Download 8. Managing stress

Managing Stress
Managing Stress
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Too much stress can seriously affect your physical and mental
well-being. Recurrent physical and psychological stress can
diminish self-esteem, decrease interpersonal and academic
effectiveness, and create a cycle of self-blame and self-doubt.
Contents
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Stress Signals
Sources of Stress
Tips for Stress Management
Help is Available for Managing Stress
Look at how you currently cope with stress
Learning healthier ways to manage stress
Stress management strategy #1: Avoid unnecessary stress
Stress management strategy #2: Alter the situation
Stress management strategy #3: Adapt to the stressor
Stress management strategy #4: Accept the things you can’t
change
Stress management strategy #5: Make time for fun and
relaxation
Stress management strategy #6: Adopt a healthy lifestyle
Stress Signals
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Stress affects each of us in different ways,
and it is important to be aware of your
unique stress "signals". Stress signals fall
into four categories: thoughts, feelings,
behaviors, and physical symptoms. When
you are under stress, you may experience
any number of the following:
Feelings: anxiety, irritability, fear,
moodiness, embarrassment.
Thoughts: self-criticism, difficulty
concentrating or making decisions,
forgetfulness, preoccupation with the
future, repetitive thoughts, fear of failure.
Behaviors: crying, increased or decreased
appetite, "snapping" at friends, acting
impulsively, alcohol or other drug use
(including smoking), nervous laughter, teeth
grinding or jaw clenching, stuttering or
other speech difficulties, being more
accident-prone.
Physical: sleep disturbances, tight muscles,
headaches, fatigue, cold or sweaty hands,
back or neck problems, stomach distress,
more colds and infections, rapid breathing,
pounding heart, trembling, dry mouth.
Sources of Stress
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Stress is a part of every
student's daily life. Leaving
home or commuting daily;
managing finances; living with
roommates; and juggling work,
classes, and relationships all
contribute to the normal stress
of being a student. In addition,
it is not uncommon for
students to feel stressed and
anxious about wasting time,
meeting high standards, or
being lonely. Stress can also
come from exciting or positive
events. Falling in love,
preparing to study abroad, or
buying a car can be just as
stressful as less-happy events.
Tips for Stress Management
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There are many ways to manage
unhealthy stress in your life. The key
to stress reduction is identifying
strategies that work for you. As you
begin to understand more about how
stress affects you, you will develop
your own ideas to help relieve
tension.Because each person is
unique, some of these stress
management strategies will be more
helpful for you than others, and some
will be new skills that require practice
to be effective. Think about learning to
ride a bicycle. There was a time when
this was a new skill and felt very
unnatural and awkward. You probably
needed help at first. With some
coaching and practice, stress
management, like cycling or any other
skill, becomes easier and more
effective.
Help is Available for Managing Stress
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Even the best athletes benefit
from coaching to enhance or
recover their skills. Sometimes
you may need some coaching
too. Our Stress Recess
website offers more in-depth
guidance and practical (but
fun) tips on ways to manage
stress. In addition, the
Counseling & Mental Health
Center offers classes and
counseling for stress
management. For more
information on what's
available, click the buttons
below.
Look at how you currently cope with
stress
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Think about the ways you
currently manage and cope
with stress in your life. Your
stress journal can help you
identify them. Are your
coping strategies healthy or
unhealthy, helpful or
unproductive?
Unfortunately, many people
cope with stress in ways
that compound the problem.
Learning healthier ways to manage
stress
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If your methods of coping
with stress aren’t
contributing to your greater
emotional and physical
health, it’s time to find
healthier ones. There are
many healthy ways to
manage and cope with
stress, but they all require
change. You can either
change the situation or
change your reaction. When
deciding which option to
choose, it’s helpful to think
of the four As: avoid, alter,
adapt, or accept.
Stress management strategy #1:
Avoid unnecessary stress
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Not all stress can be
avoided, and it’s not
healthy to avoid a situation
that needs to be
addressed. You may be
surprised, however, by the
number of stressors in
your life that you can
eliminate.
Stress management strategy #2:
Alter the situation
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If you can’t avoid a stressful
situation, try to alter it.
Figure out what you can do
to change things so the
problem doesn’t present
itself in the future. Often,
this involves changing the
way you communicate and
operate in your daily life.
Stress management strategy #3:
Adapt to the stressor
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If you can’t change the
stressor, change yourself.
You can adapt to stressful
situations and regain your
sense of control by
changing your
expectations and attitude.
Stress management strategy #4:
Accept the things you can’t change
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Some sources of stress are
unavoidable. You can’t prevent
or change stressors such as the
death of a loved one, a serious
illness, or a national recession.
In such cases, the best way to
cope with stress is to accept
things as they are. Acceptance
may be difficult, but in the long
run, it’s easier than railing
against a situation you can’t
change.
Stress management strategy #5:
Make time for fun and relaxation
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Beyond a take-charge
approach and a positive
attitude, you can reduce
stress in your life by
nurturing yourself. If you
regularly make time for fun
and relaxation, you’ll be in a
better place to handle life’s
stressors when they
inevitably come.
Stress management strategy #6:
Adopt a healthy lifestyle
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You can increase your
resistance to stress by
strengthening your
physical health.