Discover How You Can Erase Stress From Your College Routine
The entire college experience can be a stressful one. From high school preparations to graduate thesis research, the pursuit of higher education can be full of unexpected surprises and future uncertainties. These pressures are not limited to only undergraduates on campus. With the ongoing pandemic and related unemployment crisis, more and more older Americans are changing their careers and pursuing online degrees. No matter your unique situation, a new school year wouldn’t be complete without a host of new challenges that affect your life in a variety of ways. Understanding what is stressing you as a student and how to deal with those stresses can make the college journey a lot smoother.
What Is Stress
Every living creature experiences stress in some way. It’s a common reaction to stimuli that signal our brain to be aware and possibly take action. But not all stress is bad. As humans, we have a built-in flight or fight response that keeps us mindful of challenges and dangers. In other words, stress keeps us alive, and that’s a good thing. But sometimes stress can work against us, especially in a classroom setting or in the comfort of your home but still in front of a laptop.
Recognizing Stress
Only 2% of college students surveyed in 2019 and 2020 report not experiencing any stress at all. That means 98% of the student body is experiencing some kind of stress in their academic lives. There are different levels of stress, depending on the situation. More acute stress levels tend to be easier to recognize. The most common symptoms of stress are anxiety and depression, but not everyone reacts to stress in the same way. Stress can have a negative impact mentally and emotionally on students. This can reflect on their grades, participation in class, motivation, and overall wellbeing. But not all stress can be easily identified. Typical physical symptoms of stress are:
· Headaches
· Chest pains
· Nausea
· Heartburn
· Fatigue
· Insomnia
· Weight change
· Missed periods
· Muscle aches
There are behavioral symptoms that can be easier to identify in others such as:
· Changes in eating habit
· Change in sleep patterns
· Use of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol
· Changes in school performance
· Isolation
· Trouble coping
· Impaired judgment
· Lying
· Irritability
These are just a few of the symptoms that can be observed in either yourself or in others when trying to identify stress.
Common Stressors
It’s very common to misidentify stress, especially if you’re faced with the daily challenges that college can bring or if you are observing someone else. It’s helpful to know the kinds of stressors that exist in college students’ life.
Relocation
Whether you’re going to a community college in your hometown or traveling hundreds of miles away from family, relocating your life in any way can create stress. You’re now in unfamiliar territory and everything is new. Not only are you focusing on schoolwork, but you’re in a situation where you have to make new friends and also maintain the relationships that you left behind.
Homework
No matter if you’re a full-time or part-time student, every class you take has more reading material than the next. It can be difficult to find enough time to complete all tasks, especially if you have other obligations such as work, children, and family. Time management becomes the most important thing when dealing with class schedules, homework, and everything else going on in your life.
Remote Learning
The idea of full-time school from home sounded fun at first, but after a couple of semesters, you realize that it’s a lot more difficult than you originally thought. And that’s if you’re fortunate enough to have the technology to participate in all of your required classes. Remote learning itself is a new challenge that most students on every level are now facing, and it takes a little more time to figure it all out.
Relationships
“No Man is an Island.” And neither is a college student. We all have family and loved ones, and it’s important to maintain those relationships through the challenges of school. They can be a great support system during the first few months or years. But it can be difficult to hold onto those connections, especially long-distance romantic relationships.
Finances
Most college students are relying on student loans, grants, and scholarships to get through each academic year. But there are still several surprise out of pocket expenses every semester. No matter where you are in life, stressing about money is a burden that seems to never go away, and for a college student, it’s one more thing to add to your plate.
Health
Along with financial surprises, there can sometimes be an unexpected health scare. At the moment, we, as a country are dealing with the biggest health crisis of our lifetime in COVID-19. Fortunately, most students have decent health care services provided by their school, but for some mature students going back to school, a health situation can be a major setback and can be a cause for added stress.
Post-Graduate Plans
You’ve made it this far, and the sky’s the limit. But what a big sky it is! I’m sure we all know people who have their masters but are bartending at the local restaurant, or dog walking to make extra money. Just because you’ve graduated doesn’t mean that you’ll walk right into your dream career, and the thought of not knowing what comes next can be very scary indeed.
Negative Distraction Techniques
The combination of college life and life in general can be overwhelmingly stressful and cause anxiety and depression. If you don’t realize that you’re suffering from stress or you don’t recognize the cause of your stress, this can lead to bad decision making in an attempt to avoid the negative feelings generated by your academic career. It’s important to recognize the negative coping techniques that some fall into so you can identify the challenges of stress as soon as possible. Some common distractions that students use to avoid stress are:
· Excessive Drinking
· Illegal Drugs
· Prescription Drugs
· Overuse of Marijuana
· Social Media
· Overeating
· Netflix
· YouTube
· Sex
· Sleeping
· Shopping
· Partying
· Over Working
These techniques can lead to habitual behaviors that over time can have a negative impact on your life. It’s best to be able to identify these behaviors now and replace them with healthy coping mechanisms.
