Stress management - A Guide for College Students

Stress Management: A Wellness Lifestyle Approach

Stress is a part of life, but the healthier you are, the better able

you are to manage stress when it happens. Chronic stress can impact your immune system, which lowers your resistance to getting sick. Approaching stress management from a wellness lifestyle approach can give you "money in the bank" when it comes to preventing stress, and can give you the energy you need to handle stress when it happens. The following components are part of a wellness lifestyle approach.

Attitude:

"Attitude is everything." What does that mean? The way you think about things can make all the difference in how you react to events. In this section, we explore how you can change the way you think in order to reduce stress.

Have you ever noticed how the exact same situation can stress one person out, while it might not affect another person at all? This difference can usually be explained by the way each individual thinks about the situation. Changing the way you think (a.k.a. cognitive restructuring) can help you manage stressors in your life. Here's how. Each time something happens in our lives, the information about that event enters our minds. We then interpret it; we form beliefs about what the events means, why it happened or how it is going to affect us. While we can't always control the events that happen, we can control what we think about the event, which in turn shape our feelings about them.

POSITIVE SELF-TALK

Self-talk is an ongoing internal dialogue we each have. Oftentimes this conversation is overly critical, irrational and destructive. To reduce stress, instead of being your own worst critic, treat yourself with a gentle touch. Talk to yourself like you would a child who you care about very much.

Changing Your Self-Talk:

Think about a stressful situation you experienced recently.

Come up with both negative/irrational and productive/rational self-talk for the situation.

Example 1

Situation: I have a huge paper due in two days.

Irrational self-talk: I'll never get it done. Why did I take that stupid class in the first place?

Rational self-talk: I've worked well under pressure in the past. I know I can do it again!

Example 2

Situation: I came home to discover my roommate left the kitchen a mess.

Irrational self-talk: She is so disrespectful of me. Can't she think about anyone but herself?

Rational self-talk: I know my roommate has a lot going on. She would have cleaned up if she had time. 

Healthy eating:

Good nutrition and healthy eating habits can help you through your stressful times now, not just prevent a heart attack 30 years down the road. Eating well will increase your physical, mental, and emotional stamina. Fueling yourself with nutrient dense foods can boost your immune system, help you maintain a healthy weight and help you feel better about yourself. Check out the Healthy Eating section for a quick diet assessment and ideas on how to fuel yourself better. 

Healthy eating plays a crucial role in your ability to deal with times of extra stress. Carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals are all important for energy, mental concentration, and emotional stability. Stress may weaken your immune system and increase your body's need for certain nutrients. A balanced diet will help you stay focused, alert, energetic, and healthy during times of stress. However, if you live off of fast food or frequently skip meals, you are more likely to perform poorly or get sick during stressful times. A daily multivitamin/mineral supplement (recommended for most college students) can be helpful, but it will not replace the role that whole foods play in maintaining a healthy body. Whole foods contain many substances, such as phytochemicals and fiber, which boost the immune system and maintain health. Any discussion about eating and stress must include caffeine and sugar. Many people use high sugar foods to keep their energy up and caffeine to keep going when they need rest. Too much caffeine will contribute to poor quality sleep and add to the negative effects of stress on the body. Sugar will satisfy you in the short term, leaves you with less energy and more hungry after an hour or two. Whole foods will provide you with energy that will last for several hours.

Physical activities:

Physical activity provides immediate stress relief as well as long-term stress management. Just 20-30 minutes of walking a day, for example, can give you more energy, help you put things in perspective, improve your sleep, sharpen your mental productivity, and boost your self-confidence. Our bodies are made to move and everyone can find some type of activity that is enjoyable.

Physical exercise

• Boosts energy.
• Increases ability to concentrate.
• Makes you feel great because your body will produce endorphins, which naturally relieve pain and induce feelings of well-being and relaxation.
• Improves physical appearance, enhances self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Helps you fall asleep faster and improves sleep quality.
• Means fewer illnesses – physically fit people are more resistant to diseases.
• Strengthens your heart which is constantly being called upon to "fight or flight" from job, school, family, financial, relationship, and every other kind of stressor you confront daily.

But i hate to exercise

Change the "E" word from exercise to enjoyment. Find activities that you love to do and that match your personality. If you love the outdoors, go hiking or biking. Dancing, gardening, or skating might be your passion.

Do it to music. Plug yourself in and listen to music, news or books-on-tape.

Use personal muscle power for transportation. Bike to school or to the store, walk to lunch or to your next class, or get "in-line" and skate around campus. 

Relaxing your Mind and Body: 

There are a number of relaxation techniques that can help you manage stress and also improve your concentration, productivity and overall well-being.

Relaxation: Relaxing Your Body and Mind  

There are a number of relaxation techniques that can help you manage stress and also improve your concentration, productivity and overall well-being. If you need help, ask a therapist or counselor. He or she can offer more detailed instructions and coaching to help you perfect these techniques.

