STRESS MANAGEMENT Short-term stress can help students improve their grades, polish their essays, or pursue a desired career opportunity. https://simrandeshmukhblog.wordpress.com/stress-management/

1. STRESS MANAGEMENT
One of the many challenges that college students face is stress. Short-term
stress can help students improve their grades, polish their essays, or pursue a
desired career opportunity. Long-term stress, however, can have negative
consequences if not addressed. In addition to the adverse effects of stress,
more college students report feeling it for extended periods. Although
coursework causes most of this stress, other factors such as family, friends, and
work can all contribute to adverse academic and personal outcomes.
How Does Stress Affect College Students?
Stress is a physical response to an individual’s emotions. Stress can be caused
by positive and negative events, such as an upcoming wedding or the death of
a loved one. When you experience a stressful emotion, your adrenal gland
releases epinephrine, the hormone responsible for the flight-or-fight response,
followed by cortisol. This response can save your life in dangerous situations.

2. Too much cortisol, on the other hand, can have a negative long-term impact on
your metabolic rate, memory formation, and blood sugar regulation.
Many students feel the need to relieve stress, but with all of the activities and
responsibilities that fill a student’s schedule, it can be difficult to find the time
to try new stress relievers. These options are simple, quick, and applicable to a
student’s life and types of stress.
There are three types of stress:
Acute Stress: The most common type of stress, acute stress, is caused
by everyday stressors such as waking up late, rushing to class, or
receiving a poor grade. Fortunately, most acute stress fades quickly and
has little mental or physical impact.
Episodic Acute Stress: As the name implies, episodic acute stress
occurs when a student experiences acute stress multiple times over a
long period. Migraines and tension headaches are common symptoms.
Chronic Acute Stress: Chronic, acute stress occurs when an individual
cannot avoid a long-term stressful situation. Students struggling
academically in a significant course, for example, may develop chronic,
acute stress, resulting in weight gain, sleep deprivation, and anxiety.

3. Stress can also impact health-related behaviors such as sleep patterns, diet,
and exercise, causing a tremendous toll. This is understandable given that
nearly half of APA survey respondents reported completing three hours of
homework per night in addition to their full day of schoolwork and
extracurriculars. High school students face intense competition in taking
difficult courses, accumulating impressive extracurriculars, studying for and
acing college placement tests, and making important and life-changing
decisions about their future. At the same time, they must deal with the social
challenges that come with the high school experience. If a teen plans to attend
college, once accepted, the stress continues as they must make new friends,
deal with a more difficult workload, be without parental support in many cases,
and navigate the stresses that come with more independent living. Romantic
relationships always add an additional layer of stress. Therefore, it is critical to
be prepared with tools to help manage the effects.
Here are some coping techniques:
Engage in deep belly breathing.
Deep breathing can be practiced between classes, at lunch, or before
and after school. Place one hand on your abdomen and sit comfortably

4. with both feet on the floor. Check that your muscles are relaxed. Deeply
inhale through your nose until your stomach rises. Hold this breath for 5
seconds, then slowly exhale through your mouth as if blowing through a
straw. This pattern should be repeated for 3 to 5 minutes. Experiment
with progressive muscle relaxation. To combat stress and anxiety, the
American Psychological Association recommends progressive muscle
relaxation.
Find a comfortable position, preferably lying down.
Begin by tensing the muscles in your lower legs. Breathe in for 5 to 10
seconds while contracting these muscles, then exhale and relax the
contraction. Hold this relaxed posture for 10 seconds. Move up your
body, contracting different muscle groups while breathing in and out,
holding for 5 to 10 seconds with each breath, then relaxing for 10
seconds before moving on to the next muscle group. Engage in regular
physical activities. Daily activity, such as exercise or sports, can help
reduce the effects of stress. Encourage your child to participate in a
sport or activity or to exercise together as a family in the evenings.
Acknowledge and accept all emotions
Turovsky believes that kids and teens must understand that having

5. coping skills does not mean that they will be free of negative emotions
such as being unhappy, irritated, frustrated, deflated, or anxious. On the
other hand, coping skills should enable them to recognize these
emotions, label and validate them, and engage in coping behaviors.
Learn to communicate your difficulties.
Turovsky believes parents and teachers should encourage students to
share when they are tired, distracted, or overwhelmed. Specific coping
skills may differ from person to person, but Turovsky believes that for
the majority of us, they may include sharing difficult emotions with
people we love and trust.
Identify a few reliable listeners.
Students must also have someone who will listen to them attentively
and without judgment. Students of all ages should find at least two
adults they trust and have regular access to. This could be a teacher, a
family friend, a family member, a community support person, or mental
health professional.
We are all subjected to stress. Knowing how to identify and manage it, on the
other hand, can help reduce the negative effects and keep you and your child
healthy throughout the school year. You can manage daily stressors by taking
time for self-care, eating well, exercising, practicing deep breathing, reaching
out to friends and family, and asking for help. If these interventions aren’t
working and you or your child’s stress levels are becoming too high, it’s time to
see a doctor. They can assist in determining whether a referral to a mental
healthcare professional is required.