your projects or read chapters of your lessons ahead of time. You must schedule time for assignments or projects and stick to that schedule. Don’t let other unnecessary things become an impediment to your routine such as gimmicks or other unimportant events. But if you really need a break from school, do it but just make sure to balance your school from fun. The best “rest day” would be any day of your weekends. You’ll find that facing the coming week is much easier when you’ve had genuine time to rejuvenate!

Get Some Company. Stress can skyrocket when one person feels he or she is all alone. So when you’re feeling down, call your true friends and share what it is that you’re going through. Ask for their advice or input. While their advice or suggestions may be helpful, often you’ll find that simply verbalizing your problems will help you feel better. This is because your friends’ support through listening can buffer or weaken the negative effects of stress such as anxiety, depression and irritation in you.

Laugh A Little. “Laughter is the best medicine,” as what the cliché goes. It relieves tension and loosens the muscles. It causes blood to flow to the heart and brain. More importantly, laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisolepinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine and growth hormone. It also brings the focus away from anger, guilt, stress and negative emotions in a more beneficial way. So get rid of those frowns, smile and laugh for it may also extend your lifespan!

Switch off your Worries. To regain peace of mind, you must at least erase it from your consciousness. Sometimes, we don’t need to think of our problems too much, often, it solves on its own. As what we often say, “Don’t problem your problem, let your problem, problem you.” It may just be a form of a joke, but mind you, it still helps get rid of your present stress.

Make time for fun and relaxation. Surely, the opposite of stress is relaxation. Finding transitions or strategies for relaxing such as reading a book or listening to your favorite song is enough to reduce stress. If you feel you are stressed out on a certain task, why not rest and indulge first on fun? Try to invite your friends to watch movie together, or eat pizza on a pizza parlor. This way, you can lower their stress as well as yours.

Have space to be alone. College life is not conducive to solitude. However, everyone needs a few minutes alone, whether to think without interruption or just enjoy the quiet, solitary moment. You can stroll into the shopping malls alone or saunter along the seashore. Stepping out from the crazy college environment for a few minutes can do wonders for reducing your stress.

Wear Your Knees Out. If there were one sustainable remedy to your dilemma when the going gets tough, it would be prayers. It is one of the things we can do to manage stress just by simply saying a prayer to ask God to help us get through those times when parents, friends, exams, and more troubles are making us stressed out. We should always remember that when everything else fails, prayer works!


Have a healthy lifestyle.

Stress is inevitable. Without it, life would become dull and less challenging. It adds flavor, challenge and opportunity to life. It also pumps up your energy towards a zestful living. The challenges caused by stress help develop new skills and patterns of behavior. The problems will gradually occur if it becomes excessive and destructive. However, we must take note that the harmful effects can be prevented and the level of stress can be reduced only if you know how to handle it right.

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