Among other definitions, stress is the physical pressure, the pull, or force exerted on one thing by another. It's also defined as a specific response by the body to a physical, mental, or emotional tension.
So think about this for a moment. If stress is the physical pressure exerted on one thing by another, then you, your body, your psyche can be what is ultimately being pushed around!
Stress is an inevitable part of life and can be brought on by a variety of different things, but it doesn't have to get the best of you if when know how to manage it.
Think about it.
Being a part of a student organization as a whole has plenty of demands on members.
Sometimes the friends we have or the drama that comes with certain relationships can add pressure and stress. Add to that the assignments, projects, classes, tests that are a regular part of our schedule...and what about all the other aspects of college life and university involvement that can keep us busy like Homecoming, athletics, campus organizations or Greek Week? For some of us, we may feel as if our planner is always being added to or that there just aren't enough hours in the day to get it all done...for some of us there are jobs, community involvement, issues going on at home or in your personal life or facets of your dating life or existing relationship that add additional pressure, anxiety or stress.
Did any of this sound familiar to you?
Clearly, as a student, as an active member in a student organization, or as a person, there are so many things that could easily stress you out.
So stop for a minute.
Take a moment and identify some things going on in your life, that make you feel stressed out or anxious.
It is impossible to prevent stressors completely. Therefore what's more important than trying to avoid stress all together is to learn the best ways to manage the stress that will inevitably come in and out of your life.
Stress isn't just something that happens to us. It's also about how we react to it.
Your body treats all of the multiple demands that you face as a busy college student as minor threats.
Every day stressors are a fact of life but how we react and handle these situations is a choice. Just as everyone can become stressed over different things, everyone also reacts to stress differently. One way to begin effectively managing your personal stress is to start by learning the typical ways you react to it.
Think about a recent stressful experience. Take yourself back to those moments. How did you react?
Did you feel any kind of physical pain? Some people will carry their stress in physical symptoms like muscle tension, headaches, upset stomach, shortness of breath or maybe back pain.
Some people may experience a change in their diet. Stress may cause them to over or under eat. They may eat things that typically they wouldn't and they may even find both comfort and control in what foods they are consuming since they may not be able to find the same result in their stress.
Some people may experience anger when they are under intense stress. They may argue with friends or loved ones or may come across as being mad or upset.
Others are more emotional. They can feel lonely or sad. They may just feel so overwhelmed with the various stressors in their life that the only release they have is to cry.
Some may feel restless when they are stressed out. This can mean losing sleep, unable to sit still and focus on something. Maybe they are getting bored more easily and will move quickly from one thing to the next in a constant state of business.
Some individuals may start anticipating the worst to happen or may start only focusing on the negative aspects of what is going on in their life. They may feel so overwhelmed that the positive aspects of the situation don't even seem like an option.
And still for some, they may turn to excessive smoking or drinking to temporarily feel as if they are handling the stress.
So take another moment to jot some notes down. What does your behavior look like when you are under stress?
Now that we have had a chance to take into account how we react to certain stressful situations let's begin to think how we can alter and or transform our reactions positively.
As we have mentioned, it is impossible to prevent stressors completely. It becomes important, then, to learn the best ways to manage the stress that will inevitably fluctuate in and out of your life.
Here are a few ways to try...
- Limit your obligations-Take a close look at your schedule and really evaluate any tasks including activities, dinners, meetings or assignments that you can cut back on, delegate elsewhere, combine or postpone. Know that only agreeing to the fun/less stressful offers and putting off tasks that you may be trying to avoid will only postpone the inevitable.
- Say NO-Let your friends and family know that you are stressed out and that you just can't commit to everyone or everything. They will understand! They've been there before!
- Prepare-Plan ahead and set realistic goals for the tasks you need to complete. For example, don't set a goal to stay up all night to finish a project...it's unrealistic and may stress you out even further when you can't go out with friends or go to bed! Make to-do lists. Take note of all of your commitments so that you can visually see what needs to be done in order to feel relief. And then take pride in accomplishing something from your list!
- Take up a hobby-Take the time to participate in something that you find relaxing or enjoyable that is just for you. Maybe you like to read, workout, draw or scrapbook. It's so important to take even 30 minutes of your day to try and incorporate something you love doing. It will calm you down and help you feel a bit rejuvenated. Don't just take time for these hobbies...make time for these.
- Relax-Calm down. Take a deep breath...and relax. Some great forms of relaxation that you could probably take advantage of on campus is a yoga or pilates exercise class. It's important to slow down. Relaxation is very calming and can increase your awareness of how stress may be impacting your body.
- Think positive-Approach a task or activity that you are dreading with a more positive attitude. Rather than focusing on all of the reasons why you don't want to do the task, focus on all of the positive results you will feel from finishing it. Check yourself. Rather than jumping to the negative, try and embrace the reward of getting it done.
- Cultivate happiness-Make sure you find time to identify what it is that makes you happy and enjoy doing those things. Take a nap, spend time with friends or just listen to music, but make sure you find "you time" and what it takes to make you happy. This looks different for everyone and can recharge your batteries to do some of the more daunting items on your "to-do" list. Or use these things as rewards to partake in when you've completed a task that you have maybe been putting off.
- Journal-Express yourself with words. Write down your thoughts and confidently get out of your head what may be bothering you or holding you back from focusing on you. Self expression can be a great way to relieve tension, whether mental or physical.
Think back to that stressful time that you identified earlier.
What are some things you can personally commit to changing about the way you react to stress in the future?
When dealing with stressful situations, it is important to remember that creative problem solving is an effective and powerful tool. Problem solving skills have the ability to make life more manageable.
