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TIPS TO MANAGE YOUR STRESS
1. TIPS TO MANAGE
YOUR STRESS
One of the numerous challenges that college students confront is stress.
Short-term stress can help students improve their grades, polish an essay, or
pursue a dream job. Long-term stress, on the other hand, might have
negative consequences if not treated. In addition to the negative
consequences of stress, more college students than ever report experiencing
it for long periods of time. Although coursework causes the majority of this
stress, other circumstances, including family, friends, and employment, can
exacerbate stress and lead to poor academic and personal performance.
What Is Stress, and How Does It Affect Students in College?
A person’s bodily reaction to their emotions is called stress. Stress can be
caused by both positive and unpleasant events, such as an imminent
wedding or the death of a loved one. When you experience a stressful
feeling, your adrenal gland releases adrenaline, the hormone that activates
the flight-or-fight reaction, followed by cortisol. This answer can save your
life in life-threatening situations. Cortisol, on the other hand, can have a
2. long-term negative impact on your metabolic rate, memory formation, and
blood sugar management if you have too much of it.
Many students feel the desire to release stress, but with all of the activities
and duties that occupy a student’s calendar, it can be tough to find the time
to experiment with different stress relievers. However, these solutions are
simple, quick, and applicable to a student’s life and stressors.
There are three types of stress:
Acute Stress: Acute stress is the most frequent type of stress and is
caused by everyday pressures such as getting up late, rushing to
class, or receiving a poor grade. Fortunately, most acute stress
passes rapidly and has little mental or bodily impact.
Episodic Acute Stress: Episodic acute stress occurs when a pupil is
exposed to acute stress several times over a long period. Migraines
and tension headaches are common symptoms.
Chronic Acute Stress: When a person cannot avoid a long-term
stressful circumstance, chronic, acute stress develops. Students with
academic difficulties in a significant course, for example, may acquire
persistent acute stress, which can result in weight gain, sleep
deprivation, and anxiety.
3. Stress can significantly impact health-related behaviors such as sleep
patterns, food, and exercise. This is logical, given that over half of APA
survey respondents reported doing three hours of homework every night on
top of their full day of schoolwork and extracurriculars. Students in high
school face great competition in taking difficult classes, accumulating
remarkable extracurriculars, preparing and acing college placement tests,
and making significant and life-changing decisions about their future. At the
same time, kids must deal with the social obstacles that come with high
school. If an adolescent plans to attend college, the stress will continue if
they are admitted, as they will need to establish new acquaintances, manage
a more demanding workload, be without parental assistance in many cases,
and negotiate the stresses that come with more independent living.
Romantic relationships often come with an additional layer of stress. It is
vital to have the tools necessary to handle the impacts.
Here are a few coping techniques:
1. Breathe deeply from your stomach.
You can practice deep breathing between classes, at lunch, or before and
after school. Place one hand on your abdomen and sit comfortably with both
feet on the floor. Make sure your muscles are relaxed before you begin. Next,
deeply inhale through your nose until your belly button lifts. Hold this breath
for 5 seconds before slowly exhaling through your mouth, as if blowing
through a straw. For 3 to 5 minutes, repeat this process. Progressive muscle
4. relaxation is a good option. The American Psychological Association
suggests progressive muscle relaxation counteracts stress and anxiety.
2. Get into a comfortable position, preferably lying down.
Begin by tensing the muscles in your lower legs. Inhale for 5 to 10 seconds
while contracting these muscles, exhale, and release the contraction. For 10
seconds, remain in this relaxed stance. Contract different muscle groups as
you move up your body, breathing in and out, holding each breath for 5 to 10
seconds, and then releasing for 10 seconds before moving on to the next
muscle group. Regularly engage in physical activity. Exercising or
participating in sports daily can assist in minimizing the effects of stress.
Encourage your youngster to participate in a sport or activity or go for a
family workout in the evenings.
3. Acknowledge and embrace all feelings.
According to Turovsky, coping skills do not guarantee that all negative
emotions, such as being sad, angry, frustrated, deflated, or anxious, will be
removed. Instead, coping skills should enable individuals to notice, label, and
validate these emotions and engage in behaviors that alleviate them.
4. Be able to convey your difficulties
5. Parents and instructors, according to Turovsky, should encourage pupils to
share when they are tired, preoccupied, or overloaded. Specific coping
methods vary by person, but according to Turovsky, most of us can benefit by
communicating our painful emotions with those we love and trust.
5. Find a few people you can trust to listen to you
It’s also crucial for students to have someone who will listen to them
attentively and without judgment. Students of all ages should select at least
two adults they can trust and with whom they can spend most of their time.
A school staff, a family friend, a family member, a community support
worker, or a mental health professional could be examples.
Stress is something that we all have to cope with. Knowing how to recognize
and manage it, on the other hand, can help you and your child avoid dire
consequences and stay healthy throughout the school year. You can collect
daily tensions by practicing self-care, eating well, exercising, practicing deep
breathing, reaching out to friends and family, and asking for help. If these
strategies aren’t working and you or your child’s stress levels are becoming
too high, it’s time to seek medical help. They can assist in determining
whether or not a referral to a mental health specialist is required.