Stress occurs anytime you prepare to make changes in response to something, whether it is desired or demanded, voluntary or involuntary. A certain level of stress is necessary for motivation and energy, sharpening your senses and allowing you, for example, to be at your best for taking a test or running a marathon. You do want to learn how to manage it in more effective ways, so that you don’t “burn out” - physically, mentally, and/or emotionally.
If you are noticing that the pressures you feel are affecting your daily activities (missing class, feeling unusually tired, or isolating from others) then it can be an indicator to seek additional support. The Counseling and Prevention Services CAPS office is a great place to determine where you are at and opportunities to manage the pressures in healthier ways.
Sources of Stress:
Environment
Your environment places continual demands on you to adapt, change, or adjust to the weather, noise, crowding, interpersonal demands, time pressures, performance standards, and threats to your physical security.
Physiological
Demands on your body are a significant source of stress: illness, accidents, aging, sleep disturbances, and poor diet/insufficient nutrition.
Your Thoughts
How you think about, interpret, and label your experiences is also a significant source of stress. This is not a source of stress that many people recognize or understand, yet it is a significant contributor.
Ways To Reduce Stress
There are several basic ways that you can reduce stress. One or all of the approaches may be appropriate for any particular situation.
- Change the situation.
Evaluate what is it about the situation is causing you stress. Then, brainstorm with yourself or people you trust; all possible ways in which you can change the situation. - Change your perception of the situation.
This is where monitoring and changing your thoughts comes in. If you tend to see only the negative in every situation, attempt to identify what might be a growth opportunity (Remember the saying “Every cloud has a silver lining?”) If you tend to catastrophize (“If I get a “C” in that class, I’ll never get into graduate school!”), think about the situation realistically (“My GPA will still be 3.2; besides, I can retake the class if I need to.”). Accept that every situation can, in some way, be a positive learning experience. - Change your capacity to deal with the situation.
Your ability to deal with stress can be diminished by lack of sleep or exercise, poor diet/nutrition, inability to relax, illness, etc. These factors can be changed, thus increasing your ability to deal with stress. Try to get at least 5-6 hours of sleep per night; consult with the nutritionist in the Student Health Center to help plan inexpensive, nutritious meals; attend stress management workshops to learn relaxation techniques; structure your schedule to allow yourself at least 30 minutes a day of exercise. If you can’t find 30 minutes a day, do things like climbing stairs instead of taking the elevator, walk to school one day a week, etc.