Stress is a natural response of the mind and body to a situation in which you feel threatened or anxious. How do you deal with stress? Find out about the signs and effects of stress and effective ways to manage it.
As a student, you are probably familiar with the experience of stress – a condition characterized by symptoms of physical or emotional tension. What you may not know is that stress is a natural response of the mind and body to a situation where a person feels threatened or anxious. Stress can be positive, such as preparing for a happy occasion, or negative, such as dealing with a disaster.
Stress can hit you when you least expect it – before a test, after losing a job, or during conflict in a relationship. If you are a college student, it may feel like stress is a persistent fact of life. While everyone experiences stress at times, a prolonged bout can affect your health and ability to cope with life. That is why social support and self-care are important – they can help you see your problems in perspective . . . and the stressful feelings ease up.
Sometimes stress can be good. For example, stress can help you develop skills needed to manage potentially challenging or threatening situations in life. However, stress can be harmful when it is severe enough to make you feel overwhelmed and out of control.
Strong emotions like fear, sadness, or other symptoms of depression are normal, as long as they are temporary and do not interfere with daily activities. If these emotions last too long or cause other problems, it is a different story.
Physical or emotional tension are often signs of stress. They can be reactions to a situation that causes you to feel threatened or anxious. The following are all common symptoms of stress:
It is not only unpleasant to live with the tension and symptoms of ongoing stress; it can actually harm your physical health. Chronic stress can impair your immune system, disrupt almost all of your body’s processes, and lead to increased risk of numerous health problems, such as the following:[1]
That is why it is so important to learn healthy ways of coping with the stressors in your life.
The best strategy for managing stress is to take care of yourself, such as in the following ways:
The following video features a progressive muscle relaxation meditation for you to try. There are many many others available on YouTube and elsewhere.
If the self-care techniques listed above are not enough, and stress is seriously interfering with your studies or life, do not be afraid to get help. The student health center and college counselors are good resources.
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Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-collegesuccess/chapter/stress/
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