Destressing the Good Way
There’s nothing wrong with distraction when it comes to battling stress. Good News, college students! There are plenty of ways to distract yourself from stress and anxiety in a healthy and positive way. Some of these you’re probably doing right now and not even realizing it. You don’t always need medication to deal with stress. Some of the below techniques can help resolve the physical and emotional symptoms that come with stress and can help alleviate the daily anxiety and depression.
Exercise
Exercise of any kind is a great stress reliever. It’s a natural way to reduce stress within the body. Only a few minutes of high physical activity is all that’s needed to release endorphins, which are mood elevators and natural pain killers.
Yoga
This is a great way to relax the body and mind. Yoga is a practice that combines physical poses, breathing, and meditation techniques. Not only is yoga a good way to reduce stress, but there are studies that show yoga reducing blood pressure and lowering the heart rate, which leads to overall better health.
Meditation
Yoga and meditation go hand in hand, but the practice of meditation alone has tremendous benefits in combating stress. Meditation helps to focus the mind to create a deeper state a relaxation. There are many meditation techniques that you can adapt to best fit your school life schedule. You only need a few minutes a day to enjoy the benefits of this practice.
Sleep
It’s important to know the difference between good sleep habits and bad sleep habits. If you’re using sleep as a way to escape your troubles, that’s not good. Most people need between 7–10 hours of sleep to function during the day. Anything more than that could be a sign of depression. Lack of sleep due to insomnia can also lead to depression, frustration, and anxiety. If you notice that you’re having a problem with sleep, it could be helpful to keep a sleep journal to monitor your hours of sleep and how restful you feel afterward.
Breathwork
Breathing is a great way to relieve stress. When you take a deep breath, this action tells your brain to relax. This also sends nourishing oxygen to your lungs and other parts of your body, stimulating your brain. There are several different kinds of breathing exercises that teach control and train your mind understanding that you are in control of not only your breath but other circumstances in your life.
Visualization
Using mental imagery to relax your mind is another destressing technique. This is similar to daydreaming. You can use your imagination to take yourself to a place of calm and serenity, away from the stress of the day.
Music
Eastern medicine has relied on sound therapy for hundreds of years, and in the western world, music therapy is a growing field. The best thing about using music to relieve stress is that you don’t need to go into the doctor’s office for your next treatment. Finding an uplifting beat to start your day or a tranquil melody to end the night is all you need to boost your mental health.
Diet
What you eat during the day has more of an impact on stress than many might think. Some foods can boost levels of serotonin, which is a calming brain chemical, and other foods can cut levels of cortisol, which is a stress hormone. Being mindful of your diet and understanding how food affects your physical body can help with the reduction of stress.
PMR (Progressive Muscle Relaxation)
This simple technique can be done anywhere at any time. PMR involves tensing your muscles one at a time for a few seconds and then releasing them. This helps your body fall into a deep relaxation and releases tension. This can also help in reducing pain and aiding in sleep.
Organization
Getting your life together does not have to be a complicated process. Basic organization is the best way to feel in control of your life and reduce stress. You can start small with daily tasks and gradually work your way up. Once you put yourself in a situation where you don’t have to scramble for everything, your stress will melt away.
Affirmations
Words have such a powerful impact on the mind and spirit, which contributes to our emotional health. How many times during the day do you speak negatively about yourself? It happens to the best of us. Be mindful of what you say to yourself and others. Affirmations are gentle reminders of our dreams, aspirations, and what we want out of life. A simple way to use affirmations to reduce stress is to repeat throughout the day, “I am calm and relaxed in all situations” Even if you don’t believe it at the time, with continuous repetition, your mind will start to believe the positive words that you’re putting out into the world.
Journaling
Keeping a journal is a great way to understand why you feel the way you feel and help to pinpoint your exact stressors. Writing can be very therapeutic. Expressing your feelings while journaling can give you a sense of control that can help you tackle your stress head-on. It’s also a great way to look at your challenges from different perspectives, which can provide more positive solutions. Journaling is all about gaining a better understanding of who you are.
Everyone has stress in their lives. There’s no getting around it. But if you recognize the things in your life that stresses you and have the right tools to combat the stress that comes your way, you’ll soon understand that stress will be no stress at all. This will give you time to go back to your studies and focus on the amazing future ahead of you.