To get started

• Find a quiet, relaxing place, where you will be alone for 10-20 minutes to do these exercises. The techniques work best if there are no distractions.
• Practice once or twice a day.
• Stick with the technique that works best for you. Not every technique will work for every person.
• Keep trying. Don't worry if you don't notice a major change immediately. You may need to practice for a few weeks before you begin to feel the benefits.
• Try one or more of the techniques described below.

Progressive muscle relaxation

This technique can help you relax the major muscle groups in your body. And, it's easy to do.

• Wear loose, comfortable clothing. Sit in a favorite chair or lie down.
• Begin with your facial muscles. Frown hard for 5-10 seconds and then relax all your muscles.
• Work other facial muscles by scrunching your face up or knitting your eyebrows for 5-10 seconds. Release. You should feel a noticeable difference between the tense and relaxed muscles.
• Move on to your jaw. Then, move on to other muscle groups – shoulders, arms, chest, legs, etc. – until you've tensed and relaxed individual muscle groups throughout your whole body.

Meditation

This is the process of focusing on a single word or object to clear your mind. As a result, you feel calm and refreshed.

• Wear loose, comfortable clothing. Sit or lie in a relaxing position.
• Close your eyes and concentrate on a calming thought, word or object.
• You may find that other thoughts pop into your mind. Don't worry, this is normal. Try not to dwell on them. Just keep focusing on your image or sound.
• If you're having trouble, try repeating a word or sound over and over. (Some people find it helpful to play soothing music while meditating.)
• Gradually, you'll begin to feel more and more relaxed.

Visualization

This technique uses your imagination, a great resource when it comes to reducing stress.

• Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
• Imagine a pleasant, peaceful scene, such as a lush forest or a sandy beach. Picture yourself in this setting.
• Focus on the scene for a set amount of time (any amount of time you are comfortable with), then gradually return to the present.

Deep breathing

One of the easiest ways to relieve tension is deep breathing.

• Lie on your back with a pillow under your head. Bend your knees (or put a pillow under them) to relax your stomach.
• Put one hand on your stomach, just below your rib cage.
• Slowly breathe in through your nose. Your stomach should feel like it's rising.
• Exhale slowly through your mouth, emptying your lungs completely and letting your stomach fall.
• Repeat several times until you feel calm and relaxed. Practice daily.

Once you are able to do this easily, you can practice this technique almost anywhere, at any time.

Sleep:

Consistent sleep is critical for a healthy life. Although we all need varying amounts of sleep, if we do not get enough sleep, everything from our immune system to our ability to learn and remember information will be negatively affected. Sleep is as important as nutrition and exercise when preparing for peak performance.

Stress and Sleep

Stress and sleep problems often occur together. When this happens it can be hard to know how to improve sleep when you're stressed and reduce stress when you have trouble sleeping. There are a number of reasons why stress and sleep negatively impact each other.

Fast Paced Mind

We stay so busy and occupied during the day, our mind often runs a million miles per hour just to keep up with all of our responsibilities. The stress of a fast paced life and limited time to process the day's activities often keeps our mind moving quickly, even when it is time for our head to hit the pillow. It's often hard to slow down and "turn our brain off" at the end of the day. This frequently makes falling asleep and staying asleep difficult.

Cortisol

When we are stressed our body is flooded with stress hormones to help us respond to a threat or stressor. Cortisol and adrenaline are important stress hormones and key players in keeping us alert and focused. However, these hormones can become the enemy when we are trying to relax and go to sleep. The presence of these stress hormones often disrupt an individual's ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Caffeine

When we don't get enough sleep or sacrifice sleep for studying, partying or other activities, consuming caffeine can become our crutch. While caffeine can temporarily help us get through the day, it is often associated with interrupting deep sleep. Low sleep quality and functioning on caffeine can make us more susceptible to stress, less effective in how we manage stress, and less capable of establishing healthy sleep patterns.

Over-scheduling

A hectic, busy life can rob you of time you can actually dedicate to sleep. If you find yourself pushing your bedtime back further and further to get things done, or getting up earlier so you can be more productive, you may not realize the toll it's taking on your sleep and susceptibility to stress.

Anxiety

Anxiety can make falling asleep and staying asleep extremely difficult. Anxiety often keeps individuals in a constant state of readiness for something to happen or rehearsing for an upcoming event. As a result, anxiety can rob you of sleep by keeping stress hormones at a high level and making quality sleep much harder to achieve.

There are a number of strategies you can use to help you become more relaxed before you go to sleep.

Healthy Relationships:

Changes in relationships can be a source of stress for many students, as can feeling socially isolated. At the same time, talking with a supportive friend or family member can be helpful in coping with stress. This section emphasizes conflict resolution for stress management.